Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
copybook
References
Images
Ornate calligraphic manuscript page by Thomas Earl, featuring a large, colorful decorative letter and the words comchical progression in elaborate script, with instructional text above. Handwritten page from Thomas Earl's 1740s instruction manual featuring elaborate, colorful calligraphy at the top and mathematical text and equations below.
Britannica AI Icon

copybook

calligraphy
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Ornate calligraphic manuscript page by Thomas Earl, featuring a large, colorful decorative letter and the words comchical progression in elaborate script, with instructional text above.
“calligraphic and computing instruction manual” A page from a copybook, referred to as a “calligraphic and computing instruction manual,” that was created by American schoolmaster Thomas Earl, 1740–41.

A copybook is a book used for teaching penmanship, containing models for students to imitate. This practice is closely related to calligraphy, the art of beautiful handwriting. Historically, calligraphy was considered a major art form in the Middle East and East Asia, comparable to painting or sculpture. In Western cultures, while literacy made handwriting more accessible, a distinction emerged between everyday handwriting and more decorative calligraphic scripts, especially after the advent of printing. Copybooks played a crucial role in disseminating various handwriting styles, such as the English round hand, which influenced modern calligraphy and handwriting.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
5 Britannica Sources
  1. copybook
  2. calligraphy - Revival of calligraphy (19th and 20th centuries)
  3. calligraphy
  4. copyboard
  5. calligraphy - Writing manuals and copybooks (16th to 18th century)

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.