Lexicon diplomaticum, abbreviationes syllabarum et vocum in diplomatibus et codicibus a seculo VIII. ad XVI. usqve occurrentes exponens, iunctis alphabetis et scripturae speciminibus integris
A Latin lexicon of medieval abbreviations, compiled by Johann Ludolph Walther and printed at Ulm in 1756 for scholars of diplomatics and palaeography working on charters and manuscripts from the 8th to 16th centuries. Its pages are tabulated two-column lists, each row pairing a hand-drawn abbreviation mark with its expanded Latin word, such as virgo, christus, or homo, with dates beside them. A designer might draw on the dense ruled grids, the stacked rows of cramped scribal glyphs, and the contrast between tiny ornamental marks and bold printed headings.
