Shorthand dates back to the Romans.

Modern shorthand dates to John Willis' 1602 "Art of Stenographie." Over the next 150 years, many authors improved the art of shorthand including Edmond Willis, Thomas Shelton, Jeremiah Rich, William Mason, Thomas Gurney, John Byrom, and Samuel Taylor.

The pinnacle of shorthand improvement occurred in the late 1800s with Sir Isaac Pitman's 1837 "Phonography" and Dr. John Robert Gregg's 1888 "Gregg Shorthand."

This work reviews the influential shorthand authors and their systems since 1602.