The craft of signwriting seemed to be dying out in the sixties and seventies, largely owing to the mass use of illuminated signs. However the 1980s are seeing a rediscovery of this skill as the one-off sign is again appreciated for its individuality and relative cheapness. The number of colleges running courses on signwork is growing each year, and there is now a City and Guilds certificate on the subject. However, there has for some time been a dearth of books on the subject and the work therefore documents the skills of the signmaker in order to supplement the knowledge of teachers and offer a training manual to trainees. Not only does it instruct on drawing letters, heraldry and producing signs, it also offers advice on materials, their fixing and cost. In addition, it briefly describes a few other hand methods for producing signs.