“Rational Dictation” by McNamara & Markett. A Gregg Shorthand Manual. Published by The Gregg Publishing Company in 1927. This antique schoolbook is still in Very Good condition. It is a great way to learn and practice Shorthand, a form of cursive. The pre-digital way to take very fast notes. Used for speedy note taking, for documenting live events, for quickly writing down a boss’ dictations, for accurately reporting and repeating on speeches made by politicians, and many other uses. This form of fast note taking and writing was taught in High Schools and Colleges everywhere. Written in script or cursive, a nearly lost language anyway, this form of writing combines letters into syllables, and to the untrained eye almost seems like another language. It is incredibly interesting and still used by stenographers today in the courtroom, to document everything said as it’s spoken, for the court’s records. In this antique textbook, there are many examples of dictations given, written out in their full and complete English wording, with the Gregg Shorthand script shown in the margins. It is incredible that the small number of symbols can be so easily expanded into paragraphs of writing. This is truly a lost art form!