I don't know if this has been posted before so I apologise if it has; I quickly browsed the pinned topics in the Penmanship sub-forum and I could not find any thing to do with it.
Some of you may have heard of the website called Internet Archive. I have searched through that website gathering the links of texts I feel contain valuable sources. I have tried to avoid simple text books in favour of those containing facsimiles. Please do not dismiss these books after a brief look as they do contain a large amount of very useful information and pictures. Some of the books are rather long and time consuming to search through so do not expect to be able to browse them at one sitting. The length of some of the books means that they take a long time to load, to make the process easier I suggest downloading those you wish to read on to your computer as PDF format (or a format that suits you best) and then reading/browsing them off-line. When you click on the links below and go to the corresponding web page you will see to the left a panel of document formats, I suggest right clicking where it says PDF and selecting "Save Link As..." (for Firefox) or "Save Target As..." (for Internet Explorer). As I have already said please do not dismiss them as many of them do contain valuable resources, trust me you will be impressed . Enjoy!


Handwriting I have omitted Palmer's Penmanship Budget as that can be found elsewhere for example at IAMPETH.

Public school penmanship; a handbook for teachers (1909) http://www.archive.org/details/publicschoolpenm00clarrich

The Payson, Dunton, & Scribner manual of penmanship (1873) http://www.archive.org/details/paysonduntonscri00paysrich

The theory and practice of handwriting; a practical manual for the guidance of school boards, teachers, and students of the art, with diagrams and illustrations (1894) http://www.archive.org/details/theorypracticeof00jackrich



Lettering/Calligraphy

Letters & lettering; a treatise with 200 examples (1902) http://www.archive.org/details/lettersletteringa00brow & http://www.archive.org/details/letterslettering00browuoft

Lettering (c1916) http://www.archive.org/details/lettering00stev

Lettering for commercial purposes (1918) http://www.archive.org/details/letteringforcomm00gordrich

Writing & illuminating, & lettering (1917) http://www.archive.org/details/writingilluminat00johnuoft & http://www.archive.org/details/writingilluminat00johnrich

Lettering in ornament, an inquiry into the decorative use of lettering, past, present, and possible (1914) http://www.archive.org/details/letteringinornam00dayluoft & http://www.archive.org/details/letteringinornam00daylrich

Student's alphabets (c1907) http://www.archive.org/details/studentsalphabet00keufrich

The book of ornamental alphabets, ancient and mediaeval, from the eighth century... (1914) http://www.archive.org/details/bookofornamental00delarich

The hand book of mediaeval alphabets and devices (1856) http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofmedia00shawuoft & http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofmediae00shawrich

Penmanship of the XVI, XVII & XVIIIth centuries : a series of typical examples from English and foreign writing books http://www.archive.org/details/penmanshipofthe00dayluoft & http://www.archive.org/details/penmanshipofxvix00dayluoft

Alphabets old and new, for the use of craftsmen : with an introductory essay on Art in the alphabet (1898) http://www.archive.org/details/alphabetsoldnewf00dayluoft

Monograms & ciphers (1906) http://www.archive.org/details/monogramsciphers00turbuoft



Illumination specifically (some of these are quite dry and long)

Illumination and its development in the present day (1922?) http://www.archive.org/details/illuminationitsd00farn

A primer of the art of illumination for the use of beginners... (1874) http://www.archive.org/details/primerofartofill00delauoft

A handbook of the art of illumination as practised during the middle ages. With a description of the metals, pigments, and processes employed by the artists at different periods (1866) http://www.archive.org/details/handbookofartofi00shawrich

English illuminated manuscripts (1895) http://www.archive.org/details/englishilluminat00thomuoft

Illuminated manuscripts (1911) http://www.archive.org/details/illuminatedmanus00herbrich

Illuminated manuscripts in classical and mediaeval times, their art and their technique (1892) http://www.archive.org/details/illuminatedmanus00midduoft

Illuminated manuscripts and bindings of manuscripts exhibited in the Grenville Library (1923) http://www.archive.org/details/illuminatedmanus00brituoft

The art of illuminating as practised in Europe from the earliest times ([1866?]) http://www.archive.org/details/artofilluminatin00tymmrich

Catalogue of an exhibition of illuminated and painted manuscripts, together with a few early printed books with illuminations--also some examples of Persian manuscripts--with plates in facsimile and an introductory essay (1892) http://www.archive.org/details/catalogilluminat00grolrich

Facsimiles of choice examples selected from illuminated manuscripts, unpublished drawings and illustrated books of early date (Quaritch) http://www.archive.org/details/facsimilesofchoi00quarrich

Illuminated manuscripts. ... With twenty-one illustrations (1920) http://www.archive.org/details/illuminatedmanus00bradrich

Illustrations of the Book of Genesis; being a complete reproduction in facsimile of the manuscript British Museum, Egerton 1894 (1921) http://www.archive.org/details/illustrationsofb00roxbrich

A practical treatise on the art of illuminating : with examples, chromographed in fac-simile and in outline, of the styles prevailing at different periods, from the sixth century to the present time ([1873]) http://www.archive.org/details/practicaltreatis00wardiala

Reproductions from illuminated manuscripts. Fifty plates from mss. in the R. Medicean Laurentian library with preface and illustrative notes by Dr. Guido Biagi (1914) http://www.archive.org/details/reproductionsfro00biblrich



Plain free-hand lettering

A text-book on plain lettering (1901) http://www.archive.org/details/textbookonplainl00jacorich

Lettering for draftsmen, engineers and students; a practical system of freehand lettering for working drawings (1911) http://www.archive.org/details/letteringfordraf00reinrich & http://www.archive.org/details/fordraflettering00reinrich & http://www.archive.org/details/draftletteringfo00reinrich

A text-book of free-hand lettering (1909 [c1907]) http://www.archive.org/details/textbookoffreeha00daniiala & http://www.archive.org/details/textbookoffreeha00danirich

Free-hand lettering. Being a treatise on plain lettering from the practical standpoint for use in engineering schools and colleges (1905 [c1903]) http://www.archive.org/details/freehandletterin00wilsiala & http://www.archive.org/details/freehandletterin00wilsrich

[Lettering set, issued by the] Department of Commerce, Coast and Geodetic Survey, Washington (19--]) http://www.archive.org/details/letteringsetissu00uscorich

The theory and practice of lettering, designed for the use of engineers and draftsmen generally, but especially for the use of students in engineering (1904) http://www.archive.org/details/theorypracticeof00sherrich

Thanks heaps for these Lozzic... they are great!!!

Wow. Thanks so much for posting this. I downloaded a couple of scan already -- really fascinating, and one of them exactly what I was looking for. I also spent some time at archive.org which is quite a valuable resource. Now where do I find the time to read and contemplate all this?

Doug

Great resources - thanks for posting!

Wow, you most have spent pretty looong time rummaging the internet to get this e-library together.
Thanks a lot for shearing the fruits of your long labour!

Thank you for putting this together. I'm trying to start practicing calligraphy to do my Christmas cards this year. These will be very useful.

About 3 to 4 hours on and off

I have been aware of archive.org for a while now but it only really occurred to me like a week ago that they may have books related to our interests. I was quite astonished to search through lots of books with hundreds of clear facsimiles of scripts etc, it was like Christmas had come early . Anyway I hope you all find them useful!

Oh!...

Thank you for those illumination links, I really needed that! I will quote them on my illumination thread, so that people can find the references there as well.

Thanks again, this is just wonderful and very kind of you to share!
QM2

Thank you Lozzic for this great treasure!

Thanks! I'd sticky if I could.