h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

People's hand writing tends to be better when using cursive...oh and it looks nicer than manuscript and is, with regular practice, faster than manuscript.

I respectfully disagree.

with the aesthetic aspects I assume as the other two are generally acknowledged as facts and spencerian script is normally considered the finest style, although most people nowadays learn something which is more akin to a simplified, non shaded, copperplate.

Yes, the aesthetic aspects. But also just the fact that I find Print to be much easier to read than cursive. Another thing I find annoying is when somebody's signature looks like it's just a scribble, and I think cursive contributes to that behavior.

And yet I, and I'm dyslexic, find that people who print tend to have much more illegible handwriting than those who use cursive, as the letters used by one person often look nothing like those used by another where as cursive, by its very nature, requires that letters conform to a specific pattern.

As for the aesthetic qualities of each that is, of course, primarily, a matter of taste. However I find that the only time print reaches a quality matching well written, rather than scrawled, cursive is when it is done with a press, a computer, a type writer or some other 'artificial' device for forming letters.

Think you're both right. I've seen people writing scribbley when doing the fancy joined up with lotsd of loops and stuff that makes it hard to read. But then printing, especially when it's in capials, can be scrawly too. Probably depends on how fast you're writing and how much care you take to make it legible.

That was some beautiful cursive script. I'm awful at handwriting but I really wish I was better. Perhaps I should learn again and practice? My printing is an awful mess. When going too fast I join letters together and it looks quite interesting.
Where did you find books to teach handwriting?

I'm rather in favour of scribbly signatures as I've always though, possibly erroneously, that they would be harder to forge.

you can get some here http://www.amazon.com/Spencerian-Penmanship-Theory-Book-copybooks/dp/088062096X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217197734&sr=8-1
or just look through the many books here http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=spencerian&x=0&y=0 and here http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=handwriting&x=13&y=15

Oh and I'd recommend purchasing one of these http://www.pendemonium.com/pens_parker.htm#parker51 preferably in a fine or xf point. Although most parkers that cost more than $10 should be ok. Oh and Sheaffers aren't too bad too. I'd suggest maybe a snorkel as these can be found on ebay in nice condition quite cheaply and are excellent writers.
My own prize pens are a 51 which I got for the equivalent of about $5 and a Parker Duofold which I got for the equivalent of $26. Both write beautifully.
Also worthy of consideration is the Wing Sung 300 or the Hero 100, 156 or 158.

Patience probably has a lot to do with it. My handwriting does get more messy when I write fast.

Thanks for all those great links I have my own fountain pen which was given to me as a gift. I have no idea what kind of pen it is though. I'm tempted to buy the book from the first link. It would be so nice to have lovely handwriting

The first book is what they used to use in US schools, and similar to what used to be used in UK schools. You go through 5 work books, starting, in book 1, with just doing the basic lines over and over until they're learned and come naturally, then you combine the lines and eventually your combined lines become letters and then you use the letters to form word until, by the end of book 5, you're writing whole sentences out in nice neat spencerian script.

Sounds like a brilliant plan to me. I tried doing some of my own handwriting today just for fun and it never looks as good as I want it to. I think I just might give it a go.

Sounds lke a lot of concejntration and practise needed.