J.B. Silvestre

This is a book of alphabets- that's all. It won't teach you to render them, but if you already know your way around a pen and are looking for something special, then this is a treasure trove. It includes a number of gorgeous fonts, and even extends to such unusual gems as alphabets made out of people or woodland animals, flora and fauna, etc. At the end, an assortment of sample ads from when the fonts were used. I use it all the time.