Fraktur, that exquisite script formed with ornate letters and highly decorated borders, was created for nearly 90 consecutive years (1747-1836) by a series of teachers in the Mennonite schools in communities northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Because Mennonites were not known for producing paintings and other two-dimensional art, this well-developed practice of making quill-lettered bookplates, certificates, and rewards is particularly outstanding. Historian and fraktur expert and collector Mary Jane Lederach Hershey tells about these Mennonite-run schools, the unusual teachers who oversaw them, and the artistic tradition they carried forward and passed on to their willing students. - Jacket flap.