Return to Home Page How to Contact Us Current Special Offers Calligraphity on the Road Calligraphy Group Contact Information This Month's New Books Courses for Calligraphers Enter Bookshop

New Books for February / March 2006 Please be aware that this page may take a few minutes to load because of the graphics associated with it. At long last, Psalms, the second volume of The Saint John’s Bible is now in stock and ready for shipment. Order your copy today B995 The Saint John’s Bible - Psalms Hardcover with dust jacket, 80 pp., 9 3/4 x 15 inches £34 Donald Jackson, Artistic Director and Illuminator The second in a seven-volume series of full-color, page-by-page reproductions from The Saint John’s Bible, Psalms engages the eye and ear with five distinct scripts and exquisite illuminations that include digital voice prints of sacred songs from many ethnic and religious traditions. The Book of Psalms or “praises” is known as the prayer book of the Bible. For centuries, it has been a source of prayer, devotion, and inspiration. Part of the popularity of the Psalms is that they incorporate the entire breadth of human emotion and experience—joy, fear, anger, love—all the things we bring to God in our prayer. Visual representations of chants from Benedictine, Native American, Muslim, Taoist and other traditions are the basis for illuminations of the Psalms. The varying pitch of the chants is rendered graphically to provide a motif for the abstract illumination. Every Psalm page features a small gold image that graphically renders the chanting of the monks from Saint John’s Abbey. This process of reading of the Psalms is a continuous reminder that the Psalms are to be sacred songs—and that in such singing God is present. Jackson chose colors to represent different themes, and designs to symbolize the different types of Psalms. He devised a way of weaving the two together that resulted in a unique script, colors and shading. Readers can identify the patterns representing the national history of Israel corresponding with the individual types of Psalms. The way the Psalms appear in The Saint John’s Bible provide a way to read our favorite Psalms with new eyes so that we might truly see the Psalms whether they are sung or read poetically. Donald Jackson is one of the world’s leading calligraphers and the artistic director and illuminator of The Saint John’s Bible. He is a Senior Illuminator to the Queen of England’s Crown Office and is an elected Fellow and past Chairman of the prestigious Society of Scribes and Illuminators. His 30-year retrospective exhibition, Painting with Words, premiered at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in August, 1988 and traveled to 13 museums and galleries. Hardcover with dust jacket, 80 pp., 9 3/4 x 15 Click here to order a copy now B996 Illuminated Letters – a treasury of decorative calligraphy by Margaret Morgan Illumination - the creation of elaborate, decorated letters and initials - reached its apogee in the monasteries of medieval Europe. Embellished with gold leaf, the illuminated letters of those early scribes seemed to reflect light, as though they were indeed "illuminated". This traditional art is now attracting new enthusiasts. Illuminated letters presents step-by-step instructions for recreating illuminated alphabets from six historical periods, including Celtic, Gothic and Romanesque. Diagrams for upper- and lower-case letters are accompanied by ideas for borders and decorations, and full instructions for gilding. Each section also explores ways in which the illuminated letters can be adapted to create a truly personal style, with a gallery of modern examples that will inspire further creativity. Hardcover. Spiral bound. 126pp, full colour throughout, £16.99 Click here to order a copy now