Spelling Words by Cari Ferraro

Spelling Words is the last of a series of three books to explore the meaning of the word "spell." My search for the sacred in Western calligraphy led me to ponder its appearance in words such as "gospel" ("god's spell"). I discovered that a thousand years ago, to spell meant to tell a story, rhyming to remember the correct order. Later, when stories were written down, spelling began to mean the proper ordering of letters. The magic of verbal charms became the writing of letters, making the letters themselves instruments of spirit for our English language ancestors. Bound tˆte-bˆche style ("head to tail"), each side begins with dictionary definitions of noun and verb. Alphabets, symbols, and rules for spelling make up magical and mundane texts that meet in the middle of the book. An encounter with this book rewards the reader with layers of meaning and secrets, creating an en-chant-ment. Read it aloud; singing the alphabet song is encouraged.