The turn of the century

Two books, in use at the beginning of the century, illustrate the dual influences on handwriting in Great Britain during the early years of the twentieth century: those of the educationist and the calligrapher. These two books need to be described separately and their aims and principles compared. The first is called Handwriting and How to Teach it. According to the original owner, it was used by her father who started school at precisely the turn of the century. It was undated, as are many manuals and copy books. This is probably because publishers had no wish for their products to be perceived to be out of date. The only clue to its date is a reference to a letter from Lord Palmerston dated 1854. This modest book, price one shilling, seems to have been published some years after this date, probably about 1875. It would have been in use in schools for quite a few years by 1900. It was written by Henry Gordon and published by John Marshall and Co. of Paternoster Row.