Summary
Alphabets Old and New
For the Use of Craftsmen, with an Introductory Essay on ‘Art in the Alphabet’
By
Lewis F. Day
Author of ‘Pattern Design,’ ‘Ornament and Its Application,’ ‘Nature and Ornament,’ Etc.
Third Edition, Revised & Enlarged
London: B.T. Batsford, Ltd.
New York:
Charles Scribner’s Sons
References
Journal of the Royal Society of Arts, 2 Dec 1910:
ALPHABETS OLD AND NEW. By Lewis F. Day. Third Edition, revised and enlarged. London: B.T. Batsford. 5s. net.
The third edition of the late Mr. Day’s volume contains no fewer than two hundred and twenty-four alphabets, ranging from the earliest period to the present day. They are disposed as far as possible in chronological order, with a descriptive list giving the sources from which they were obtained, and they are followed by a collection of ancient numerals and some fifty examples of ampersands. An introductory article, entitled “Art in the Alphabet,” contains an interesting historical account of the development of lettering to guide the student in his own further experiments in design. A considerable number of modern examples are included, among the designers being Mr. Walter Crane, Professor Selwyn Image, Mr. Walter West, Professor Beresford Pite, and the author himself.
The work has been carried out with that artistic care and completeness which characterised all that Mr. Day undertook, and it should prove of great value to architects, sculptors, designers, draughtsmen, and art-workers generally.
