Everybody's Book of Luck. Anonymous

and intuition.

      Any eccentricity indicates that the person's career has not been ordinary. Marked originality, especially of capitals, shows unusual taste. Tremulous tendency resulting neither from illness nor old age—Irritability. Highly restrained, small—Refractory disposition, difficult to live with. Regular and well-placed lines, followed by those careless and irregular—A mind quick to embark on an enterprise, but lacking perseverance. Back-handed less susceptible than inclined—The head ruling the heart.

      Generally the body of the letter or specimen gives the present character, the signature the past.

      CROTCHETS.—Egotism, self-satisfaction (a return upon self.)

      HARPOONS (HOOKS).—Tenacity, united perhaps with weak will.

      DASHES.—Perfectly straight—Persistence.

      Undulating.—Art, levity.

      Undulating, beginning or finishing with a crotchet or ungraceful flourish.—Lack of taste, slight vulgarity.

      Light.—Writer attaches little idea to things expressed.

      Ending Thickly.—Resolution, desires ideas to carry weight.

      Curved Ascendingly.—Versatility; slight inconsistency; speaks without thought.

      Tremulous.—Timidity, hesitation.

      Placed at end of line or paragraph.—Lack of self-assertion.

      Ending abruptly, thick and hard.—Distrust, reserve.

      Sharply elongated.—Impulsive nature; prudence taught by experience.

      Used instead of "full stops."—Cultivated caution.

      CAPITAL LETTERS.—Large and well-formed.—Pride.

      Print-like in shape.—Dignity.

      Thin strokes.—Boasting.

      Exaggerated in height.—Love of ceremonial.

      The angle very pointed.—Acuteness, penetrative, leadership.

      Large and badly-formed.—Egomania.

      Large upper hall.—Self-assertion.

      Large bases.—Self-confidence.

      The capital letter of Christian names larger than that of surname.—Love of home.

      The capital letter of surname larger.—Love of position.

      Small capitals.—Lack of self-assertion.

      Capital letters made like small ones.—Said to show poetic feeling, love of Nature.

      Print-like in form.—Originality.

      Eccentric in any way.—Pose or whim.

      Widely spaced.—Love of open air.

      Curving far below the line, and almost encircling the word.—Protective love of animals.

      Letters incorrectly used.—Small detail made over-important.

      Tendency to replace by print.—Sense of form, artistic and poetic.

      SPECIAL LETTERS.—A.M.N.H., G.O., R.U.W.—Normal width.—Well-poised mind.

      Too wide.—Self-contentment, satisfaction.

      Nearly touching.—Timidity, want of knowledge of the world.

      First leg slightly raised.—Aristocratic tastes.

      Second leg exaggerated.—Pose, affectation.

      Unconnected, ending with crotchet rentrant.—Egotistical, selfish.

      The letters begun and ended with a small crotchet rentrant.—Avarice, meanness.

      Letters and words connected.—Power of assimilating ideas, but lack of originality; logic.

      Letters disconnected even with their parts.—Creative power, want of logic.

      Equally connected or disconnected.—Balanced intuition and deduction.

      Last letter increasing in size.—Lack of power of concealment. Decreasing.—Finesse.

      Handwriting does not invariably show sex, as the qualities indicated are common to both men and women.

      The writing develops as the soul develops, and imitation comes before originality.

QUALITIES SHOWN IN HANDWRITING ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED

       Table of Contents

      ABILITY.—Small writing, angular, clear, decided capitals.

      ACCURACY.—Neat, well-placed lines and words, punctuation correct.

      AFFECTION.—Softly sloping writing, rounded, fairly thick.

      AMIABILITY.—Rounded letters, often unfinished, medium capitals.

      AMBITION.—Large first stroke of capital "M's" ascending lines of writing. Imposing signature.

      ANALYTICAL.—Small-pointed, clear writing, letters divided, decided capitals.

      ARGUMENT.—Words connected, giving logic, and occasional extra long connecting strokes, small writing. (See A.2.)

      AUTHORITY.—Large capitals, especially the letter "I" and first letter of surname, level crossing to t's.

      BOASTFUL.—Large writing, exaggerated capital, flying cross bar to t's. (See A.1.)

      BOLD.—Large well-formed capitals, clear rounded, but not pointed writing.

      BROAD-MINDED.—Well-spaced words, clear capitals, O's and A's wide and rounded.

      CANDOUR.—O's and A's open at the top.

      CAPRICE.—Eccentric letters, irregular writing, no punctuation.

      CARE.—See Accuracy.

      CARELESSNESS.—Ill-formed letters, open O's, no punctuation.

      CAUTION.—Dashes used instead of full stops.

      CEREMONIOUS.—Capitals important, all large above the line, some added flourishes.

      CHANGEABLE.—Letters differently formed, eccentric capitals, variability of line.

      CHEERFULNESS.—Short, fat loops, rounded letters.

      DEJECTION.—Lines tending downwards, curved letters unfinished, last of capital "M" very small.

      DELICACY.—Thin thread-like letters, fine pointed writing. (See A.3.)

      DISORDER.—Ill-formed, unfinished letters, no punctuation, separate letters.

      DISSIMILATION.—Words terminating in thread-like strokes, interchangeable letters.

      DISTRUST.—Last downstroke ending very abruptly.

      No. 10.—A

      DRINK.—Thick strokes, when seen through a glass very ragged, ill-formed letters; self-indulgence.

      EATING, GOURMANDIZING.—Small, rounded writing, black, small capitals.

      ECONOMY.—Close, compressed writing, no margins. (See A.4.)

      ENERGY.—Lines sloping upwards to the right, short downstrokes, high-barred crosses to t's.

      EXAGGERATION.—Very