A copybook, or copy book is a book used in education that contains examples of
handwriting and blank space for learners to
imitate.
Typical uses include teaching
penmanship and
arithmetic to students. A page of a copybook typically starts with a copybook heading: a printed example of what should be copied, such as a single
letter or a short
proverb
A proverb (from ) or an adage is a simple, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and are an example of formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phrase ...
. The rest of the page is empty, except for horizontal rulings. The student is expected to copy the example repeatedly down the page. By copying, the student is supposed to practise penmanship,
spelling
Spelling is a set of conventions for written language regarding how graphemes should correspond to the sounds of spoken language. Spelling is one of the elements of orthography, and highly standardized spelling is a prescriptive element.
Spelli ...
,
reading comprehension,
punctuation
Punctuation marks are marks indicating how a piece of writing, written text should be read (silently or aloud) and, consequently, understood. The oldest known examples of punctuation marks were found in the Mesha Stele from the 9th century BC, c ...
, and
vocabulary
A vocabulary (also known as a lexicon) is a set of words, typically the set in a language or the set known to an individual. The word ''vocabulary'' originated from the Latin , meaning "a word, name". It forms an essential component of languag ...
.
History
''The American Instructor: Or, Young Man's Best Companion'', published in 1748, was the first American copybook. The 1802 book ''The Port folio'' recommends the copybook method of learning fine penmanship over the previously used method of "engraved models", citing the advantage of having the example text closer to the student's reproduction. The author adds, "A neat copybook has often laid the foundation, or shown the first symptoms, of taste in all the elegant arts of life."
Uses
Because in the 18th century good penmanship was primarily considered an important business skill, copybooks of the period frequently were oriented towards
autodidacts wishing to learn business skills, and therefore included chapters on general business management as well as lessons in accounting. Other copybooks, however, focused chiefly on writing and literacy, using
maxims and sometimes
Bible verses as their material. It was intended that students memorize not only correct penmanship, but correct morals as well, through exposure to traditional sayings.
Copybooks were also published on geographical subjects, the student being asked first to copy names onto an unlabelled map, and later to reproduce whole maps onto a latitude/longitude grid.
There are also botanical copybooks such as ''
Studies of Flowers from Nature'' that were popular in the 19th century for developing watercolor painting skills. Here the student would paint an image for which the outline was already sketched (as in a modern coloring book), using as a model a finished watercolor provided by the book's illustrator.
"Featured Book Archive: Miss Smith"
University of Cambridge Library website.
See also
* Notebook
* Exercise book
* Examination book
* Laboratory notebook
References
Further reading
* ''American Penmanship, 1800-1850: A history of writing and a bibliography of copybooks from Jenkins to Spencer''. American Antiquarian Society. 1969.
External links
European Network of Forensic Science Institutes - Copybook models and handwriting samples database
Historic copybook: ''Nathan Loomis' Copy Book''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copybook (Education)
Educational materials
Teaching