Il modo de temperare le penne

Il modo de temperare le penne is a work by Ludovico degli Arrighi, an Italian calligrapher and writing master of the 16th century. While the title translates to "How to Sharpen Quills," the work is actually a copybook containing various alphabets, including Roman capitals and black-letter minuscules.1

Arrighi published La operina around 1524, which was a practical manual on writing the chancery hand, now commonly known as italic. This manual served as a prototype for later writing guides. His work, along with that of his contemporary Giovanantonio Tagliente, was printed from woodcuts and aimed to teach writing without a teacher.1

Arrighi's Il modo de temperare le penne is distinct from his instructional manual La operina. It is a collection of alphabets rather than a guide on the process of tempering quills.1