Sacred Calligraphy of the East

What I like best about the book is the way in which it traces the historical development of calligraphy. The author's Japan bias matches my own (I got into calligraphy in Japan) and so I didn't particularly mind the heavy Japan slant. What I found frustrating was the lack of a pronunciation guide, especially for the Sanskrit. Given the diacritics in use, I would have liked to have known how to pronounce the dotted consonants, etc. It would be nice to learn more about Khmer and Thai calligraphy also, but I turn to other books...

A thorough and scholarly book with copious illustrations, one a person can get lost in and hardly care. Mr. John Stevens not only knows and understands but also deeply respects his subject. A profound appreciation of the role of calligraphy in Eastern culture is conveyed to the reader throughout the book. There is frankly more material here than one might even imagine needing. Whatever aspect of the subject one may want to clarify, "Sacred Calligraphy of the East" is the first reference I would suggest.

I have bought this book out of curiosity for eastern characters and their meaning. This book not only shows you their meaning it also lets you peek into their art of writing. Very interesting book for those interested in eastern religious symbols or calligraphy in general. It is beautifully made.

Purchased to replace a book I've misplace. Excellent replacement!

This book is perfect for people who wants to take a deep view of the o-fudas, mantras or sacred draws.

Have nothing to do with Chinesecalligraphy

This book is an absolute must have if you like various asian writing!

Super

This review is about the ECHO POINT BOOKS & MEDIA Edition of this book: The reproduction of Photographs is not satisfying and not as good as in the original Shambhala edition. So I recommend you find a used copy of the Shambhala edition.

Un livre qui présentent de belles écritures sacrées. Je l'avais acheté pour le Siddham principalement qui servait à écrire le sanskrit. Donne le ductus (sens d'écriture) à respecter pour tracer les lettres, par exemple pour l'écriture tibétaine. Pas déçu.

This is a Must have:) A very informative book. Clear Black & White photographs. Great Book completely loving it. Thank you :)

Filled with good eastern script references. Detailed images with good depictions of brush strokes. Useful historic background information to each script.