Handwritten Classics
published by Chronicle Books
Each novel in the series features the characters’ letters and ephemera lovingly recreated and tucked inside glassine envelopes at the appropriate place in the story.
Anne of Green Gables
Available now wherever books are sold
Pride and Prejudice
with 19 letters from the characters’ correspondence, written and folded by hand
Praise for Pride and Prejudice:
“For the letter lover with a touch of class, you must get the forthcoming edition of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’” - The Washington Post Book Club
“Bring(s) the novel’s colorful letters to life” – The Smithsonian
“Meticulous” – The Times (London)
“A brilliant, eye-popping expansion of the beloved classic” – Austenprose.com
Little Women
A New York Times Holiday Pick
Praise for Little Women:
“Readers raised in the age of email and texting will be charmed by the novelty of the (extremely low-tech) interactive experience’” - The New York Times
“These are as close as you’re going to get to actual letters from Marmee and Meg and the others” – Star Tribune
“Heller. . . hits all the right targets—vintage, literary, nostalgic—with this series and stays classy” – Fine Books & Collections
“The handwriting matches each character to perfection. . .I can’t recommend this book enough to fans of Louisa May Alcott’s famous novel--you won’t see the characters in the same way after this! You may think you have enough copies of Little Women. . . Your collection, however, is not complete without Barbara Heller’s unique and lovingly curated edition.” –BookTrib
Persuasion
Praise for Persuasion:
“Wow. Just wow! …The highlight of paging through this glorious new edition was coming to the most romantic letter ever written contained in the novel—Captain Wentworth’s love letter to Anne Elliot. To see the words “you pierce my soul” replicated in calligraphy was swoon worthy. . . These curated editions take reading to another level of enjoyment. They are the perfect gift for yourself, family, and friends this holiday season.”- Austenprose.com
“The special edition from Barbara Heller made Jane Austen’s Persuasion feel new. And this is a book I’ve read numerous times – especially since it’s one of my favorite novels. . .Reading Persuasion with letters ignited my imagination, further transporting me into Anne Elliot’s (and Jane Austen’s) world – and I never wanted it to end. . .All in all, I can’t recommend this deluxe edition of Persuasion from Barbara Heller enough. It’s a treat for Austen fans everywhere.” – The Silver Petticoat Review
“[Persuasion] is curated by Barbara Heller, who does a lovely job choosing and creating or commissioning the extra documents, with plenty of personal and historical touches to make it feel authentic.” – Geekmom
How the Series Began
I was re-reading Pride and Prejudice for the gazillionth time, savoring my favorite passages in Mrs. Gardiner’s “long, kind, satisfactory” letter to Elizabeth, when a sudden desire to have that letter in my hand came over me. To hold the very letter that Elizabeth Bennet once received - ink faded, paper yellowed - would be utterly satisfying. In truth, I wanted to possess the originals of all the letters in Pride and Prejudice. A vision of myself at a flea market, happening upon the letters, was so real that I experienced the twin electric thrills of discovery and possession. I became determined to transform reverie into reality.
Barbara Heller
Barbara Heller’s career in film and television encompasses finding furnishings and props for many shows including The Americans and When They See Us; location managing films for Francis Coppola, Nancy Meyers, and Barbet Schroeder; and directing award-winning short films that have played at festivals around the world (Cannes, Berlin, Sundance). To satisfy her curiosity, she reported on why hotels fold the end of the toilet paper into a point for NPR. She graduated from Brown University with a degree in English Literature and lives with her son in New York City.
Meet the Artists
ALEXANDRA MORILL
Graphic Artist
alexandramorrill.com
Alexandra Morrill is an art director, graphic designer & book lover with 20+ years of design experience working at everything from Madison Avenue advertising agencies to independent publishers, non-profits, and luxury brands.
CHRISTOPHER CALDERHEAD
Graphic Designer and Calligrapher
instagram.com
Christopher Calderhead (AoGG: The Farmer’s Advocate, The Pass List; P: Map of Bath, William Elliot, Captain Wentworth) is an artist and graphic designer from New York City. Since 2007, he has been the editor and designer of Letter Arts Review, an international quarterly magazine dedicated to the art of original lettering, and he recently took on the same role with Bound & Lettered, a craft magazine dedicated to the book arts and calligraphy. He has written several books, including Illuminating the Word: The Making of The Saint John's Bible, Calligraphy Studio and, with Holly Cohen, The World Encyclopedia of Calligraphy. From 2008 until 2023, he taught graphic design to undergraduates at the Pratt Institute.
PATTI ADAMS
Scribe
pattiadams.com
Patti Adams (LW: Theodore “Laurie” Laurence) is a New Orleans artist whose work is defined by her wide-ranging interests in calligraphy, hand lettering, book illustration, portraiture and painting in oils and watercolor. Her calligraphic work has appeared in national publications. She teaches calligraphy, gold leaf gilding and watercolor at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts. Patti has a parallel creative life as a professional flutist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.
VIRGINIA ALLYN
Cartographer
virigniaallyn.com
Virginia Allyn (AoGG: Map of Avonlea) has illustrated more than 120 maps for novels. For over twenty-five years she has created artwork for children’s books, adult fiction, YA, and middle grade fantasy; murals; and advertising art. She lives in Minnesota with her own red-headed snippet.
DEBRA FLEMING
Scribe
dmfcalligraphy.com
Debra Fleming (AoGG: Diana Barry, Marilla Cuthbert, Julia Bell; LW: Meg March, Jo March) was introduced to calligraphy over 35 years ago and discovered a lifelong passion. Studying, supporting and creating art has been her focus since that first calligraphy lesson. Her love of writing and books led her to work as a library associate with the Jefferson Parish library. In addition to being a member of the New Orleans Lettering Arts Association, her work has been included in numerous exhibitions.
ELINOR HOLLAND
Scribe
harmonyofline.net
Elinor A. Holland (P & P: Mrs. Gardiner) is a calligrapher of Arabic and Latin scripts. She teaches at colleges, art centers, and museums in the United States and Canada, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian. Her work has been exhibited in Kuwait, Sharjah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and throughout the United States.
VINCENT MITCHELL
Scribe
mysticbluesigns.com
Vincent Mitchell (LW: Mr. March, Mr. Laurence, S. Hale, Mr. Laurence’s monogram) has always been fascinated by codes, cyphers and glyphs, particularly from Egyptian and Mayan cultures. He studies optics and music, and taught piano lessons in Haiti. He apprenticed with the Seattle based artist Trimpin during the building of a major art installation, before returning to New Orleans where he and his wife Yvette Rutledge formed a band to play their original music. For the last seventeen years, they have worked together as hand-lettering artists in their shop, Mystic Blue Signs.
BARRY MORENTZ
Scribe
barry.morentz
Barry Morentz (P & P: Mr. Collins, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Gardiner) creates hand-lettered manuscripts, awards, books, and custom boxes. He has been the calligrapher for The Museum of Modern Art and Cartier for over thirty years, and teaches workshops throughout the US and abroad. His work is featured in 100 New York Calligraphers and The World Encyclopedia of Calligraphy. He is especially known for his evocative renderings of passages from Shakespeare and Danté.
RITA POLIDORI O’BRIEN
Scribe
scribenewyork.com
Rita Polidori O’Brien (AoGG: Anne Shirley) is a calligrapher and artist. She’s the founder/owner of Scribe New York, a company that provides products and services dedicated to the art of hand-lettering. Rita’s passion for calligraphy began at the age of nine, when she was gifted a broad-edge pen with interchangeable nibs. Over the course of her career, she’s done hand-lettering projects for Google, Chanel, Bloomingdale’s, Harry Winston, Keds, Hanro of Switzerland, and more. She’s a member of New York’s Society of Scribes and IAMPETH (International Association of Master Penmen, Engrossers, and Teachers of Handwriting).
ANNA PINTO
Scribe
annapintocalligraphy.com
Anna Pinto’s (P & P: Elizabeth Bennet, Lydia Bennet, Mr. Bennet; Cover Titles: AoGG, P, LW, and P & P) work is included in The Calligraphy Revival: 1906–2016 by Jerry Kelly and Calligraphy Studio: The Ultimate Introduction to the Art of Hand Lettering by Christopher Calderhead, among other publications, and in the collections of the San Francisco Public Library, the Dana and Alexander libraries at Rutgers, and the Beinecke Library at Yale.
YVETTE RUTLEDGE
Scribe
mysticbluesigns.com
Yvette “Eve” Rutledge (LW: Beth March, Amy March) has been a professional lettering artist since 1973, when she began painting signs and researching letterforms in out-of-print library books. She formally studied typography, book design, calligraphy, and hand engraving and has freelanced for clients such as UC Press Berkeley and Pennyroyal Press. Eve teaches lettering and engraving at conferences and colleges, establishing the Center for the Lettering Arts with her husband Vince Mitchell at their shop Mystic Blue Signs in New Orleans, where they also compose original music for their band.
CHAVELLI TSUI
Scribe
chavelli.com
Chavelli Tsui (P: Visiting Cards; P & P: Jane Bennet, Caroline Bingley) is a New York City based designer and calligrapher from Hong Kong. Enamored with letterforms and the history and evolution of our alphabet, she specializes in using the traditional art of calligraphy for the needs of contemporary clients. In addition to crafting commissions, she works with brands and businesses around the world; collaborating with the likes of Instagram, American Express, WeWork and Jimmy Choo.
EUGENIA UHL
Scribe
eu-photography.com
Eugenia Uhl (P: Mary Musgrove; LW: Marmee, Hannah Mullet) is a calligrapher, calligraphy teacher, bookmaker and photographer in New Orleans. Her photographs have been featured in Departures, Southern Accents, Metropolitan Homes, House Beautiful, Essence, Travel & Leisure and Everyday With Rachel Ray. In addition, she has been the culinary photographer for eight cookbooks including Commander’s Kitchen and Galatoire’s. She is most inspired by combining calligraphy with photography in hand made book form on themes of light, place and shape.