Fountain Pens: Their History and Art (Hardcover)

~ Jonathan Steinberg (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Transform your view of the handwritten word with this beautiful illustrated guide to the art of the fountain pen. In an intimate trim size perfect for giftgiving, Fountain Pens traces the history of the development of the pen from early reservoir systems to selffilling pens to modern reproductions. Lavishly illustrated, the book features more than one hundred fourcolor images, from lush photographic portraits of individual pens to rare vintage advertisements and original patent illustrations. A celebration of the pen from quill to nib, Fountain Pens will be a valued addition to the libraries of collectors and enthusiasts alike.

About the Author

Jonathan Steinberg is ainternational lawyer who is also a leading expert on fountain pens. He is the organizer of fountain pen shows in New York, Milan, and Bologna and has appeared as a collectibles expert on CNBC, NBC, BBC and is a collectibles advisor to USA Today and Forbes Magazine. He is also the author of Fountain Pens: A Collector's Guide.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Universe Publishing (November 16, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789306816
• ISBN-13: 978-0789306814
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #881,073 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I'll bet you didn't know ..., November 23, 2007

By	David A. Baer (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This handsome volume reflects the high quality standards, cantankerous spirit, and eccentrically traditionalist preferences that seem to characterize many of us who are drawn to the impractical beauty we call insist upon calling fountain pens.

An introduction and six chapters tell the story of this writing instrument, its long evolution, its demise in the twentieth century, and its rebirth as a collector's item here in our twenty-first. Five lavishly illustrated chapters meander their way from the pre-fountain-pen spectacle of rooms-full of 'inexpensive scribes' with quill in hand doing the work of a small iiterate class ('Pre-1880s: before the fountain pen', pp. 22-39) on to moderate levels of pen production ('1880-1910: early marketing efforts, pp. 40-52) to the rise of a corporate behemoth (1910-1925: competing with Sheaffer', pp. 54-85) to the fountain pen's twentieth century misfortuntes ('1930-1940: how the depression affected the market', pp. 86-107); '1945: the war: how bargain debasement nurtured the ballpoint pen', pp. 108-121) and finally to a day when--mirabile dictu--people write books about fountan pens ('The future: the rebirth of the cottage industry', pp. 122-128).

Mr. Steinberg is neither an economist or sociologist and so given to amusingly sweeping explanations of pen life: 'By the 1930s the world was in the grips of the Great Depression. The public wanted to be dazzled by technological marvels to take their minds off their economic woes. Hence the uncommon popularity of the Schneider Trophy seaplane races and the land-speed record attempts ... For fountain pen design, the Great Depression made utilitarianism and functionality the order of the day.'

However, Steinberg *is* a lover of pens and that's why he's a capable author of a coffee-table illustrated book like this one.

One closes this book with several impressions forming themselves in his brain.

First, there is the sheer technological challenge of making a pen where ink flows in the directions it's supposed to, with tolerable evenness, and a refusal to leak. This is one of those small technological adventures that culminates in something the rest of us take for granted rather than to the cleaners with ink stains around the pockets.

Then there is the sheer variety that flourishes within somewhat unbending natural limits. As with dogs, there are only so many ways and means to make a pen. Yet the plethora of canine breeds on offer has its parallel in the dazzling display of pens of which photographs, paintings, and reproduced advertisements flavor this book.

If you are so inclined, you may well find a resource that will educate your more thoroughly about fountain pens. But probably not with a more satisfactory outcome for the appreciative eye.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gift for a pen lover!, July 14, 2006

By	Jane Doe (Salt Lake City, UT) - See all my reviews

I purchased this as a Father's Day gift for my dad, who is a fountain pen addict. He loved the book and the history, but especially the pictures of the old ads for some of the classic fountain pens. He continues to talk about the book and for about $20 I found a gift that has become one of his favorites.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful volume , March 10, 2006

By	Zanada Naemzi "book lover" (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) - See all my reviews

This is a beautiful book. The covers and pages are of high quality papers. Steinberg has written a truly excellent book on history of the fountain pens. Though by no means it is comprehensive and detail but definitely more than adequate for any serious collectors as part of the essential knowledge on fountain pens. The illustrations are well laid out accompanying the story and they are simply superb. A very elegant book and suitable for both beginners and serious collectors. Even good as a gift to introduce someone to pen collecting. I simply love the book and a pleasure to read it.