ABSTRACT
The period between 1970 and 1988, when the National Curriculum was introduced, saw less emphasis put on the teaching the skill of handwriting and more on creative writing. This did not stop new copy books from appearing. Stylistically, those models of the 1970s could be classified as ‘Basic Modern Hands’. The main proponents were Tom Barnard, Tom Gourdie and Christopher Jarman. Jarman describes a Basic Modern Hand as: ‘The simplest form of alphabet which can be written without any extra loops, flourishes or conceits. It must be both legible and economical. The letter shapes need to be traditional rather than novel for legibility, and skeletal and speedy in order to be economical’. Although Jarman added that: It should be plain and unobtrusive in character, so that having been acquired by any individual as a basic hand, it may be developed in character and personality to suit the writer, all three of these authors’ models have a distinct italic bias.
