The hand book of mediaeval alphabets and devices
Henry Shaw's 1853 London handbook, printed by the Chiswick Press and published by B. Quaritch, gathers historical decorative alphabets and devices for artists and craftsmen. Its pages show square and single-line capitals in red and brown, each letter built from interlaced strapwork, foliage and small figures, offering a designer ready-made lettering systems spanning several centuries.
