Vintage Pitman’s Pocket Shorthand Dictionary – Centenary Edition c.1937 Pitmans

Vintage Pitman’s Pocket Shorthand Dictionary – Centenary Edition c.1937 – Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons – Working Office Reference Book

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Why We Love It

There’s something quietly powerful about this little book.

Not a display piece. Not a decorative afterthought.

This was used — carried, referenced, relied upon.

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A pocket companion to a clerk, a secretary, perhaps a journalist… someone whose words needed to move as fast as thought. Long before laptops and voice notes, this was the tool that kept pace with conversation.

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The softened corners, the creased cloth, the handwritten name inside — all speak to a life spent in motion. A working object from a time when communication was an art of precision and speed.

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The Story

This is a Centenary Edition of Pitman’s Pocket Shorthand Dictionary, published by Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd, dating to around 1937, marking 100 years since the introduction of Pitman shorthand in 1837.

Pitman shorthand was the backbone of professional communication in Britain for over a century — used in:

Courtrooms

Newsrooms

Offices

Government departments

This compact dictionary was designed for quick, on-the-go reference, listing words alongside their shorthand forms, including grammalogues and contractions — essential tools for anyone working at speed.

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Details

Title: Pitman’s Pocket Shorthand Dictionary

Edition: Centenary Edition (c.1937)

Publisher: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd

Format: Pocket-sized hardback

Language: English with Pitman shorthand symbols

Printed in: London (with references to Bath, New York & Melbourne offices)

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Approximate Size

Height: ~11–12 cm

Width: ~8–9 cm

(A true pocket companion)

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Condition

A well-used and characterful example.

Cloth boards heavily worn and softened

Creasing to front cover and spine

Edge wear and rounding consistent with age and use

Internal pages intact with age toning and some staining

Handwritten name and marks to inside front page

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Structurally sound and complete — a genuine working survivor rather than a pristine copy.

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Perfect For

Vintage desk or study styling

Writers, journalists, or lovers of language

Props and period interiors

Collectors of educational or office ephemera

Anyone drawn to the tactile charm of pre-digital life

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Postage & Packaging

Carefully wrapped using sustainable, protective packaging to ensure safe arrival.

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A Note from Us

This is more than a book — it’s a tool from a time when words were captured in motion, translated into symbols, and preserved by skill.

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Objects like this remind us that communication hasn’t always been instant — it was once learned, practised, and mastered.

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Important Information

The description is given to the best of our knowledge but cannot be relied upon as entirely accurate.

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Please review all photographs carefully as they form part of the description.