Book Review

The Chinese Calligraphy Bible by Yat-Ming Cathy Ho

I bought this book on Chinese Calligraphy some time ago on Amazon.com.  The book is an excellent book on Chinese Calligraphy covering all aspects.  The book is great for both beginner and advanced!  For the advanced reader it’s a great reference guide.  For the beginner, the book introduces the reader to the 4 treasures of the calligraphy studio, stroke order, history & styles of calligraphy, and introduction to important Chinese characters.  The author shows how to write a good number of Chinese characters arranging them into various categories.  The basic Chinese stroke is shown with great detail.  The pictures are amazing and the author even introduces the Chinese seal and Chinese painting!  I would highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to know about Chinese Calligraphy or anyone wanting a great reference on the subject.

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The Simple Art of Chinese Calligraphy by Qu Lei Lei

The book is a thin book made up of 128 pages (each page is eight by ten).   The publication‘s size gives the beginner a better view of the Chinese character and the basic Chinese 8 strokes that one must learn to write properly.  This book not only provides the reader with a complete guide to writing Chinese characters but includes: making Chinese calligraphy fans, making decorative cards, bamboo books, paper cutting, mounting Chinese calligraphy, writing on Tee shirts, making Chinese scrolls and making Chinese seals. The author also goes into great detail to show the reader the 4 treasures of the studio namely: the brush, the ink, the paper and the ink stone.  A brief history is also given with pictures of some of the greatest Chinese styles of Chinese calligraphy.   The book is really very impressive and I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the art of Chinese Calligraphy.

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