Calligraphy can be said to have developed among three of the world's major civilizations - the Arabs (and those who use the Arabic script), whose tradition centres on the preservation of the divine revelation through the Koran; the Chinese (and those who use Chinese script); and the Europeans who adopted the Roman script and laws within a Christian tradition. In this wide-ranging and heavily illustrated study, Albertine Gaur explores the history of calligraphy, and the place of calligraphers, from the earliest times to the present day, within all three of these very different cultures. In addition, she discusses the tools for writing and the development of calligraphy in relation to printing and typography, and examines current trends and the work of contemporary calligraphers.