Alphabet Abecedarium

by Richard A. Firmage

Book Overview

Drawing from mythology, cosmology, history, the Bible, literature, and esoteric and conventional sources, this book takes the reader on a tour of each of the twenty-six letters that comprise one of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0879239980
• ISBN13: 9780879239985
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: David R. Godine Publisher
• Length: 307 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Our Amazing and Surprising Alphabet, a Trove of History and Humor.

Richard Firmage is quick to point out in his forward to "The Alphabet Abecedarium" that this isn't your typical abecedary. It's not a children's book, or a calligraphy manual, or a traditional book of fonts, though, as the author says "a sympathetic and active imagination may find elements of all in it". This is a book of letters unlike any I've read before. It's a book of history, lore, and "curious facts and fancies" about the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet that offers insight into the wonders and vagaries of written language in general. Firmage's highly literate, marvelously witty tour of our alphabet is a font of information and a true delight. Don't skip the Introduction. It presents an abridged history of writing and of the Roman alphabet that is helpful in understanding the rest of the book. There is a chapter for each of the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet, as well as one commenting on the alphabet as a whole, and Firmage concludes with a chapter on auxiliary marks and signs. Each chapter follows the history of the letter from its Phoenician roots to its Roman form before delving into its mythology, its place in literature, religion, and culture, from the everyday to the esoteric. The book's intention seems not to be comprehensive, but to include what is essential and interesting. If there isn't much to say about the letter, the author goes off on a tangent, which never fails to entertain. Happily, there are illustrations. A rectangular box at the bottom of the first page of each chapter shows a progression of the letter's development. Rectangular boxes on subsequent pages feature the letter in various styles or typefaces. Other illustrations are scattered throughout the text as well, all in black-and-white. "The Alphabet Abecedarium" is a treasury of facts and lore for anyone curious about the written word. It's especially enlightening in this computer age when working with fonts is a familiar activity, not confined to typesetters. For maximum enjoyment, I recommend reading the book a couple chapters at a time. Reading straight through can create a sense of information overload.

A fascinating topic, though you might not realise it yet

This is an amazing book for anyone who has an interest in almost any aspect of the alphabet. After a short introduction on the history of alphabets generally, and specifically the Roman alphabet, the book proper starts. Each letter of the Roman alphabet, as used in English, has its own chapter.Each chapter contains a history of the letter in question, and a discussion of the particular attributes of that letter, what associations it commonly has, and what related letters in other alphabets (runic) 'mean'. Various 'digressions' of a half-page or so are scattered here and there: often related to the letter under discussion, but sometimes only by a very tenuous link (which can get annoying; but they are almost always welcome).Probably my biggest problem with this book was that in parts, it started to get a little repetitive. This, of course, is to be expected, as there are many similarities in the stories of many different letters. However, when several sections quote almost-identical material from a limited number of sources, it can get frustrating. Perhaps a little more depth in some of these areas might help too (the 'what' is often answered; sometimes a discussion on 'why' might help).However, on the whole the book is fantastic. So many different areas are covered by this book: linguistics, literature, history, design, philosophy, religion, psychology... it's pretty hard to imagine anyone who's interested in ANY of these fields not enjoying this book. Many of the asides in the book will make you want to go and learn more about the topic being discussed, and if you're only interested in one of these fields, you're bound to have your interest piqued about others.The book is great to just dip into every now and again, you're bound to learn something you didn't already know each time. Highly recommended.