Welcome to PaleoBib!

Simply put, paleography is the study of old handwriting. Paleography is not about what has been written (e.g., a story, a will, or a grocery list) so much as it is about how it has been written (e.g., handwriting style, types of inks, or writing surfaces). The word "paleography" comes from two Greek words, palaiós (παλαιός) meaning "old" and gráphein (γράφειν) meaning "to write." (If you're interested in etymology, or the study of word origins, keep reading.)

Mission & Vision

The mission of this project is to serve the practical needs of the paleography community researching Latin script (i.e., the system of letters used to construct this sentence). This project is for genealogists, handwriting experts, graduate students, hobbyists, and anyone with an interest in handwriting.

The vision of this project is to be the go-to resource for the "best of the best" in paleography, from sample alphabets documenting the earliest examples of human writing systems to ways to start your own transcription business. This project aspires to feature resources written in many languages and about non-Latin writing systems.

Scope

All secondary source materials (e.g., tutorials or handbooks) are English language based. You will encounter a mixture of academic and informal sources, all of which have been carefully vetted for quality of information. Every effort has been made to select resources that are easy to understand. All resources are generally about writing, reading, transcribing, or a mixture of these topics. Formats include print books (with links to the WorldCat library catalog), video tutorials, interactive practice tools, and more.

Languages of primary source materials (i.e., handwritten documents) include English (American and British), French, German, and Latin. You will see a mixture of high-quality scans and reproductions. Most source materials date to the 18th century and after. A few source materials date to the Middle Ages.

Etymology

PaleoBib is short for "paleography bibliography."

"Bibliography" derives from the Ancient Greek biblion (βιβλίον) meaning "book" and -graphía (-γραφία) meaning "writing." Carter and Barker (2004) describe "book-writing" (bibliography) as the listing and description of books, which is, loosely, what this website attempts to do. In addition to print books, you'll find links to e-books, video tutorials, dictionaries, and more. Every resource has a brief description so you can decide if it's what you're looking for. I hope you will find some useful information here. If something is missing, please let me know.

Writing: learn the art of handwriting.

What better way to learn how to read old forms of handwriting than to try it yourself? Features include links to script tutorials, video series, and more.

Reading: study the anatomy of letters, words, and complete sentences.

From sample alphabets to the histories of languages, learn how various written languages function.

Transcribing: make informed choices about content and create professional looking transcriptions.

Access some of the most comprehensive, free multilingual dictionaries to help you make sound choices about what words you see on the handwritten page. Whether you're producing a transcript for a private client or your next door neighbor, a consistent and clear format makes your transcriptions easier to understand. 

Volunteer Projects: apply your skills to real projects.

Give back to organizations that value historical information and the stories of everyday people. Promote your project here.

Word Lookup: access free, dynamic tools to help you craft accurate transcriptions.

Refer to these multilingual dictionaries and glossaries of paleography terms as you work.