Editing Quill (section)

==History==
[[File:The bookkeeper by van Dijk.jpg|thumb|left|Sharpening a quill]]
The quill pen evolved from the [[reed pen]], of Egyptian origin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is A Quill Pen? History of Feather Pens or Quill Pens {{!}} Pens.com |url=https://www.pens.com/blog/what-is-a-quill-pen-feather-pen/ |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=www.pens.com}}</ref> Quills were the primary writing instrument in the [[Barbarian kingdoms|Barbarian Kingdoms]] from the 6th to the 19th century. The best quills were usually made from goose, swan, and later turkey feathers. Quills went into decline after the invention of the metal [[pen]], mass production beginning in Great Britain as early as 1822 by John Mitchell of [[Birmingham]].<ref name="A Note on the Quill"/> In the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] and much of the Islamic world, quills were not used as writing implements. Only reed pens were used as writing implements.<ref>Francois Déroche, Islamic Codicology: An Introduction to the Study of Manuscripts in Arabic Script (London: Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, 2005), 103–6</ref>

Quill pens were the instrument of choice during the [[medieval era]] due to their compatibility with [[parchment]] and [[vellum]]. Before this, the [[reed pen]] had been used, but a finer letter was achieved on animal skin using a cured quill. Other than written text, they were often used to create figures, decorations, and images on [[manuscript]]s, although many illuminators and painters preferred fine brushes for their work. The variety of different strokes in formal hands was accomplished by good penmanship as the tip was square cut and rigid, exactly as it is today with modern steel pens.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

It was much later, in the 1600s, with the increased popularity of writing, especially in the [[copperplate script]] promoted by the many printed manuals available from the 'Writing Masters', that quills became more pointed and flexible.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Quills are denominated from the order in which they are fixed in the wing; the first is favoured by the expert calligrapher, the second and third quills also being satisfactory, together with the pinion feather. The 5th and 6th feathers are also used. No other feather on the wing would be considered suitable by a professional [[scribe]].{{Citation needed|reason=Source needed for the whole sentence|date=May 2020}}

Information can be obtained on the techniques of curing and cutting quills:<ref name=":3">{{cite book|last=Child|first=Heather|title=The Calligraphers Handbook|publisher=A & C Black UK|year=1985|isbn=0-7136-2695-X}}</ref>

{{blockquote|In order to harden a quill that is soft, thrust the barrel into hot ashes, stirring it till it is soft; then taking it out, press it almost flat upon your knees with the back of a penknife, and afterwards reduce it to a roundness with your fingers. If you have a number to harden, set water and alum over the fire; and while it is boiling put in a handful of quills, the barrels only, for a minute, and then lay them by.<ref>''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', 6th edition, 1823.</ref>}}

An accurate account of the Victorian process by William Bishop, from research with one of the last London quill dressers, is recorded in the ''Calligrapher's Handbook'' cited on this page.<ref name=":3" />