A Monogramming Reading List

Sometimes the hardest thing about monogramming is choosing the font style.?While dozens of our most popular font styles are available on our website for you to preview before you decide on your design, sometimes the occasion requires something more bespoke.?Maybe it's a vintage piece that calls for a vintage French or Victorian monogram style.?Or a wedding monogram that needs to combine two or three letters to merge the couple's initials. Or maybe you just want a design that is unique and different, inspired by a decorative movement from across the centuries.

If you need inspiration for monogramming fonts, there is no shortage of resources.?We'd recommend starting on Pinterest where our own page is one of many dedicated to the topic of monogramming.?

But another great way to learn about monogramming and it's uses is to read about it.?We have a long list of books that we adore and we are delighted to share this list with you here.?We often refer to these books ourselves for product inspiration, for the recreation of a monogram font that is particularly special and just for a deeper appreciation of how artful monogramming can be.

Monograms & Ciphers - by AA Turbayne

This is a beautiful book, originally published in 1906, full of vintage, hand-drawn monogram fonts that we love to recreate for modern use.?For over 100 years, this book has served as a guide for artists, craftspeople and business owners like us interested in the creation of monograms and ciphers, emphasising the principles of design and the aesthetic qualities of letter combinations.?

The Art of the Monogram - by Cynthia Brumback

This is a very thorough review of the beginnings of monogram use for linens, heraldry, clothing, and homes, moving across the centuries to the modern day.?There are beautiful photographs and some fascinating history.

2100 Victorian Monograms - by Karl Klimsch

The Victorian-era designer Karl Klimsch excelled in the use of clean lines, shading, and three-dimensional effects in rendering the elements of decorative alphabets. This book is a comprehensive compilation of more than 2,000 elegant two-letter monograms, originally published in a German edition in 1869.?

The Encyclopedia of Monograms - by Leonard G. Lee

This fun book is filled with over 11,000 gorgeous designs based on initials, ciphers, crests, insignias, emblems, badges, and shields. It is both a compendium of the very best monogramming work of the past, and an inspiration to create new monogrammed goods. From elaborate Gothic figures, to restrained Victorian designs, to elegant, floral Art Nouveau triumphs, The Encyclopedia of Monograms is a great source for inspiration for original and unforgettable designs.

Decorative Alphabets & Initials - by Alexander Nesbitt

This book is a detailed collection of 91 complete alphabets, from medieval to Victorian novelty and Art Nouveau and finally modern fonts. These alphabets were obtained from rare, out-of-print books, generally available only in libraries or in the rare-book market.?

The work is divided into three parts. Part One deals entirely with manuscript initials as they were used from the 8th to the 15th century. It includes Celtic initials, rare designs from the Bible of Charles the Bald, and incised letters from the monument of Richard II in Westminster Abbey. Part Two contains initials from printed books, starting with the 15th century and running through the 18th. Here are the fanciful creations of the 16th-century woodcutters: initials illustrated with children, cherubs, birds, beasts, flowers, legends, and grotesque heads. Part Three attempts to arrange the "great weeds jungle" of Victorian letters and types and concludes with the 20th-century alphabets such as the distinctive wood engravings of Edward Wadsworth. It's truly comprehensive and a fun read for font enthusiasts.

Monograms for the Home - by Kimberly Schlegel

Written by a Texas-based Editor-at-Large for Southern Living magazine, this modern American approach to monogramming for the home is rather fabulous. Her premise is?that, while monograms have a rich history going all the way back to the sixth century BC, they're anything but outdated. The book is filled with luscious photography and expressive writing peppered with quotes from etiquette experts. From linens, lamps and chairs to silver, china, desk accessories and more, here are exquisite examples of how to use monograms as your "personal logo" in stylish, elegant ways in any part of your home.

Monograms and Antique Linens - by Phyllis Hoffman DePiano

This book, published in 2016, is a beautiful collection of linens, hand-sewn clothing and fine monogram work. Detailed photography showcases classic styles from antiques to modern designs highlighting how the centuries-old tradition of monogramming continues to flourish today.?The book features sections on the history of monograms, royal monograms, the proper use of monograms, as well as ideas for monograms with a modern twist. Monogrammed tableware accompanies the linens, as well as outstanding silver monograms. There are sections featuring colonial Williamsburg, as well as the Biltmore and the Vanderbilt monogrammed collections with the history of the houses, too. This is a great reference book on the proper etiquette for monogramming, the care of fine and antique linens, and provides sources where readers can find these items.

Do you know of any great reads we haven't included? Please let us know if so!

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