The universal penman
Subtitle: Nos. 1-38
By: Engrav'd by George Bickham
Publisher: Printed for the author, and sent to the subscribers, if living within the bills of mortality
Published: 1733
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 153
Subjects: Copybooks; Early works to 1800; Penmanship
Notes: Engraved throughout; title-page and frontispiece included in foliation.

The Universal penman was originally issued in parts between 1733 and 1741. There is conflicting evidence about the number of parts and plates originally intended and how long it would take to issue a completed publication,though Muir concludes that it was to appear in weekly numbers over a year for a total of 52 parts and 208 plates. Individual copies with this title appear in a variety of forms, with a number of different title-pages and states of plates.

In this state, the title-page is undated, but the contents and dedication leaves are dated 1733. Along with the first page of the introduction, these three comprise Part No. 1. Parts 2-25 have their leaves numbered sequentially, with some variations. Parts 26-38 have their leaves numbered individually. In addition, this is a later state of this particular title-page, in which the part of the imprint listing Charles Stokes as an agent has been masked over. The plates are printed on a variety of paper in varying conditions, further suggesting that this is a made-up copy of serial parts, rather than one made from one of the later editions, in which most of the plates were printed together.

The original penmen represented in the first 38 parts were the Bickhams, Joseph Champion, Willington Clark, E. Austin, Nathaniel Dove, William Kippax, John Bland, Gabriel Brooks, William Brooks, Samuel Vaux, Mos. Gratwick, John Day, J. Oldfield, John Shortland, B. Whilton, Richard Morris, Peter Norman, Zachary Chambers, and William Leekey.

The frontispiece is engraved by George Bickham, Junior, after Gravelot.

See Muir, P.H. The Bickhams and their Universal penman (The library, n.s. 25, p. 162-184 and 247-248 (Dec. 1944/Mar. 1945))

Heal, A. English writing-masters, p. 171-172