Designs, Period.
Bibliography: Sources

Calligraphy & Design

Bain, George. The Methods of Construction of Celtic Art. New York: Dover Publications, 1973.
This is a standard introduction to the construction of Celtic patterns.

The Book of Kells: Reproductions from the Manuscript in Trinity College, Dublin. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977.
An edition with good-sized plates showing lots of detail, this is great for both needlework and calligraphic design.

Hutchinson, James. Letters. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1983.
This is marvelously put together as a history and exemplar of styles (but not a calligraphy manual).

Nordenfalk, Carl. Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Painting: Book Illumination in the British Isles 600-800. New York: George Braziller, 1977.
This has a nice selection of styles from a variety of sources..

Norris, Herbert. Costume and Fashion. London: I. M. Dent & Sons, 1931.
Though this is a classic for general reference, it is not trustworthy for exact historical costuming.

Stoner, Charles, and Henry Frankenfield, eds. Speedball Textbook, 20th Edition. Philadelphia: Hunt Manufacturing Co., 1972.
It used to be generally available where calligraphy supplies were sold; I don't know if there is a more current edition. It is a great basic introduction to calligraphy.

Heraldry

Brook-Little, J. P. Boutell's Heraldry. London: Frederick Warne & Co., 1970.
This is strongly British, a heraldry book written by the Richmond Herald.

Neubecker, Ottfried. Heraldry: Sources, Symbols and Meaning. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1976.
A great coffee-table book that's well-researched, it has a wonderful range of places, periods, and pictures. It is excellent at showing the uses of heraldry throughout history, and can be overwhelming as a source of designs.

Needlework

Digby, George Wingfield. Elizabethan Embroidery. London: Faber and Faber, 1963.
This has good plates (mostly black and white) and excellent text on this period of history.

Guðjónsson, Elsa E. Traditional Icelandic Embroidery. Reykjavík: Iceland Review, 1985.
Luckily the book is in English, since both text and color plates are wonderful; includes some graphed patterns.

King, Donald. Samplers. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1960.
This is a good companion to Sebba with less text and good plates, mostly black and white.

King, Donald, and Santina Levey. The Victoria & Albert Museum's Textile Collection: Embroidery in Britain from 1200 to 1750. New York: Canopy Books, 1993.
Everyone I know agrees that this is an essential buy. It has large color plates with excellent detail and good variety of pieces; not much text but good descriptions.

Rome, Carol Cheney, and Georgia French Devlin. A New Look at Needlepoint. New York: Crown Publishers, 1972.
This is a basic needlepoint instruction book with some discussion of history; includes stitches not always associated with canvas work, such as chain and outline.

Sebba, Anne. Samplers: Five Centuries of a Gentle Craft. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1979.
This is another strongly recommended book with an excellent in-depth history of this particular form of embroidery and good plates.

Swain, Margaret. The Needlework of Mary Queen of Scots. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1973.
Though it may seem like a very narrow subject, the text is generally useful for the period, and the background details of the particular embroidery pieces are fascinating. It has many plates, but mostly black and white.

Wardle, Patricia. Guide to English Embroidery. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1970.
This has mostly black and white plates with little text.