Fountain Pens Past & Present (Fountain Pens Past and Present) (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "It must have been shortly after the first dip pen was put to paper that the idea of the fountain pen was born..." (more)
Key Phrases: lever filler, black chased hard rubber, precious metal overlays, United States, Golden Age, David Isaacson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This deluxe second edition has been expanded and reformatted to be almost one third larger than the first edition, a book that is already regarded as one of the most authoritative and entertaining books on the subject of pen collecting. Outlining eight major manufacturers and their classic model pens, the book is colorfully illustrated with photos and advertisements. You will find current collector values; new photographs including hundreds of additional vintage and contemporary writing instruments; new tips on buying, selling, and trading; and a new 'Collectibility Status Chart' identifying over 100 brands and models of fountain pens and their relative values. In addition, there are new sections on individual artisans and their unique creations and a revised section on contemporary manufacturers, double the size of the first edition. Discussions are included on building your collections, storage and display, refurbishing and repair, paper and inks, and valuing your pens. 2004 values. REVIEW: This book is a revised edition with current collector values and new photographs and catalog reprints. It contains valuable facts and insight from Frank Fenton himself. This book looks in-depth at the regular line production of Fenton's major patterns over four decades. It is divided alphabetically into four major chapters covering the specific patterns - Coin Dot, Crests, Hobnail, and Spiral Optic. Each chapter is also divided into the various colors in which the pattern was produced.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 287 pages
• Publisher: Collector Books; 2 edition (May 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574323857
• ISBN-13: 978-1574323856
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #249,131 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal beginners handbook, December 9, 2000

By	einv (mid-MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fountain Pens: Past & Present (Fountain Pens Past & Present) (Hardcover)

This book is not your usual coffee table book that elicits a sigh of possessiveness or, at best, a hope to one day procure the impossibly difficult to find pens, not to say unaffordable! I like Erano's book because it gives one the WORKS-- it tells us how to BECOME and flourish as fountain pen collectors. Of course, it does pay a good deal of attention to the zoological aspect of the hobby (or should I say passion), classifies pens and so forth, but to me the chief value of the book lies in its reality aspect, it gives us tips to be realistic collectors of any age or income group, and not just the snotty set looking for a psychological backup for their already rich and varied collection. In these days of online auctions (ebay and penbid come easily to mind), a book such as Erano's is not only a necessary tool (I have in mind the section on pen repair), but also a amply sufficient one. In particular, I would strongly urge you to not invest money in those highly regarded mindless "pretty pictures" books that cost about 5 to 8 times what this great book costs. I have them also, but i like Erano's the best!

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent all around book for any pen collector., April 18, 2002

By	William L. Gilstrap (Vidor, Tx USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fountain Pens: Past & Present (Fountain Pens Past & Present) (Hardcover)

This great book covers all the bases. It starts with a history of fountain pen development. This section is fairly brief but is thorough for its length. It gives a lot of interesting and necessary knowledge of how pens changed over the years. The book also covers how to collect, where to find them, storage and display, repairs, selecting a pen for use, inks, paper, and how to value pens. These sections are necessarily not encyclopedic but they do give all a person needs to get a good start with each of those subjects.

Then there is a nice, in depth discussion of the Major Manufacturers & Their Classics. This section is an excellent article about 7 of the most well known pen makers and their most successful or notable developments and pen models. It's also another look at the history of fountain pens. Of course, some people would say there should be other makers included, but I don't think anyone would say that these 7 don't belong here.

The rest and biggest part of the book is devoted to pictures of specific pens and a value for them. Most of the pictures are colored. The section is broken down into:

Early Fountain Pens
The Golden Age
The Modern Age
Contemporary Fountain Pens

The pictures are EXCELLENT! There are some representative reproductions of old fountain pen ads that give a good feel of the older pen era and also are valuable in identifying some pen models. These ad pictures are sprinkled through the book but are not overdone.

The pen prices, of course, go out of date fast but they do give an idea of the relative value of the pens. The prices are also given in retail, not street prices. This is a minor fault that is just about unavoidable in a book of this type. Prices would have to be issued at close intervals to remain current and street prices are nearly impossible to keep up with.

In my opinion, this is a classic book and the best I've seen about fountain pens. I don't see a single major fault. The quality of binding and printing is excellent also. While not a coffee table book as such and much more valuable, it could double for that if opened to the fine color pictures.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book that every pen collector should own !, August 25, 1999

By	Irvin Goodman - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fountain Pens: Past & Present (Fountain Pens Past & Present) (Hardcover)

Fascinating comprehensive pen book with over 1,200 full color sharp photos of every type of fountain pen. Includes many old ads and printed materials. Interesting articles cover important topics such as, development of the fountain pen, building a collection, where to find them, storage and display, refurbishing and repairing them, inks, major makers and much more. Pen values are provided. A delightful hardback book with colorful laminated covers. You don't have to be a pen collector to enjoy this book.