Browse all topics
The library contains dozens of source-linked articles across lettering, memorial form, and stone. Use this directory to browse by question; each lesson appears in one topic below. The subject index pages provide additional reading paths.
Letterforms and alphabets
Section titled “Letterforms and alphabets”- Lettering overview
- Broad-edged pen: how the edge makes the stroke
- Practice a formal hand from stroke to page
- Roman letters
- Gothic and Old English letters
- Blackletter construction, spacing and page color
- Join adjacent letters with care
- Letter spacing
- Optical corrections in lettering
- Monumental alphabets
Ornament and symbols
Section titled “Ornament and symbols”- Acanthus leaves and running scrolls
- Draw foliage in a continuous line
- Illuminated initials and borders
- Let ornament follow the letters
- Combine initials without losing their order
Inscription layout
Section titled “Inscription layout”- Inscription design
- Inscription layout
- Plan the inscription before its frame
- Enlarge a panel without changing its proportions
- Design the label for its words
- Family name
- Headstone inscriptions
Tools and techniques
Section titled “Tools and techniques”- Preparing the stone for lettering
- Tracing
- Historical lettering tools and heat treatment
- Chipping and the lettering block
- Hand-cut lettering in Wyckoff’s manual
- Pneumatic lettering in the historical shop
- Early sandblast lettering and its claims
- Sunk letters and the V-shaped section
- Raised letters: flat, polished and rounded
- Gilding, lead filling and period claims
- Marble lettering in the historical manual
- Metal lettering in Day’s examples
- Letter repairs in historical trade literature
- Cemetery lettering and future records
Monuments and memorials
Section titled “Monuments and memorials”- Monuments and memorials overview
- Parts of a monument
- Profiles and panels
- Geometric fret borders
- Historical trophy composition
- Rock-faced work
- A monument in its setting
- Mausoleum styles
- Kearny memorial: bronze and granite
Stone and finishes
Section titled “Stone and finishes”- Stone and finishes overview
- Granite composition and grain
- Head-grain polishing claims
- Regional granite names
Typefaces
Section titled “Typefaces”Current reference points
Section titled “Current reference points”Current safety and preservation references are embedded where they help distinguish historical practice from present-day questions. Start with Using this library, which links to current safety sources and the relevant article sections. These references are not a shop-specific procedure or a standalone technical standard.