World’s Worst Writing

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 3, 2 December 1947, Page 8

World’s Worst Writing

An entry he had scrawled in his diary was so illegible that the Bishop of Chelmsford nearly missed'an important engagement recently because he. could not read it. It was embarrassing for the Bishop to have to puzzle over his indecepherable writing for three days, but he was in good company. Many famous men have written badly. The world’s worst handwriting was Horace Greeley’s. He once wrote this paragraph: “A gourmet says the way to broil a beefsteak is to hold it over red hot coals while counting forty-four. Turn the spit a few times.” The printer produced this version: “A granny says the way to boil a beef soup is to hold it over rancid cats which cannot fortify. Turn and spit a few times.” The printer said afterwards that he thought it did read “kinda queer” but decided to “follow copy.” Only one compositor on the Edinburgh paper which printed John Stuart Blackie’s articles could decipher his handwriting. Even he was beaten one day. Poring vainly over the weirdly formed characters, he exclaimed “I couldna’ set it up in type, but if I had my pipes I could play it!”