Resources

The World Encyclopedia of Calligraphy
by Christopher CALDERHEAD, Holly COHEN (editors), Union Sqaure & Co, 2011 (link)

A thorough look at the history and techniques of calligraphy in different languages ranging from Latin scripts to Japanese, Arabic, Armenian and more. A must for anyone looking for an overview of calligraphy and its diversity of traditions and uses in the world. 

A is for Ox. A short history of the alphabet
by Lyn DAVIES, The Folio Society, 2006 (link)

A concise history of how some of the European alphabets evolved and spread over time, showing the mutual influences. The book also presents the evolution of each letter of the Latin alphabet, starting from the Egyptian hieroglyphs, where plausible, to the modern-day Latin alphabet not forgetting the numerous influences by Phoenician, Greek, Etruscan, Roman letters and more. 

The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts

by Silvie FERRARA, Macmillan Publishers, 2021 (link)

A fascinating world tour to reflect on the invention of writing by looking at a series of scripts and writing systems not yet deciphered: from Crete to Cyprus, to rongorongo on Easter Island, to Chinese turtles, to Mayan glyphs and many more examples to keep you scratching your head. Sometimes, the unknown says more about the human thought and our writing systems than the obvious. 

Naissance des écritures (Birth of writing) 

by Michel RENOUARD, Editions Ouest-France, 2024 (link)

A look at some of the most common writing systems from ancient times to today, with lots of illustrations. It goes from the first traces of writing to ideograms to the alphabet before discussing the link between writing and language. There is also a very useful table of the main ancient languages presented, their language family and writing system. 

Histoires de déchiffrements. Les écritures du Proche-Orient à l'Égée (Stories of deciphering. Writings from the Near-East to the Aegan) 

by Brigitte LION & Cécile MICHEL (eds.), Editions Errance, 2009 (link)

A look at some of the most famous deciphering stories and how they sometimes related to each other, namely the cuneiform, Akkadian, linear B, Phoenician writings, Egyptian hieroglyphs and more. The book starts with a presentation of the first curious explorers and diplomats who stumbled upon some archaeological discoveries, including writings in systems unknown thus far. 

L'écriture en Méditerranéee (Writing in the Mediterranean) 

by Abderrazak BANNOUR, Edisud, 2004 (link)

Small paperback tracing the history of writing in the Mediterranean region, with many examples that link the different writing styles and analyse their evolution. It includes a detailed chronology starting from 8000 BC.  

Writing. Theory and History of the technology of Civilization

by Barry B. POWELL, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009 (link)

An overview of some of the most known early writing systems developed in Mesopotamia. There are interesting examples and comparisons, especially when discussing how some writing systems where deciphered. But the book is heavy with bias towards the Greek alphabet as being exemplary and universal, the writing system par excellence with no fault, and other systems like the Chinese logograms and the Mayan glyphs as being bizarre, illogical and not fully evolved! To be read with caution...

The Art of Letter-Type. Tables of Armenian Decorative Types
by Fred AFRICKIAN, Sovetakan Grogh Publishers, 1984 (link)

A book presenting some 120 styles of typographic and manuscript writing by the Armenian architect Fred Africkian (1937-2018), all drawn by hand. Some of these styles have inspired latin fonts, such as the Taboo font by Canada Type. See also Luc Devroye's page for examples of Africkian's work. 

Album of Armenian Paleography
by Michael E. STONE, Dickran KOUYMJIAN, Henning LEHMANN, Aarhus University Press, 2002 (link)

A unique compilation of some 200 samples of Armenian manuscripts spanning from the 9th to the 20th centuries from collections in various countries. The book starts with a historic summary of how the different writing styles (erkatagir, bolorgi, notrgir, shghagir) have evolved over time and their main uses. It ends with a detailed table of how each letter has changed over time through the sampled manuscripts. A book of reference, though very big and heavy (to keep in mind). 

Livres d'Arménie. Collection de la Bibilothèque nationale de France (Books of Armenia. The French National Library Collection)
by Annie VERNAY-NOURI, 2007, Editions de la Bibliothèque nationale de France (link)

A detailed look into the history, impact and specificities of some of the 350 Armenian manuscripts and books being kept at the French National Library. The publication is in open access and comes with high-resolution images of many fragile manuscripts and their illuminations. 

Illuminations d'Arménie. Arts du livre et de la pierre dans l'Arménie ancienne et médiévale (Illuminations of Armenia. Book and stone arts in ancient and medieval Armenia)
by Valentina CALZOLARI, 2007, Fondation Martin Bodmer (link)

This catalogue of the exhibition "Illuminations of Armenia" hosted by the Fondation Martin Bodmer (Geneva) in 2007 includes analysis and high-resolution images of the 38 manuscripts displayed, as well as a general overview of the different Armenian scripts and a historic chronology. A go-to place for seeing a variety of scripts and illuminations, from religious to literary to secular texts. 

L'alphabet arménien (The Armenian Alphabet)
by Jean-Pierre MAHÉ, Robert DER MERGUÉRIAN, Albert KHAZINÉDJIAN, Khatchig YILMAZIAN, 2006, Centre culturel Sahak Mesrop (link)

A small book with four contributions by the authors, namely tracing the history of the alphabet, the context in which it was invented and how it spread since then up to nowadays.  

L'alphabet arménien dans l'histoire et dans la mémoire (The Armenian Alphabet in History and Memory)
by Jean-Pierre MAHÉ, 2018, Les Belles Lettres (link) 

A look at the invention of the Armenian alphabet in its geo-political context and implications. Writing being considered as the devil's doing (closely associated with recording taxes), Armenian remained an oral language for a long time, but began to be written with the conversion to Christianity. The book includes translations and commentary of Korioun's biography (5th century) of Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the alphabet, and a later work by Vardan Areveltsi (13th century) retracing in Korioun's steps the story of the early students and translators. 

Erkataguir ou comment naquit l'alphabet arménien (Erkatagir or How the Armenian Alphabet Was Born)
by Serge MOURAVIEV, 2010, Academia Verlag (link)

An intriguing and detailed study into how Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian letters. The author shows how it is likely that the Armenian alphabet originates from the "Danielian letters" and their 5 basic shapes, variants of "O" and "U". The Armenian alphabet follows the same order as the Greek, but with some "inserts" specific to Armenian, and some letters are the remnants of Greek writing or pronunciation. Plus many more interesting analyses...

L'Odyséee de l'écriture (The Odyssey of Writing)
by David SINGTON, Arte France Distribution, 2020 (link)

This fascinating documentary explores how writing has shaped human societies across the West, East, and Arab-Muslim world throughout the millennia, revealing new archaeological discoveries about writing's origins and the secrets behind ancient writing materials. Featuring archive footage and expert testimonies, it examines major reforms of the last century while questioning our contemporary digital age uses of writing. Rebus, cuneiforms, hieroglyphs and their evolution to modern-day alphabets, mutual influences and the birth of print - all is in there in a most captivating account of the act of writing.

A la recherche de l'écriture oubliée (In search of forgotten writing)
by Négar ZOKA & Thibaud MARCHAND, Arte France Distribution, 2024 (link)

After fifteen years of research, archaeologist François Desset has succeeded in decoding Linear Elamite, a millennia-old script long considered indecipherable. The story of a fascinating linguistic adventure.  

Marie Stuart: l'énigme des lettres codées (Marie Stuart: the coded letters enigma)
by Augustin VIATTE, Arte France Distribution, 2025 (link)

In early 2023, three amateur code breakers announced that they had found and deciphered around fifty letters written by Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587) in a coded language. This documentary traces the tragic fate of Mary Stuart, imprisoned and later sentenced to death by her cousin Elizabeth I, alongside the thrilling adventure of decrypting her secret correspondence. 

Les hiéroglyphes égyptiens (Egyptian Hieroglyphs) - (link)

A MOOC on the Egyptian hieroglyphs developed by the University of Liege (Belgium) with the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology (France). A nice way to learn how to recognize different types of Egyptian writing and to learn to read some words in this still intriguing ancient language.  

Initiation à l'écriture Dongba (Initiation to Dongba Writing) - (link)

A MOOC on the Dongba writing presented as “the last pictographic script in use in the world,” which is threatened with extinction. The online course is a way of contributing to the preservation of this writing system and the culture of the Naxi people. The course is designed jointly by the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilizations (Inalco, France), the University of Geneva (Switzerland), and Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU, China). 

Musée Champollion. Les écritures du monde (Champollion Museum: World Writings), Figeac, France (link)

The home of Jean-François Champollion who deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs in the beginning of the 19th century, now a museum. The museum's goal: understand humankind through the symbols they have invented or borrowed. The museum houses a permanent collection and organises temporary exhibitions on a regular basis. 

Basler Papiermühle (Basel Paper Mill), Basel, Switzerland (link)

A small museum in Basel on the history and techniques of paper-making, printing and book-binding, with many hands-on activities for visitors to try themselves. Making your own paper, putting together a printed page using typesets, using a paper-press and more activities make the learning experience all the more fun.  

The Abbey library of Saint Gall, St-Gallen, Switzerland (link)

The library of the Abbey dating back to the 8th century features some 1'600 books and manuscripts in a stunning hall with bookshelves reaching the ceiling. In the Vaulted Cellar and the Exhibition Space, there are permanent and temporary exhibitions featuring ancient manuscripts, some with carved ivory covers, and interactive activities for discovering the history and techniques of writing. 

University Library of Bologna, Bologna, Italy (link) 

The library has a beautiful lecture hall with bookshelves up to the ceiling filled with ancient books and manuscripts. The room features some exhibited ancient manuscripts, three of which in Armenian. There are several other exhibition rooms worth walking through at any time.