A detailed and wide-ranging survey of the changes in western letterforms. Nicolete Gray here examines lettering as an art, and looks at the historical, artistic and technical reasons behind its evolution. In this thorough exploration, the author puts lettering into its context and demonstrates how the changes it undergoes relate to the history of western art and culture. From Ancient Rome to the present, Gray discusses an astonishingly wide range of material, and deals with the core of the subject: the letters themselves. New insight is given to the history of the capital letter during medieval times, and the text also presents a general survey of early inscriptions of the lettering of the 15th, 16th and 20th centuries. Over 300 illustrations present a selection of the most remarkable achievements in lettering art. The book will be of interest to scholars, historians and and anyone concerned with lettering professionally or as an amateur enthusiast. All pages, binding and gold-embosse