This book covers everything that anyone new to fountain pens needs to know about how to choose, use, maintain and enjoy these pens. Everything that you need to know about - from the parts of a pen, nibs, filling systems, inks and paper is included in this book, which will provide you with a detailed, step-by-step guide to using these beautiful and functional pens. Photographs and diagrams are included throughout this book to help you to learn which pens and nibs to choose, along with how to avoid making mistakes. This book concentrates on the low-cost, Chinese made pens, which are ideally suited to beginners to the fountain pen hobby, but the advice applies to all fountain pens. The second part of this book provides a detailed summary of the readily available, popular (and affordable) Chinese made fountain pens. This part of the book gives an overview of particular, commonly encountered pen manufacturers and their popular models.

A comprehensive tour explores the development of fountain pens as both writing and decorative items, pairs more than 500 photos with accompanying descriptive texts, and provides a buyer's guide and list of museums. Original.

"Beginner's guide to materials and techniques for learning to do calligraphy. Includes instructional DVD-ROM"--Provided by publisher.

A perfect gift for anyone who wants to learn the "write" way to craft calligraphy. Calligraphy is about creating something uniquely beautiful, whether to celebrate a special occasion like marriage or to use every day in the form of stationery. Author Molly Suber Thorpe, an award-winning wedding invitation designer and calligrapher based in Los Angeles, works closely with her international clients to give them the distinctive products they're looking for. In Modern Calligraphy, you can learn from this experienced expert how to master this fresh modern lettering style. The first book to teach this bold new style breaks the calligraphy process down into simple steps so anyone can learn to create their own stunning wedding invitations, thank you cards, gift tags, and more. Starting with an overview of the supplies—from paper to ink to pens—you will learn how to form letters, words, and then phrases by following Molly's clear step-by-step instructions, and by practicing with the provided templates. After mastering letter forms using a pointed pen and ink you can take it to the next level by learning how to use watercolor and gouache, or how to digitize your calligraphy. The twenty projects in the book provide lots of inspiration for making your own and are grouped into three sections: weddings, entertainment, and personal stationery. With loads of ideas, practice exercises, and helpful tips, soon you will be turning out gorgeous script calligraphy pieces like the ones featured in wedding magazines and popular websites like Pinterest.

International bestseller Jill Mansell crafts the perfect summertime tale about finding your roots, filled with romance, friendship, and the power of redemption. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll never want the story to end. All it takes is one email to end her relationship, get her kicked out of her apartment, and just about ruin her life. Essie Phillips never meant for her private rant to be sent to everyone in her address book, but as soon as it goes viral, her life as she knows it is over. Solution: move to a new town, find a new job, make new friends. A chance meeting with Zillah and the rest of the folks in her boarding house, might be exactly the second chance Essie needs. If only it were as simple as that... Light-hearted and comforting, this book is the perfect romantic escape for any summertime reading list! Also by Jill Mansell: Miranda's Big Mistake Maybe This Time It Started with a Secret

The work covers three major areas: 1) descriptions of Chinese characters and their components, including stroke types, layout patterns, and indications of sound and meaning; 2) basic brush techniques; and 3) the social, cultural, historical, and philosophical underpinnings of Chinese calligraphy---all of which are crucial to understanding and appreciating this art form. --

This user-friendly book is aimed at helping students of Mandarin Chinese learn and remember Chinese characters. At last--there is a truly effective and enjoyable way to learn Chinese characters! This book helps students to learn and remember both the meanings and the pronunciations of over 800 characters. This otherwise daunting task is made easier by the use of techniques based on the psychology of learning and memory. key principles include the use of visual imagery, the visualization of short "stories," and the systematic building up of more complicated characters from basic building blocks. Although Learning Chinese Characters is primarily a book for serious learners of Mandarin Chinese, it can be used by anyone with interest in Chinese characters, without any prior knowledge of Chinese. It can be used alongside (or after, or even before) a course in the Chinese language. All characters are simplified (as in mainland China), but traditional characters are also given, when available. Key features: Specially designed pictures and stories are used in a structured way to make the learning process more enjoyable and effective, reducing the need for rote learning to the absolute minimum. The emphasis throughout is on learning and remembering the meanings and pronunciations of the characters. Tips are also included on learning techniques and how to avoid common problems. Characters are introduced in a logical sequence, which also gives priority to learning the most common characters first. Modern, simplified characters are used, with pronunciations given in pinyin. Key information is given for each character, including radical, stroke-count, traditional form, compounds, and guidance on writing the character. This is a practical guide with a clear, concise and appealing layout, and it is well-indexed with easy lookup methods. The 800 Chinese characters and 1,033 compounds specified for the original HSK Level A proficiency test are covered.