Esterbrook 1926
Topic: Nibs
Frank S. Van Hart went to work in the office of the Esterbrook Pen Manufacturing Company in Camden. This led him to a sales job that saw travel to 29 states and Cuba, and culminated with his rise to the position of General Manager. Read more on dvrbs.com

Howard Hunt Pen Co. Pen Nib Wooden Box
Topic: Nibs
Here is a great looking nib box sold on eBay. (I am not bidding on it and I don't know the seller.) Auction ended 10. December 2004. Winning bid was US $60.00
eBay item #6136118785

The ink corrosion website
Topic: Calligraphy
It is surprisingly easy to make iron gall ink - the earliest recipes are often the simplest - and the ingredients are inexpensive and readily available. Learn how to make ink on The ink corrosion website

Transport Font
Topic: Typography
The Transport font is the principal font used on British road signs. Available for download on www.allan-online.co.uk.

UPDATE: New URL www.cbrd.co.uk

Scott Stewart's Comic Art
Topic: Comics
Art by Scott Stewart, Jack Kirby pages and Comic Book Creator Links

Quills Kill
Topic: Calligraphy
Quill Skill - Calligraphy by Denis Brown. Don't miss the Calligraphy Movie (Requires Flash player, version 6 or later)

Swedish Parliament Cursive
Topic: Calligraphy
Tysk kursiv i riksdagsprotokoll från 1600- och 1700-talen. German cursive used in documents from Riksdagen - The Swedish Parliament

Ruling Pens (Reissfedern) by Gebrüder HAFF GmbH, Germany
Topic: Drawing instruments
Gebrüder HAFF was founded in 1835 for the manufacture of mathematical instruments. Today their drawing and mathematical instruments and planimeter are distributed worldwide. Check out the Ruling Pens

How to use the Ames Lettering Guide
Topic: Drawing instruments
In 1917 Olson Manufacturing was established with the sole purpose of supplying the drafting industry with its patented Ames Lettering Guide, invented by OA Olson in Ames, Iowa. Learn how to use it on www.olsonmfg.com (pdf).
More about lettering in the Comic Book Lettering School

Pelikan Graphos Cabinet
Topic: Nibs
Graphos Display Cabinet with 150 nib boxes (about 1400 nibs) sold on German eBay. Auction ended 5. December 2004. Winning bid was EUR 79.00 (approx. US $106.00) (I did not buy it and I don't know the seller.) eBay item #4945135316

Snog Blog
Topic: Design
Snog Blog, Karen Huang's collection of links related to typography, design, writing, etc..., is always interesting. Here is an old post about calligraphy and lettering from September 2003.

Jan van den Velde
Topic: Calligraphy
Jan van den Velde (1568-1623) - one of the most important writing-masters in our history, because of his Spieghel der Schrijfkonste (Rotterdam, 1605). This is number 42 in the exhibition "A hundred highlights from the Koninklijke Bibliotheek" National Library of the Netherlands

The Cartoonist
Topic: Design
Ralf Zeigermann's blog is great. New links all the time and cool stuff like the Corgi Toys 1969 catalog

Hand Lettering Basics
Topic: Hand Lettering: signs
Brush Lettering "During the early '20s to late '40s, books on showcard writing and hand lettering were fairly common. Unfortunately, the demand for hand lettering has lessened and finding good basic tutorials is difficult. The images in this section are from a 1942 book by C.R. Havighorst called Simplified Show Card Writing."

Learn the basics on The Original Letterheads Web Site (tag: lettering)

The Chocolate Wrappers Museum
Topic: Design
The Chocolate Wrappers Museum is a collection of scanned chocolate packaging from all over the world. For example this Swedish Marabou Chocolate bar from the 1970:s.

Berthold Type Specimen Booklets
Topic: Typography
Erik Spiekermann scanned 23 Berthold brochures from the 1980's and put them into one low-res pdf document (2.2 MB). "While you cannot appreciate typographic details at that resolution, you'll still discover some faces you've probably never heard of".
Go to Spiekerblog

ECOBRA Schreib - und Zeichengeräte GmbH
Topic: Drawing instruments
ECOBRA GmbH - Top quality rulingpens can be hard to find in the stores. ECOBRA in Nürnberg, Germany still makes them.
Look for "Reißfedern" in the catalog.

Logos and logotypes by Jill Bell
Topic: Calligraphy
Logotypes and lettering by calligrapher and type designer Jill Bell. Jill Bell Design and Lettering is located in Los Angeles, USA.

The Man Behind the FedEx Logo
Topic: Logos
Mr. Lindon Leader of Leader Creative created the FedEx logo in 1994. (At that time he was a Senior Design Director at Landor Associates, San Francisco.) Read an interview in The Sneeze

Tom Carnase
Topic: Typography
Tom Carnase type designer born in New York in 1939. In addition to typeface design, he has designed graphics for packaging, exhibitions, corporate identities and logos for numerous clients. Go to Carnase Inc.

»Read more in the Linotype Font Designer Gallery