NG ANALYSIS 7

II.--MEASUREMENT AND ITS APPLIANCES 13

III.--TERMINOLOGY 17

IV.--CLASSES OF HANDWRITING 19

V.--HOW TO EXAMINE A WRITING 21

VI.--THE ALPHABET IN DETAIL 24

VII.--THE CAPITALS 29

VIII.--PUNCTUATION 31

IX.--PAPER AND WATERMARKS 34

X.--INKS 38

XI.--ERASURES 42

XII.--PENCILS AND STYLOGRAPHS 45

XIII.--ANONYMOUS LETTERS AND DISGUISED HANDS 47

XIV.--FORGED LITERARY AUTOGRAPHS 52

XV.--FORGED SIGNATURES 60

XVI.--THE EXPERT IN THE WITNESS-BOX 68

XVII.--HANDWRITING AND EXPRESSION 72

XVIII.--BIBLIOGRAPHY OF HANDWRITING 78

INTRODUCTION.

The object of this little work is to assist those who may occasionally
be called upon to form an opinion as to the genuineness of signatures,
alterations in cheques, and the varied doubtful documents that demand
the serious consideration of business men by way of a preliminary to
"taking further steps."

It is the first attempt published in England to explain the principles
upon which the comparison and examination of handwriting are conducted
by experts. It is, and can only be, an outline of suggestions how to
begin, for no two experts follow precisely the same methods, any more
than two painters work on the same lines. Both agree in recognising
certain rules and general principles, but each strives for his objective
point by the employment of those means which experience, temperament,
taste and opportunity suggest. The study of the elementary rules of
their art puts them upon the road for perfecting it, after which success
can only be attained by rightly reading the signs that lead to the
ultimate goal.

In reading these chapters the student should begin by practising that
self-help which is essential to success. _He must read with pen and
notebook._ It is with the object of compelling this valuable habit that
no illustrative examples are given in the text. It would have been easy
to fill many pages with script illustrations, but experience shows that
a much greater impression is made upon the memory