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Archiver > GENBRIT > 1998-05 > 0894644405


From: Project QP24< >
Subject: Re: True Type font for Secretary Hand
Date: 8 May 1998 09:20:05 -0700


I wrote

>>>When I first subscribed to the predecessor to this maillist (Several
>months
>ago), I picked up on a thread about a web site where you could download a
>TrueType Font which was similar to the old handwriting we see in parish
>registers etc.
>I now feel more competent with my system to cope with the practical
>problems
>of downloading.<<
>
Eve McLaughlin responded
>>
Whatever this is, it may help you produce a sort of olde worlde look to
a decorative page of a letter you want to send, but as for helping you
read old handwriting, I doubt it. <<

and
<<
Try `Reading old Handwriting (McLaughlin) with three full alpahbets
with sets of letters and pages of difficult variants;<<

I have Eve's publication, thankyou, and it is useful for helping with
deciphering writing but, as Eve says, there are often as many variants of
handwriting as there are people writing. I have also attended a
palaeography course and have some useful photocopies of old documents to
practise on. Eve and James Dempster suggested some books on early
handwriting. I may investigate those in due course. However, despite my
course, I still have problems reading the text from poor microfilms of 19C
documents!

Deciphering handwriting aside, my aim was, as her first suggestion, to
create some decorative pages, perhaps by introducing some drop capitals as
used in illuminated pages.
I am not fussed about the problem of glyphs referred to by Roy Stockdill and
I don't have Corel Draw. PD fonts would do me just fine.

Thanks Eve, Roy and James for the advice.
Thanks Tracey for the potential site. I will investigate.

Ian Lawrence
This is Ian using the Project QP24 e-mail address at work. My personal
details are:
Ian Lawrence
2 Pipits Croft
Bicester
Oxon
OX6 0XW
England

Tel: 01869 241361
Email:
at work - via
or preferably
at home -

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