FOLLOWING A REVIEW OF THE NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENT EXAMINER'S RESPONSIBILITIES, THE EXAMINATION AND COMPARISON OF HANDWRITING IS DISCUSSED, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE GENERAL FEATURES OF WRITING STYLES, PROPORTIONS, LETTERS AND NUMERALS, AND FACTORS IN COMPARISON. DISGUISED WRITING IS ALSO EXAMINED, BOTH IN GENERAL TERMS AND IN TERMS OF CHANGES OF SLOPE OR HAND AND OTHER DISGUISES. METHODS USED IN FORGERY AND THE NECESSITY OF CONTROL SAMPLES ARE NOTED WITH REGARD TO THE DETECTION OF FORGED SIGNATURES, WHILE SUCH FACTORS AS INK, PENCILS, ERASURES, OBLITERATIONS, AND PAPER ARE DISCUSSED WITH RESPECT TO THE ANALYSIS OF WRITING MATERIALS. FOLLOWING A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE HANDLING OF CHARRED DOCUMENTS, THE ANALYSIS OF MECHANICAL IMPRESSIONS IS DETAILED, WITH ATTENTION TO TYPEWRITERS, COUNTERFEIT DOCUMENTS, MAGNETIC INK CHARACTER RECOGNITION, AND RUBBER STAMPS. GENERAL AND COMPARATIVE DOCUMENT DATING AND THE MAINTENANCE OF LABORATORY REFERENCE FILES ARE DISCUSSED, ALONG WITH TIPS FOR COURT TESTIMONY. PHOTOS AND FIGURES ILLUSTRATE THE TEXT. SUGGESTED READINGS ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)