What Are Your Favorite Books To Copy?

[webgeckos]

Rilke's Book of Hours. My copy is theoretically interlinear, I think the German is better for me because I write it slower. I can read German, but it's become rather halting... and never had classes. I learned Pflazer dialect when I lived in Germany. Actually this is true for me regardless of the language.

 

Anything written by Abraham Lincoln, specifically his speeches. He was so gifted as a writer.

 

New Seeds of Contemplation, or anything by Merton.

 

Some of the very old fragments of lyrical Greek poetry such as Alcman or Sappho. I've been quizzing a Greek friend on the Greek version of cursive, and she has shown me hers. I can't understand a lot of it because I know only ancient Koine and Attic, not modern.

[sakayume]

Rilke's Book of Hours. My copy is theoretically interlinear, I think the German is better for me because I write it slower. I can read German, but it's become rather halting... and never had classes. I learned Pflazer dialect when I lived in Germany. Actually this is true for me regardless of the language.

 

 

This is one of my favourites! Though I don't understand German at all.

 

I don't really have a favourite book to copy. I borrow books of poetry from the library and copy the bits I like. Right now, it's Christina Rossetti and copperplate practice.

[thomasrhee]

Copying text out of a book is tedious for me as I need to keep looking back and forth between the book and my own handwriting. Personally what I do for practice is to write out quotes that I've memorized or even just listen to music and write out parts of the lyrics of the songs I'm listening to. I find this to be much more enjoyable as well as being able to focus on my writing. Then there are other times that I'm either journaling or writing out ideas for blogging.

 

As a chef (Private Executive Chef for the US Ambassador to Korea), I do write out all my menus by hand for each event as well as an ingredients list which is then typed out by an assistant for use on menu cards as well as the ingredient/shopping list which gets typed out and authorized for funds. In 2015, we had nearly 200 official events at the Ambassador's residence so I get in a fair share of writing time.

[pmhudepo]

I, too, enjoy writing along with music or a television programme, even if I skip lots and lots of words and the result is always a strange and sometimes funny string of words. I started doing this when FPN member caliken (Ken Fraser) mentioned it as a good way to avoid writing the same words, or many of the same combinations of letters, as might happen when you do exercises from a handwriting instruction book.

 

Copying text from a book sounds like a good alternative to exercises and the above-mentioned writing along. Perhaps I should give the St Matthew Passion a try. It should be excellent preparation for an upcoming performance I am going to attend, as I will then be much better acquainted with the text.

[pmhudepo]

I decided to give the St. Matthew Passion a try. I fear I may have started much too late for this year, but who knows, I might make it.

 

Reviewed my notes from Lloyd Reynolds' instructions on page design:

 

 

 

Decided to write on A4-sized paper and scan and print as an A5-sized booklet if the writing seems promising enough. So, I set up to sheets of A4 paper and drew the lines to determine the margins for left and right pages.

 

 

 

Tried 5 mm ruling at first, which should be a good x-height for nibs approximately 1 mm wide, but found it too large. Printed a 4 mm ruling and tried again (on the same page, which was a test page anyway.) I simply used a big table in an OpenOffice document with 2pt. lines and printed it on my inkjet printer.

 

 

 

Well, 4 mm it is. Two very nice italic nibs for the main text. G Lalo Vergé de France in cream colour. Akkerman Blauw and De Atramentis Alt-Bordeaux inks. I hope I'll make it before March 22nd.

Edited February 14, 2016 by pmhudepo

[pmhudepo]

And here's the video about page design I mentioned. Part of an excellent series of videos on italic handwriting by Lloyd J. Reynolds.

[pmhudepo]

I hope I'm not getting carried away, but this has been great fun for a rainy Sunday. A slightly different page design for the front page: same text area, but centered horizontally as there is no opposing page. Same top and bottom margins. Not sure if this is "by the rules" but it looked alright to me.

 

Most importantly, finally some ink on the paper.

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by pmhudepo

[FromTheNetherlands]

I hope I'm not getting carried away, but this has been great fun for a rainy Sunday. A slightly different page design for the front page: same text area, but centered horizontally as there is no opposing page. Same top and bottom margins. Not sure if this is "by the rules" but it looked alright to me.

 

Most importantly, finally some ink on the paper.

 

 

How is the project going?

[pmhudepo]

How is the project going?

 

Of the printed document that I use as source material, I am on page 16 of 20. I think I still need to write approximately 15 pages. I have scanned most of what I've written so far, and have put them in an OpenOffice document, which I'll use to print an A5-sized booklet. A test print of the first 10 pages looked promising.

 

I think I should be able to have the booklet done on Saturday, March 18th. Then read, listen and enjoy on Sunday, work on Monday and go to concert on Tuesday 22nd with booklet in hand.

 

Fingers crossed!

 

Edit, sample page:

 

To the left the printed source material. On the iPad my CD of St. Matthew's Passion, which I don't play while writing; I just listen to bits and pieces when my source text seems a bit odd. I also listen before and after writing.

Edited March 9, 2016 by pmhudepo

[peanuts252]

The Elvish songs from Lord of the Rings are often my go to when trying out a new pen. Tolkien has such a way with creating a flow with his words.

 

Moby Dick was my handwriting practice book for the past year. I absolutely love the novel, changed my life. Melville's words just have so much weight to them.

[pickwickink]

I am glad to see I am not the only one who does this. I have been just grabbing the nearest book or text from a webpage or even writing down dialogue from whatever is on TV at the moment.

 

Maybe I will try copying out the entire Harry Potter series! I'm sure I will enjoy that through book 3 and then they would be just too long.

[Fabienne]

I like obscure passages from the Bible. Catch 22 is good, directions for assembly of items, and long drawn out unappetizing lists of ingredients in things like sausages and wildly colored candies.

[pmhudepo]

Soldiering on... this really turned out to be a lot of work! But it is also a very interesting process, from many perspectives.

 

One page at a time...

 

and at the end of a session...

quite a neat result, I think.

 

I'm not sure why, but I like to add page numbers in batches. It also provides a nice, quick review of my previous work.

 

It is interesting to notice how my mind wanders, and then focuses again on the task at hand. Music isn't much help; some slow, quiet Bach seems nice, but mostly it distracts. Silence is best. I should probably do more warming up before writing actual pages, but then the project takes even more time to complete. I can't stand it if I make an error -- for instance, how could I possibly not capitalize nouns all of a sudden? And then there's an hour or so where everything just flows, and I write beautifully without death grip, without tensing up, as if it was just an unimportant piece of practice. Again, very interesting process to go through!

 

This morning, I was at page 19 of 20 (laser printed), so I guess I'll need to write 4 or 5 pages by hand. Add a nice colophon listing pens, ink and paper, and I might just be finished this Friday. Fingers crossed!

Edited March 14, 2016 by pmhudepo

[peanuts252]

Copying text out of a book is tedious for me as I need to keep looking back and forth between the book and my own handwriting. Personally what I do for practice is to write out quotes that I've memorized or even just listen to music and write out parts of the lyrics of the songs I'm listening to. I find this to be much more enjoyable as well as being able to focus on my writing. Then there are other times that I'm either journaling or writing out ideas for blogging.

 

As a chef (Private Executive Chef for the US Ambassador to Korea), I do write out all my menus by hand for each event as well as an ingredients list which is then typed out by an assistant for use on menu cards as well as the ingredient/shopping list which gets typed out and authorized for funds. In 2015, we had nearly 200 official events at the Ambassador's residence so I get in a fair share of writing time.

You might have one of the coolest jobs I can think of. Would love to see some of those menus! 50% for the handwriting, 50% to peek at what style cooking you do.

[FromTheNetherlands]

Soldiering on... this really turned out to be a lot of work! But it is also a very interesting process, from many perspectives.

 

One page at a time...

 

 

and at the end of a session...

 

quite a neat result, I think.

 

I'm not sure why, but I like to add page numbers in batches. It also provides a nice, quick review of my previous work.

 

It is interesting to notice how my mind wanders, and then focuses again on the task at hand. Music isn't much help; some slow, quiet Bach seems nice, but mostly it distracts. Silence is best. I should probably do more warming up before writing actual pages, but then the project takes even more time to complete. I can't stand it if I make an error -- for instance, how could I possibly not capitalize nouns all of a sudden? And then there's an hour or so where everything just flows, and I write beautifully without death grip, without tensing up, as if it was just an unimportant piece of practice. Again, very interesting process to go through!

 

This morning, I was at page 19 of 20 (laser printed), so I guess I'll need to write 4 or 5 pages by hand. Add a nice colophon listing pens, ink and paper, and I might just be finished this Friday. Fingers crossed!

 

Wow, that looks amazing!

 

You write really really beautiful!

 

Your desk is amazing as well by the way!

[pmhudepo]

 

Wow, that looks amazing!

 

You write really really beautiful!

 

Your desk is amazing as well by the way!

 

Thank you for your kind words! The computer desk is a project my father and I did many years ago, although I admit that the table top was simply bought in a store and we merely designed and affixed a sturdy frame and legs.

 

I do most of my writing at my dining table because it offers more space for a writing slope (a birthday present from my father, who made it himself) and lots of pens, paper and bottles of ink. I also like that I can face a pretty big window while writing, so I don't always need to use a desk lamp. Except for this project, because without some overhead light I simply could not see the guidelines that I had placed below the writing paper.

 

For now, a truly cheap teaser... the scanned pages on my computer:

 

 

Almost done, I hope to be able to have the booklet in hand tomorrow afternoon.

[FromTheNetherlands]

 

Thank you for your kind words! The computer desk is a project my father and I did many years ago, although I admit that the table top was simply bought in a store and we merely designed and affixed a sturdy frame and legs.

 

I do most of my writing at my dining table because it offers more space for a writing slope (a birthday present from my father, who made it himself) and lots of pens, paper and bottles of ink. I also like that I can face a pretty big window while writing, so I don't always need to use a desk lamp. Except for this project, because without some overhead light I simply could not see the guidelines that I had placed below the writing paper.

 

For now, a truly cheap teaser... the scanned pages on my computer:

 

Almost done, I hope to be able to have the booklet in hand tomorrow afternoon.

 

Looks wonderful!

 

Can I see the final PDF?

 

Are you by any chance Dutch? 'Archief' is the Dutch word for 'Archive'.

[pmhudepo]

Finished!

 

The end result is 60 pages. This includes front page, two blanks, a listing of pens, ink & paper, and the blank back page. Quite happy with the result. I have scanned all pages and created an OpenOffice document as well as a PDF. A local copy shop (print shop) has printed a few A5-sized booklets for me. It did introduce a significant change in colour, which I'm not very happy with, but for now it will do.

 

 

I shall now spend much of the weekend listening to my cd of the St. Matthew's Passion, getting a good night's sleep and then enjoy the concert next Tuesday.

 

I'm sure I made all sorts of errors in design, writing, planning and what not, but I had loads of fun during this project. I can highly recommend embarking on a similar writing project.

 

[pmhudepo]

 

Looks wonderful!

 

Can I see the final PDF?

 

Are you by any chance Dutch? 'Archief' is the Dutch word for 'Archive'.

 

Thanks! Yes, I am Dutch. From German descent, although that is 4 or 5 generations ago.

 

I'll be happy to share the PDF with anyone interested as long as they don't pretend it's their writing :-) Please send me a personal message via this site so we can use WeTransfer to send it. It is roughly 90 MB in size.

[Tasmith]

I like using books of quotations for copying. Right now I'm using Citizen Jefferson, the Wit and Wisdom of an American Sage and The Quotable Politician.