Fountain Pens and Pencils : The Golden Age of Writing Instruments [Hardcover]

George Fischler (Author), Stuart Schneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

This book is for all people using, owning, or collecting fountain pens and their matching pencils. It will introduce the beginning pen collector to the hobby and answer questions asked by advanced pen collectors about the earliest and rarest of pens. With over 1,000 fountain pens illustrated in full color, full- or nearly full-sized photographs, it will help identify pens and provide the opportunity to examine many of the pens that were produced. George Fischler and Stuart Schneider are well-respected leaders in the antique pen world. They bring their love and knowledge of these works of art to this book. The examples they present represent the whole range of the history and production of fountain pens, from the earliest to the present and from the most common to the rarest. L.E. Waterman, Parker, Swan, Sheaffer, Wahl-Eversharp, Mont Blanc, Crocker, Chilton, Moore, A.A. Waterman and many other companies are included in this comprehensive, heavily illustrated history. In addition to photographs of the pens, a large representation of the company's advertising has been gathered and reproduced in Fountain Pens and Pencils. A must for collectors, dealers, and all those who appreciate the ingenuity and creativity of industry.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stuart Schneider is an attorney in Englewood, New Jersey who has been collecting pens since 1975. He is the author of several books and articles. George Fischler is a senior research microbiologist with the Colgate-Palmolive Company and an avid collector since 1977. With his wife, Michelle, George sponsors the annual New Jersey Pen Show, and he is the Repair & Restoration editor for Pen World magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing; 2 Revised edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764304917
• ISBN-13: 978-0764304910
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,408,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overall a must-have book for the serious collector, September 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fountain Pens and Pencils : The Golden Age of Writing Instruments (Hardcover)

This is a very good book for the serious collector. The price may seem high but for the wealth of information it provides it is a bargain. This is a new addition with the principle difference over the last addition being updated prices...some of which seem out of line high. Good illustrations. Not every color of a particular model may be represented but they do pretty well trying. Overall, I highly recommend it especially for the new collector.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the price, July 15, 2000

By 

"rainbowcrow" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fountain Pens and Pencils : The Golden Age of Writing Instruments (Hardcover)

Simply put, this book is an essential item for any serious fountain pen enthusiast or collector. To the best my knowledge, only Andreas Lambrou's Fountain Pens of the World compares (or even surpasses it, actually) in scope and depth, and Lambrou's book is twice the price.

Nor is this book limited to the seasoned expert; I first read it as an utter novice and found it delightfully accessible (the plentiful color photos go a long way here.) The only caveat is that - as mentioned by another reviewer - the suggested prices seem very high; it might be a mistake for a neophyte to base purchasing decisions on the listings in this book.

Pass up that aero-filler 51 or that unrestored blurrily-photographed vac major, for the time being, and pick up a copy of this book instead. In the long run, it's a far better investment if you are truly interested in vintage fountain pens.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Age of Writing Instruments, January 6, 2010

By 

Stuart Schneider "Author of books on collecti... (Teaneck, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fountain Pens and Pencils: The Golden Age of Writing Instruments (Schiffer Book for Collectors) (Hardcover)

George Fischler and I wrote this book. Our publisher wanted the best book on fountain pen collecting. We included photos of every pen that was available to us, which totaled over 1,000 vintage pens - from the best and rarest to the unusual, inexpensive, and collectible. Our book has sold over 22,000 copies worldwide, which is pretty amazing considering its price. We wanted to give the beginning collector a must-have resource and the advanced collector a reference work that would identify nearly every pen that could be found in the US. We were encouraged to do a second book "The Book Of Fountain Pens & Pencils" to include interesting and rare pens that were not included in "The Golden Age". Bill Cosby held our book up on the David Letterman show and stated that it was the best book that he had ever read. High praise indeed! The book is now in a third edition with updated prices and more photos. If you only had one book as a reference, this should be your top choice. I think that the more books you have on a subject makes you a better collector. At an antique show, a collector showed us his newest, expensive purchase - a Waterman 100 Year pen. It was all wrong. Sort of a mish-mash of pen parts. Had he looked in our book, he would have seen what the pen should look like. The money he spent on this "parts" pen would have more than been saved by buying a good reference work about pens. Even if you don't buy our book first, spend a few dollars on pen books and save yourself from buying an overpriced dog. Good hunting!