Spencerian Key to Practical Penmanship

by H.C. Spencer

Spencerian key to practical penmanship. 206 Pages.

202 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2009

About the author

Pen artist and author of penmanship manuals. Henry Caleb Spencer developed his “Spencerian” method while teaching handwriting in the early nineteenth century. Instead of teaching penmanship as a series of stylized, memorized letters, Spencer broke down letters into common elements based on natural forms, which could then be combined to form individual letters. His first published work was in 1848, and after his death, his family continued in the business, which essentially dominated penmanship instruction in America after the Civil War. Books such as the 1866 edition were successfully marketed by members of the Spencer family to schools across the country.