Variously identified as an art, a technology, and a professional prerequisite, forms of shorthand have been in use from Antiquity to the modern day. Far from a niche corner in manuscript studies, shorthand represents an almost global phenomenon that has touched upon many aspects of everyday life and of scholarship. Due to its immediate illegibility, however, and the daunting task of decipherment, shorthand has long been neglected as a research object in its own right. The immense quantity of extant and unread shorthand manuscripts has been downplayed, as has the technology's place in cultures of learning, religious devotion, court practice, parliamentary procedure, authorial composition, corporate life, public and private writing, and the academy. As the first ever peer-reviewed volume on the subject, this book presents a much-needed introduction to shorthand, its history, and its disparate historiography, alongside eight contributions by shorthand specialists that showcase some of the many lines of inquiry that shorthand inspires across a range of disciplinary and methodological perspectives. For readers with a vested interest in shorthand, this volume provides a range of approaches to shorthand in the Latin West, from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, upon which to orient, substantiate, and inform their own work. For general readers, this publication invites scholars to consider ways in which historically overlooked or underestimated forms of writing facilitated a variety of writing cultures in different contexts, periods, and languages.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

Speed Writing - Modern Shorthand An easy to learn tried and tested alternative to shorthand. Are you puzzled by all the squiggles when you see shorthand? Did you know that it can take years to become proficient at shorthand? Here's your solution. A simple and easy to learn system that can be mastered in just a few weeks. BakerWrite speed writing enables you to learn a new hand writing system in a matter of hours and become really quick in just a few weeks. It relies on using normal letters and easy to learn principles to speed up your writing. Join over 25 000 people from all over the world who have already studied this course. We also have a UK spelling edition just search for the unique ISBN number 9781537566603. This book has a short dictionary to help you learn the new forms of the words. We also publish an extended speed writing dictionary of over 5800 words, including all 1000 of the most common words in written English (ISBN 9781534683204). This book is laid out in 6 easy to follow lessons, that take about an hour each Practical guided exercises, with example answers Save time and become efficient at taking dictation, in meetings, on the telephone and in lectures No strange squiggles to learn - just different ways to use the letters you already know Your notes will be easy to read and transcribe Adapt the system to suit your needs Free downloadable dictionary and workbook A terrific opportunity to save time and become more efficient and professional! Heather Baker Heather is a very experienced PA, who worked at boardroom level for high profile companies. She is now an acclaimed international trainer presenting in the Middle and Far East, Australia and South Africa, as well as webinars for the USA. She created the BakerWriteTM speed writing system to help people take notes using techniques that can be learned in just a few weeks. She thoroughly tested it and has been teaching it for over eleven years. Quotes about BakerWrite "I will use this system all the time." "This is so easy to learn and use." "I am thoroughly enjoying learning a new skill from a book that is so simple to understand and I have already started to implement it." "BakerWrite is the easiest shorthand system I have come across. Having studied all the major shorthand systems and even other speed writing courses, I find BakerWrite a sheer delight." "I will recommend this course to anyone who takes notes."

A helpful guide full of simple and easy to follow exercises, perfect for anybody wishing to learn the art of writing shorthand.

The year 2008 marks the four hundredth anniversary of the first publication of King Lear, and for four centuries the play has remained a consummate bibliographical mystery. Winner of the 2007 Jay L. Halio prize for best manuscript in Shakespeare studies, Shakespeare in Shorthand demonstrates that many textual anomalies derive from the play's transcription in Elizabethan shorthand. The shorthand system of John Willis, Stenographie (1602), shows a high correlation with the unusual textual features found in the first quarto of Lear (1608). The patterns of variants in the quarto conform to Willis' rules regarding the reduction of diphthongs and digraphs and the omission of aspirated, doubled, or unsounded letters. In the past two decades the textual interrelation of quarto and folio (1623) Lear has proven one of the most contested issues in Shakespearean studies, and an examination of Stenographie reveals that some of these textual differences result not from authorial revision, but from transmission in abbreviated writing. Bibliographical evidence also indicates that some textual omissions from the folio version are neither authorial nor theatrical, but derive from the printing house.