I compiled a list of books which I’d heartily recommend as a basic library for anyone interested in making the switch to Anniversary or in learning Anniversary from scrattch::
Gregg Shorthand Manual (Anniversary Edition)
Gregg Speed Studies (Third Edition)
Gregg Speed Building for Colleges (1943)
Intensive Exercises in Shorthand Vocabulary Building (1928)
Gregg Shorthand Phrase Book (Anniversary Edition)
Gregg Reporting Shortcuts (1922)
Expert Shorthand Speed Course (1945)
Gregg Shorthand Dictionary (Anniversary Edition)
Other worthy books which provide lots of additional “new” and “review material are:
Gregg Shorthand Manual Functional Method Part 1 (1936)
Gregg Shorthand Manual Functional Method Part 2 (1936)
Functional Dictation (1937)
The last 3 volumes could easily be substituted for the Manual and Speed Studies from the first list.
All the volumes I named are frequently available at reasonable prices from eBay or Amazon resellers.
If Simplified is your preference:
Gregg Shorthand Manual Simplified Functional Method (Second Edition)
Gregg Dictation Simplified (Second Edition)
Gregg Transcription (Second Edition)
Phrases of Gregg Shorthand Simplified (1961)
Gregg Speed Building for Colleges, Simplified (1958)
Gregg Reporting Shortcuts (1959)
Expert Shorthand Speed Course Simplified (1951)
Gregg Shorthand Dictionary Simplified (1955)
Hope this list will be helpful to anyone seeking to venture a Gregg prior to DJS!
for everyone)
Thanks! That's a great list.
Looks like they're in order of study, too, except for the dictionary.
Cheers!
Cricket
Jeez, CB, you read my mind! Anyone who is familiar with Anniversary or Simplified might profit without extensive review by starting with either version of Gregg Speed Building for Colleges. I put the dictionaries last on the list because although not essential to initial studying, they are very helpful in looking up different outlines that may be vaguely remembered. (The Anniversary Dictionary has an extremely helpful review of joined and disjoined prefixes and suffixes.) The phrase books are very helpful when practiced with other books in the respective series. Theory review and reading are very important in keeping the outlines and abbreviations in your memory so, for example, even if you're doing SB for Colleges, you'll still gain from at least rereading the writing and reading practices from the elementary texts, perhaps looking for new opportunities of phrasing and application of the abbreviating principle which were not utilized in the earlier texts.
There's little difference between the 1924 or Anniversary Phrase booki. If you're seriously interested in developing verbatim speed, you might want to have a look at the 1902 and 1916 Manual which offer more phrasing, prefixes and suffixes that can be easily affixed to Anniversary if you don't mind more memorization. However, remember that such accomplished writers as Leslie and Zoubek cautioned that half-remembered shortcuts will slow you down.
If all you want from shorthand is to keep a private journal or to be able to take non-verbatim notes on lectures or during business meetings, Simplified (because of lack of EXCESSIVE memory load) is probably a wise choice of system.
But Gregg should bear a warning label on Anniversary: Beware! You may become addicted to trying to attain the unattainable speed!
And for those who really want to work on verbatim speed:
Gregg Shorthand Manual (1916) used simultaneously, lesson by lesson with
Gregg Speed Building 1917, followed only after completion and review by:
Gregg Speed Practice (1907) which contains so many antiquated phrases, it'll make your head spin! (Our moderator graciously provided me with a key to the chapter on phrase letters.
The last book is terrific. It has business letters to be dictated with previews of the Gregg outlines, a chapter of phrase letters written in Gregg, and then more text of letters applicable to different industries with shorthand previews designed to be dictated to the student. Although not containing as many shorthand plates as the later Speed Building for Colleges books, it truly is an excellent aid if you want additional practice for reaching verbatim speed.
Maybe I should learn to read print! The 1917 book to be used with the 1916 Manual is:
Gregg Speed Studies
It should be emphasized that the Speed Studies is designed to be used with the Manual which offers Theory summarization and explanation while the Speed Studies offers additional examples along with reading and writing practice.
If you thought transcribing the business letters from the Gregg Speed Practice could make heads spin, you have not seen anything yet. I am now creating the key for the Anniversary version of Spanish Gregg Shorthand, a book that was published in 1923, and the business letters there are even worse. The language is so antiquated in terms of syntax, vocabulary, and salutations, that it makes the 1907 Speed Practice book a piece of cake in comparison. Also, the shorthand is not standard (different outlines than the dictionary) in places. But it is fun to read those anyway.
You've caught my attention! I have Taquigrafia Gregg and hope you'll be kind enough to send me the key when you complete this massive effort! I've searched periodically for supplementary texts but non have appeared on eBay or Amazon except the volume I already have. I did struggle through the first couple of lessons but the abbreviating principle seems to be used more heavily than the English 1902 Manual. I had the definite feeling the book was intended to be used with an experienced teacher in a classroom setting. My Spanish is not fluent however I am taking an intermediate conversational course just for fun. Buena suerte con este trabajo.
Let us see how long it takes me!