Not really an historical account, but most probably the most beautifully
book on writing ever published is the rare
Author: Silvestre, J. B. (Joseph Balthazar), b. 1791.
Title: Pal�ographie universelle. Collection de fac-simil� d'�critures de
tous les peuples et de tous les temps, tir�s des plus authentiques documents
de l'art graphique, chartes et manuscrits existant dans les archives et les
biblioth�ques de France, d'Italie, d'Allemagne et d'Angleterre, publi�s
d'apr�s les mod�les �crits dessin�s et peints sur les lieux m�mes / par M.
Silvestre, et accompagn�s d'explications historiques et descriptives par MM.
Champollion-Figeac et Aim� Champollion fils.
Publication: Paris: Firmin Didot fr�res, 1841.
Physical Description: 4 v. : front (port.) 296 facsim.; 62 cm.
Contents: 1. ptie. Peuples orientaux -- 2. ptie. Grecs et Latins -- 3. ptie.
Europe moderne. R�gion m�ridionale -- 4. ptie. Europe moderne. R�gion
septentrionale.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Everson" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 19, 2002 9:42 PM
Subject: A wonderful book
> I've just acquired a copy of what Peter Daniels described as "the
> first book on writing from a scientific perspective":
>
> Taylor, Isaac. 1883. The alphabet: an account of the origin and
> development of letters. Vol. 1: Semitic alphabets; Vol. 2: Aryan
> alphabets. London: Kegan Paul.
>
> 756 pages of delight! Some very nice charts of Brahmic scripts in
> Vol. 2. In due course I expect that I will scan in useful bits if it
> will help us to encode new scripts.
> --
> Michael Everson *** Everson Typography *** http://www.evertype.com
>
>
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