The Palmer Method is a system of handwriting developed by Austin Norman Palmer in the late 19th-century. The Palmer Method was one of the most popular systems for teaching practical penmanship in America. What makes The Palmer Method unique relative to modern times is that students were taught to write with the arm as opposed to the fingers. Writing with the arm can be executed for hours without fatigue, which was necessary in a world without typewriters and computers. The style of writing taught by The Palmer Method was not unique. Many other books taught similar methods of writing. Collectively, these methods of writing were called "practical penmanship" or "business penmanship".