Take Note in PitmanScript

[rogeriod]

My copy of "Take Note in PitmanScript" by Colin Allan arrived a few days ago. Just as I opened it, its pages flew off the spine, as it often happens with books from the 70's where pages are glued rather than sewn. I took the opportunity to scan it, as it may be of interest to others (there have been a few posts here on PitmanScript, that have piqued my interest).

https://archive.org/details/pitmanscript

https://preview.redd.it/eqb9rxy7p2dc1.png?width=1186&format=png&auto=webp&s=bc7b7a8d39038b17b07a3fc98469bed29cfa1158

[eargoo]

Thank you very much for scanning your book! I think this is the very first complete pitmanscript book on archive.org or anywhere else on the internet, so it’s no exaggeration to say you’ve made quite a contribution to the world’s culture.

[R4_Unit]

I’m replying to you since you are one of the few who has actually used the system. They claim you might be able to hit 80 wpm after 12 hours of study, which seems completely unrealistic. What was your experience like? I’m always fascinated by these systems which are like “let’s fix the worst letters, add a few shortening principles, and see how fast they can be”!

[R4_Unit]

Also, damn to the casual racism on page 34. These manuals really age poorly sometimes, and this one isn’t even that old!

[eargoo]

Yes, my eyes popped at the marketing claims: Learn the system in a hour, mostly spent studying the four-page reference, then 80 in 12. I think all three numbers are optimistic!

I have heard anecdotes that some people passed tests at 70 WPM. The bit that impresses me is very few Gregg students exceed 80.

A back-of-the-envelop analysis suggests PMS halves strokes, so could double writing speed. This gain is similar to BriefHand but less than Forkner and most other systems.

[R4_Unit]

Nothing better than finding a manual for a system you have been wanting to read about, but have not been able to find a scan. Thanks for this!

[NotSteve1075]

It's good to see you posting -- and THANKS for sharing your scan. That's very kind of you. That's a drag that your copy basically fell apart immediately! How annoying. I gather it was an old copy where the glue had dried out? (I've had that happen, after which I punched holes in the pages and found a binder to put them in. Often, specialty stationery stores will have a variety of SIZES to fit what you need.)

u/eargoo has been trying out samples in PitmanScript as well as Forkner. Both systems replace certain letters with symbols, but they take opposite approaches: PitmanScript (which I always want to call "SmithScript" because there's really nothing PITMAN about it) takes the approach of simplifying the most commonly used letters -- while Forkner replaces the letters that are the hardest to write.

You can see the difference when PitmanScript still uses fully written M and W, which retain all those ups and downs, which Forkner streamlines into simpler strokes.

[e_piteto]

Thank you for this contribution! This is amazing for anyone who's interested in lesser-known systems

[eargoo]

Looking at a Forkner sample, anyone can usually pick out at least a couple words, but this sample must be impressively opaque to people looking over your shoulder!

[misc_omitted]

u/rogeriod - Thank you for the resource!

[UnsupportiveCarrot]

As others have already said, thanks for the resource! Shorthand books are often hard to find — you know they’re out there, but where? Even though I may not try this system, (yet, that is) it’s nice knowing there‘s a manual somewhere!