Real Pen Work Self-Instructor in Penmanship

41 leaves, 16 printed recto-only. 1 plate in color. Oblong cloth-backed quarto, 9 x 11.5 inches. Very Good condition with vertical crease at the center of the first 4 leaves, front hinge cracked, occasional edgewear and fingersoil. Owner's signature dated 1894 on the front pastedown, otherwise unmarked.Several iterations of 'Real Pen Work' were published by Knowles & Maxim through the 1880s. It's unclear when Royal published this version, though seems likely to have come before. Compared to digitized copies of the Knowles & Maxim editions (archive.org), many pages in the Royal edition are identical but without the copyright marks. It also has fewer color plates, but additional flourishing examples, including two by the renowned penman Fielding Schofield ("The Proud Art Shall Conquer" peacock flourish), as well as designs for needlework and ornamental lettering alphabets not included in the others. It also lacks the testimonial of D. T. Morgan which appears in the K&M printings.