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Spencerian Copybooks For Download?


nunez

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Does anyone any sources for downloading Spencerian copybooks? Interestingly, I was unable to find any, not even on the IAMPETH site. Guidesheets, old lesson books, heaps of other good material, yes; copybooks, no. By this I mean a row of letters to practice across the top, and some guides below to reproduce the letters.

 

I know about the ones from Sull and another put out by Mott publishing, but with so much material out of copyright (like the books on IAMPETH) and available for download, I'm surprised there's no copybooks. Have I just missed them?

 

Perhaps if someone has any old, out of copyright copybooks, they could scan them in. Would certainly help in learning.

 

Cheers,

- SteveN

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Yes, this close! What I want are the copybooks that accompanied this book. On page 92 of that book, the author refers to copybooks:

 

In accordance with this plan, the Spencerian Copy Books are divided into four distinct series ; namely : the Exercise, the Common School, the Business, and the Ladies' Series.

These are accompanied by a set of beautifully lithographed charts, six in number.

  • The Exereise Series, in connection with the Exercise Chart is designed to be used in the important work of securing proper movements.
  • The Common School Series presents writing in a purely systematic form; the copies being prepared with great accuracy and consistency, and corresponding exactly with the letters found upon Charts 1, 2, 3, 4.
  • These books and charts are designed for full and explicit teaching, enabling the learner to acquire that conception and execution of form which constitute the basis of all good writing.
  • The Business and Ladies' Series contain copies which are engraved facsimiles from free handwriting, the life, spirit, and variety of which conduct the learners into a wider field of form, where they may find scope for individual tastes and preferences.

 

These, or others like them, are the out-of-copyright copybooks I'm looking for. I realise I could always create my own copybooks, but these professionally made copy books are going to be far superior than my amateur efforts'.

 

Regards,

- SteveN

 

 

http://archive.org/s...22Penmanship%22

 

All you need is a blank sheet of paper. If you want guidelines, trace them yourself.

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these professionally made copy books are going to be far superior than my amateur efforts'.

 

The key word is "EFFORT". You are trying to avoid it, but the only way to learn Spencerian is to put a lot of effort, no matter how amateur it is. You don't need gadgets or special books. Work. Work and work is all you need really.

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My effort (leaving aside for a moment the question of how you could possibly know how much 'effort' I put into my practice.) is irrelevant to the topic at hand. The topic is the availability of Spencerian copybooks for download and I don't really see how looking for a copybook is somehow a bad thing when wanting to improve my handwriting...Can I learn without? Sure. Is it easier to learn with one? Of course, that's why they're out there, both in the past and now.

 

You may enjoy creating one; I'd prefer to use one.

 

- SteveN

 

these professionally made copy books are going to be far superior than my amateur efforts'.

 

The key word is "EFFORT". You are trying to avoid it, but the only way to learn Spencerian is to put a lot of effort, no matter how amateur it is. You don't need gadgets or special books. Work. Work and work is all you need really.

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Why not print out pages from this:

 

http://www.iampeth.com/books/practical_penmanship/new_standard_page7.html

 

on 100gsm paper or card, then cut up the lines/sections into strips and then you can attach each strip to the top of pages with a paperclip and move it from page to page as required.

 

It is well worth spending a few days doing movement exercises first:

 

http://www.iampeth.com/books/practical_penmanship/new_standard_page6.html

 

and then beginning each practice session with some movement exercises, in order to build ease and confidence.

 

It is systematic practice which is the thing; so decide a fixed amount of time to spend daily on practice and then do that without fail. 15 minutes 6 days a week is better than 6 hours once a week.

Edited by Columba Livia
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You may enjoy creating one; I'd prefer to use one.

 

Learning is never easy. You want easy.

 

With or without a copybook, that is what is escaping you, it will take you several hundreds of hours of practice to learn any fine motor skill. The time you spent searching for a copybook could have be used to actually learn Spencerian penmanship.

 

Listen to Colombia Livia's advice.

 

Pick up a pen and start writing.

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FWIW, I don't see anything in the original post that leads me to believe that the OP is looking for an easy way to learn Spencerian. The question, which in my opinion is a valid one, is simply whether there are any copyright expired copybooks available.

 

We all learn in different ways and none are more valid than any other. I believe copybooks provide a structure that is very helpful. I am learning Spencerian myself and find myself straying from 'the path' which probably would not happen if I was using a copybook so I can see value in using one.

 

Salman

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FWIW, I don't see anything in the original post that leads me to believe that the OP is looking for an easy way to learn Spencerian. The question, which in my opinion is a valid one, is simply whether there are any copyright expired copybooks available.

 

We all learn in different ways and none are more valid than any other. I believe copybooks provide a structure that is very helpful. I am learning Spencerian myself and find myself straying from 'the path' which probably would not happen if I was using a copybook so I can see value in using one.

 

Salman

 

Right! I've looked for exactly what the OP is seeking and have not found them as public domain downloads. But at around $25 for the 5 facsimile copy books and the master book (from Amazon and others), the OP might as well, as the old vaudeville routine advises, "Pay the two dollars!" (now inflated since the previous "Great Depression" by a factor of 12.5).

 

Salmon, I also agree with you that such structured study materials provide an excellent way to learn a new skill while avoiding bad habits. (Oh, if I only took my own advice!)

 

Pay the 2 dollars!

The liberty of the press is indeed essential to the nature of a free state; but this consists in laying no previous restraints upon publications, and not in freedom from censure for criminal matter when published. Every freeman has an undoubted right to lay what sentiments he pleases before the public; to forbid this, is to destroy the freedom of the press; but if he publishes what is improper, mischievous or illegal, he must take the consequence of his own temerity. (4 Bl. Com. 151, 152.) Blackstone's Commentaries

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FWIW, I don't see anything in the original post that leads me to believe that the OP is looking for an easy way to learn Spencerian. The question, which in my opinion is a valid one, is simply whether there are any copyright expired copybooks available.

 

We all learn in different ways and none are more valid than any other. I believe copybooks provide a structure that is very helpful. I am learning Spencerian myself and find myself straying from 'the path' which probably would not happen if I was using a copybook so I can see value in using one.

 

Salman

 

+1 !

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Perhaps worth considering, from the journal of lettering arts, editor's letter from the Autumn 2008 edition, on the subject of rulers:

 

I've seen too many students sit there, looking perplexed, wondering how on earth they should use a pre-ruled cheat sheet when they want to write bigger or smaller letters, so I've decided that it's best to push beginners to learn how to rule up from the get-go. It gives them much better control of what they're doing and it helps them understand the logic of ruling up. The lines do not appear magically from on high; they're related to the size of the nib the students have in their hands, and to the proportions of the script they're writing.

 

[...]

 

if someone wants to learn to make something with their hands, they are going to have to master the use of a ruler. there's no getting around that.

 

In our increasingly machine-dominated world, people really are forgetting how to use their hands. And while the computer is a great tool (I'm using one to write these words, and I will gladly use spell-check when I'm done), it shouldn't leave us incapable of making simple things in the physical world

 

 

[...]

 

Unused capacities go sour. Ours is a tactile, physical art form. And that's why I insist, before a student dips pen in ink, that they first learn how to pick up a pencil, measure off a series of equal increments, and rule a set of parallel lines on every page. There is no short cut. We live in physical bodies in a physical world. Our writing and lettering should reflect that fact.

Edited by Columba Livia
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Well, I went ahead and bought the 5 package + theory set of books and it's now in the mail.

Though, according to some, I will need to buy a ruler as well. :crybaby:

Hex, aka George

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I think that's what I'm going to have to do as well. Sad that while many of the text books survived, it seems none of the exercise books did. Perhaps they were just considered disposable so no one bothered to keep them.

 

Hopefully someday some will surface in an attic or estate sale and we get get some free ones scanned in. Nice to have PDF version that you can print out whenever you have time for some practice.

 

- SteveN

 

Well, I went ahead and bought the 5 package + theory set of books and it's now in the mail.

Though, according to some, I will need to buy a ruler as well. :crybaby:

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On a whim, I stopped by the state library of Victoria and found a few old copybooks in their catalog (waiting for the book to be delivered from storage). Sadly there were none from America, but I'll bet that there are some Spencerian copybooks available in the larger American libraries that could be copied & scanned.

 

Apparently book number 4 of the Spencer series is available here:

 

http://www.buffalohistory.org/index.htm

http://opac.libraryworld.com/opac/home

 

in Buffalo, New York. Anyone near to Buffalo? Might also be worth searching some of the state libraries. I found that through a 'meta search' for libraries that I'm sure missed a lot.

 

BTW: these kinds of searches are things librarians love, so just ask one; they're likely to enjoy the challenge!

 

Regards,

- Steve

Edited by nunez
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  • 6 months later...

I know this post was from long ago, but I had to reply, as I am looking for copybooks as well. In the Spencerian Penmanship instruction book it says the following:

Paper.—^Whether it be in the form of writing-books or not,

the paper should be decidedly good. ' It is difficult for the most

skillful penman to execute creditably upon poor paper. How,

then, can the child, or beginner, produce any thing satisfactory,

either to himself or his teacher, upon that which a proficient in

the art finds it impossible to use with advantage ?

The essential qualities of good paper are weight and firmness.

It should be clearly ruled and slightly glazed, and of such firmness

of texture that the writing on one side will not be visible

on the other. Thickness is not always a certain criterion ; for

some very thick paper is of poor quality. Heavy glazing is

sometimes put on paper for the purpose of covering defects.

Pure white, also, is preferable to colors.

In accordance with the above suggestions, the publishers of

the Spencerian copy-books have made them of paper of the very

best quality.

Blank books, which are sometimes used in schools, are made

of an inferior and much cheaper paper. This accounts for many

failures in writing.

 

I thought I should paste that in as another poster was giving the original poster such a hard time for wanting to find a copybook, especially since the developer of this particular style of writing recommends it!

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Well that was interesting - I ordered the set! :thumbup:

 

Ahrg everytime I try the site says it's down or something. Scan it and post it, ok? :D

"One always looking for flaws leaves too little time for construction" ...

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Well that was interesting - I ordered the set! :thumbup:

 

Ahrg everytime I try the site says it's down or something. Scan it and post it, ok? :D

 

Go to Amazon and search for Mott Media then Spencerian Penmanship - I had to order via Amazon as I can not access the retail shops that come up in the main sites listing.

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