This study book provides, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of current topics, terms, methods, and results in the field of historical writing system research (graphematics). Following introductory chapters on the subject area of historical graphematics, the peculiarities of written communication, and the conditions of writing in the pre-modern era, the volume offers a diachronic outline of graphematic change in German from its beginnings to modern times. Subsequently, practical methods for graphematic analysis of historical texts are presented. The concluding chapters discuss research findings on selected areas of graphematic variation in consonantism and vocalism, punctuation, and capitalization, as well as overarching questions and desiderata in historical graphematic research. The introduction is very well suited as.