John Scottowe's Alphabet Books.
[N.p.]: Printed for the Roxburghe Club at the Scolar Press, 1974. Folio. (ii), 16 pp. Publisher's quarter vellum backed blue boards, gilt lettered direct to the spine. 28 plates, 24 full page reproductions of the Harley manuscript held by the British Library and the final 4 featuring two images to a page taken from the manuscript kept in the Newberry Library, Chicago. A few mild scuffs to the boards, very good. John Scottowe of Norwich was a teacher, calligrapher and writing master in the latter decades of the 16th century. The alphabets here were likely used in Scottowe's teaching, for pupils to copy and practice their own lettering. The two manuscripts reproduced here are the only known records of his work and it is generally considered that nothing by him ever appeared in print, hence his relative lack of fame. Roxburghe publications were issued in limited editions, sometimes of an unspecified number as here. Firstly for club members but there would also be a number of copies, likely in the low hundreds, made available for general sale. Item #42245
Price: £200.00