leo academyBeta
Handbook

Capital E · secretary hand

Small E

Unit 2

A compact E like a large epsilon e.

When is it a capital?

Look for extra bows or a bar and a height above the small letters; a large epsilon-shaped e can still be lower case.

Model letter

McKerrow (1927), fig. 23, no. 4 · public domain

In practice lines

Every capital E below was checked by hand. They are not yet sorted by form, so some show another capital E.

“Earle”
“Enemies”
“Estate,”
“Exeter”
“Estate,”

Practice lines drawn in period hands

Don’t confuse it with

Practise this letter Taught in unit 2: e and s
Coming soon

Other forms of capital E

Model letters: R. B. McKerrow, An Introduction to Bibliography (1927); Jean de Beauchesne & John Baildon, A Booke Containing Divers Sortes of Hands (1570 and 1581); Giovambattista Palatino, Libro nel qual s’insegna a scrivere (1550); and manuscripts in the Folger Shakespeare Library; all public domain. They stand in until Leo’s own model letters are drawn. Secretary letters typeset in Joscelyn by Peter S. Baker (SIL Open Font License).