Fountain Pens : United States of America and United Kingdom [Hardcover]

Andreas Lambrou (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0856675326 | ISBN-13: 978-0856675324 | Publication Date: October 31, 2000

Each pen is reproduced individually and to actual size for ease of identification, making the book the ideal reference guide for both the collector and the enthusiast. Many original, specially commissioned, hand produced line drawings present the pens in an exciting and informative matter. The authoritative and comprehensive text as well as period advertisements compliment the illustrations and provide up-to-date and detailed information on the history of the fountain pen and its industry in the United States of America and United Kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... best guide to British fountain pens ... history is clear and concise ... colour reproduction of the pens is stunning and faithful ... -- Don Yendle -- Managing Director Conway Stewart & Co., Ltd. (September 2000)

... good balance of outstanding photography, accurate line drawings and concise text ... -- Glen B. Bowen - World Publications 'Pen World' magazine, Nov/Dec 2000

... good balance of outstanding photography, accurate line drawings and concise text ... part art book, part historical perspective and part technical journal. -- Glen B. Bowen -- World Publications 'Pen World' magazine, Nov/Dec 2000

... the history is clear and concise ... colour reproduction of the pens is stunning ... the book does true justice to British pens. -- Don Yendle, Managing Director, Conway Stewart & Co., Ltd., Sept. 2000

From the Publisher

Andreas Lambrou’s goal was to produce a new book of handy format, excellent color reproduction and at an affordable retail price. At the same time, bring the history and models up to date. This was accomplished by fragmenting the large book (Fountain Pens of the World) into a trilogy and producing a new book for each part.

The first volume of the set encompasses the USA and the UK. The second will cover Europe and the third will document the Far East and Japan. Lambrou’s reasoning for grouping together the USA and the UK is due to the common qualities and interests: language, background, reciprocal arrangements and of course UK pen manufacturers followed closely in the footsteps of the USA makers. Parker and Sheaffer had their first operations outside North America in the UK and then in other parts of the world.

The best possible reproduction is obtained by treating each pen as an individual color plate. The reproduction and faithfulness of the 540 color plates has broken new ground. Again, Lambrou has set a new precedent and supremacy of quality for books on the fountain pen and its industry.

All the period advertisements appear in duo-tone, which enhances their impact.

Lenya Lambrou, famous for producing all the pen drawings for Lambrou’s previous two books has also been working on Fountain Pens -- USA and UK. With the illustration of 60 line drawings, she has successfully tackled the representation of fine intricate metal work on the very early pens and with the more recent pens, she illustrates them with the cap on and off to show more detail.

Perhaps one of the strongest features of the new book is its composition and layout. The text runs only 9.6 cm wide and it is easy to follow. The type face has been improved in an attempt to give a feeling of fluidity and power. The quality paper used enhances the text and color plates. Since the pens are individual plates, they have been placed very close to the referring text.

Every page has at least one color image. Each pen is represented life size and the new work is an art book rather than just a text book. The reader not only has access to information and photographs, but undoubtedly will enjoy leafing through every single page. Whether the pens are shown individually or as a duet, their beauty and detail shines through.

With a retail price of just $75, this book has set new standards on presentation, attention to detail and quality of photography. It is Andreas Lambrou’s plan to continue this philosophy with the next two volumes.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Philip Wilson Publishers (October 31, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0856675326
• ISBN-13: 978-0856675324
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,833,596 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Andy Lambrou's newest authoritative guide, December 24, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" (Brentwood, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fountain Pens : United States of America and United Kingdom (Hardcover)

For the novice and experienced collector both, this book is Andy's finest yet. By dividing out the US and UK manufacturers, this book provides even greater detail and scale images, as well as historical reference of vintage and modern pens from all of the significant pen makers of the last 100 years. The images (both photos and line images) are the best available to-date, and an invaluable reference to the serious collector.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fountain Pens - U.S. and U.K., July 13, 2001

By 

J.P. Foley (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fountain Pens : United States of America and United Kingdom (Hardcover)

This and other Lambrou books have been described as invaluable references for the collector. I agree, for the most part. The photos and line drawings in this volume are excellent and the text gives detailed history of each manufacturer's models and variations within models. What is missing is a value guide for the pens listed. I'm sure the most serious collectors find such information unnecesary, but I believe that newer or more casual collectors would find pricing benchmarks useful as they muddle through eBay and other auction sites.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative But Not Magical, February 17, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Fountain Pens : United States of America and United Kingdom (Hardcover)

Andreas Lambrou has once again produced an authoritative text on fountain pens. It is relatively comprehensive and has spectacluar photographs and line drawings. This is an excellent guide to learn the history of fountain pens and to identify fountain pens. While there can be no doubt that Mr. Lambrou cares very much about fountain pens, this does not come through in his prose style. Writing is straightforward and clear, but does not connect fountain pens to social history, industrial design, or the just plain joy of writing. Inclusion of several pages on the work of Classic Pens, Mr. Lambrou's own firm, which are of limited interest is a questionable decision.