Forty Centuries of Ink / Or, A chronological narrative concerning ink and its backgrounds, introducing incidental observations and deductions, parallels of time and color phenomena, bibliography, chemistry, poetical effusions, citations, anecdotes and curiosa together with some evidence respecting the evanescent character of most inks of to-day and an epitome of chemico-legal ink.

by David Nunes Carvalho

1814.

John Carstairs, "Tachygraphy, or the Flying
Pen." 2. "Writing made easy, etc."

Illustrated works on the subject of penmanship of contemporaneous times and not of English origin are but few. The best known are:

1543.

Luduvico Vicentino, "A Copy book" published in Rome, seems to have been the first.

1570.

Il perfetto Scrittore (The Perfect Writer) by
Francesco Cresci, published in Rome.

1605.

Spieghel der Schrijkfkonste (or Mirror of Penmanship) written by Van den Velde, published in Amsterdam.

1612.