Learn to read historic handwriting
Provides you with hundreds of exercises drawn from original manuscripts
Provides you with hundreds of exercises drawn from original manuscripts
Practice and test yourself with just a mouse click or on your mobile phone – and get instant feedback on your ability to correctly read a manuscript.
Example transcriptions are provided by scholars and experts in the field of palaeography. Explore the fascinating world of ancient writing.
As a teacher or palaeographer you can add your own manuscripts and make them available to your students, or interest group.
This document is a copy of a cursive letter from 1563, produced by the municipal chancery of Greifswald (Pomerania) and owned by the University Archive of Greifswald.
This is a Letter from Dr James Anderson to the Governor in Council, Madras, presenting his plan to propagate the Cochineal insect at the East India Company Nopalry Garden, plus a letter of instruction from Anderson to Dr Andrew Berry, nominating him to run the Nopalry. The letters contain details of the budget for the Garden, and instructions for digging and planting. The letters are written in a small, consistent rounded italic cursive, and the author uses heavy strokes on descending lines.
This is an "Easy Learning" document. It is a computer transcription of "The Sandmann" in Sütterlin script. "The Sandmann" is a short story written in German by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It was the first in an 1817 book of stories titled Die Nachtstücke (The Night Pieces).
This document is a private german cursive letter, written by Johann Philipp Palthen (1672-1710), from 1696. The original is in possession of the University Library Greifswald.
These documents consist of personal papers written by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and his secretaries. Original copies of these documents are held at University College London. This is a sample of easier handwriting which is suitable for beginners. Volunteers working on the Transcribe Bentham crowdsourcing initiative (http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/transcribe-bentham/) may like to use these documents to practice deciphering Bentham’s handwriting.
This is an "Easy Learning" document. It is a computer transcription of "Daddy" in Greifswald script. "Daddy" is a poem written by American poet Sylvia Plath. It was written on October 12, 1962, shortly before her death and published posthumously in Ariel in 1965. "Daddy" is one of the most widely anthologized poems in American literature, and its implications and thematic concerns have been discussed academically, with many differing conclusions.
Copies of letters sent to the Government of Bengal by botanists, including Robert Kyd and Dr William Roxburgh, reporting on the cultivation of Mawah and Teak trees, the discovery of a new species of Indigo (Nerium tinctorium), and attempts to propagate the Cochineal insect in the Calcutta Nopalry garden. The letters are written in a large, consistent italic cursive. The writer often embellishes capital letters with flourishes, and uses ampersands (&). Contracted words are often indicated with superscript final letters.
This is an "Easy Learning" document. It is a computer transcription of "Pride and Prejudice" in 18th Century Kurrent script. Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story charts the emotional development of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, who learns the error of making hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between the superficial and the essential.
Copies of letters sent to the Government of Bengal by botanists, including Robert Kyd and Dr William Roxburgh, reporting on the cultivation of Mawah and Teak trees, the discovery of a new species of Indigo (Nerium tinctorium), and attempts to propagate the Cochineal insect in the Calcutta Nopalry garden. The letters are written in a large, consistent italic cursive. The writer often embellishes capital letters with flourishes, and uses ampersands (&). Contracted words are often indicated with superscript final letters.
This is an "Easy Learning" document. It is a computer transcription of "The Secret Adversary" in Cöntgen Kanzley script. "The Secret Adversary" is the second published detective fiction novel by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in January 1922 in the United Kingdom.
This is an "Easy Learning" document. It is a computer transcription of "Pride and Prejudice" in 18th Century Kurrent script. Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story charts the emotional development of the protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet, who learns the error of making hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between the superficial and the essential.
These documents consist of personal papers written by the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and his secretaries. Original copies of these documents are held at University College London. This is a sample of easier handwriting which is suitable for beginners. Volunteers working on the Transcribe Bentham crowdsourcing initiative (http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/transcribe-bentham/) may like to use these documents to practice deciphering Bentham’s handwriting.