CHARACTERISTIC WRITING OF A FEW OF THE WORLD'S BEST-KNOWN LITERARY MEN
AND AUTHORS

[Illustration: Shakespeare's writing shows a strong, intuitive
observation--that quick movement of the mind which seizes character at
a glance--is shown by the want of _liason_ between the curiously
formed letter "h" and the "a" which follows it. With a poet's
disregard of order, Shakespeare puts no dots to either of the small
letters "i" in his Christian name, nor is there any full stop at the
end of the signature, so suggestive, when seen in an autograph, of
caution, and that attention to minutiae which seems almost
incompatible with the poetic nature. No flourish of any kind disgraces
this thoroughly characteristic signature of England's greatest poet.]

[Illustration: His popularity and fame as a novelist may be attributed
to the fascinating style and vivid portrayal of his imaginative rather
than realistic creations. The flourish after the signature has its
significance also. It is lacking in grace or harmony, and evidently
the quick, assertive stroke from the pen of one who will brook no
opposition.]

[Illustration: In this signature of Longfellow we have imagination in
the letter "L" in the signature of the surname, lucidity of ideas in
the extreme clearness of the writing, ideality in the absence of
_liason_ between the "l" and "o," but not as much tenderness as
one would have expected in the writing of the author of "Evangeline."]

[Illustration: Edgar Allen Poe was an egotistical and imaginative
writer. When the flourish takes any very peculiar abnormal form, it is
rather a sign of originality than vanity, though there is, perhaps