Their Hands Before Our Eyes: A Closer Look at Scribes

The Lyell Lectures Delivered in the University of Oxford 1999

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Their Hands Before Our Eyes: A Closer Look at Scribes by M.B. Parkes, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: M.B. Parkes ISBN: 9781351880060
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: M.B. Parkes
ISBN: 9781351880060
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

This new book by Malcolm Parkes makes a fundamental contribution to the history of handwriting. Handwriting is a versatile medium that has always allowed individual scribes the opportunity for self-expression, despite the limitations of the pen and the finite number of possible movements.The purpose of this study is to focus on the writing of scribes from late antiquity to the beginning of the sixteenth century, and to identify those features which are a scribe's personal contribution to the techniques and art of handwriting. The book opens with three chapters surveying the various environments in which scribes worked in the medieval West. The following five, based on the author's Lyell Lectures at the University of Oxford, then examine different aspects of the subject, starting with the basic processes of handwriting and copying. Next come discussions of developments in rapid handwriting, with its consequent influence on new alphabets; on more formal 'set hands'; and on the adaptation of movements of the pen to produce elements of style corresponding to changes in the prevailing sense of decorum. The final chapter looks at the significance of some customized images produced by handwriting on the page. The text is illustrated with 69 plates, and accompanied by a glossary of the technical terms applied to handwriting, which in itself makes a significant contribution to the subject.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This new book by Malcolm Parkes makes a fundamental contribution to the history of handwriting. Handwriting is a versatile medium that has always allowed individual scribes the opportunity for self-expression, despite the limitations of the pen and the finite number of possible movements.The purpose of this study is to focus on the writing of scribes from late antiquity to the beginning of the sixteenth century, and to identify those features which are a scribe's personal contribution to the techniques and art of handwriting. The book opens with three chapters surveying the various environments in which scribes worked in the medieval West. The following five, based on the author's Lyell Lectures at the University of Oxford, then examine different aspects of the subject, starting with the basic processes of handwriting and copying. Next come discussions of developments in rapid handwriting, with its consequent influence on new alphabets; on more formal 'set hands'; and on the adaptation of movements of the pen to produce elements of style corresponding to changes in the prevailing sense of decorum. The final chapter looks at the significance of some customized images produced by handwriting on the page. The text is illustrated with 69 plates, and accompanied by a glossary of the technical terms applied to handwriting, which in itself makes a significant contribution to the subject.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book The Politics of Conflict Economies by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Governing Financial Globalization by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Dreams That Turn Over a Page by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Urban Constellations by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book The Labour Party, Nationalism and Internationalism, 1939-1951 by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Conjectures and Confrontations by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Proceedings of the National Association for Multicultural Education by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book The Representation of Meaning in Memory (PLE: Memory) by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Business Analytics by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Sri Lanka by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Open Government (Routledge Revivals) by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Protecting Immigrant Rights in Mexico by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Urban China's Rural Fringe by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Theories of Justice by M.B. Parkes
Cover of the book Primary School Geography (1994) by M.B. Parkes
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy