THE ART OF WRITING REDUCED TO A PLAIN AND EASY SYSTEM

Cambridge Printed for the Author, [1813]. In her Student's Guide to Western Calligraphy, Joyce Irene Whalley, formerly of the V&A, Library calls the title of this work "very seductive." She goes on about Jenkins, "He based his system on the theory that the round-hand could be divided into six basic strokes of the pen and that having mastered these, anyone could write a good hand. Unfortunately he found that certain letters such as k and s did not fit into his scheme, while z was omitted as unnecessary." Ms. Whalley's book reproduces the very attractive (truncated) Jenkins title-page as a full-page illustration. Facing the title-page is a portrait of the author, and the book is filled with engraved examples of letter formation as well as wood engraved illustrations within the text. Jenkins cites a page of endorsements for his methods at the beginning, including one from John Adams, Late President of the United States. A nice copy with not too much of the typical browning.Whalley p. 112. THE FIRST WORK OF ITS KIND PUBLISHED IN AMERICA (Inventory #: 550.[1813])