Fountain Pens (Crowood Collectors')

This book "Fountain Pens", originally published in 2009, is written by one of the UK's most respected names in the field, as was his father before him who was the source of much of his accumulated knowledge. Gaining experience within Parker's UK factory, mother, father and son spent much of their working lives with that Company. Arthur, the father had created his own Fountain Pen Museum that was later passed to his son and gained knowledge across a far broader spectrum of brands.Fully up-to-date when written but less now, the contents are still completely relevant and valuable. The book is not just naked historical information but shows how the pens developed and includes valuable information about how various models and designs actually work. The book is illustrated beginning to end with photographs, many from the Museum's exhibits, and illustrations. There are listings of some of the major brands, mostly European and American but others from the Orient, and some of the models they produced but it is far from comprehensive; that is not a criticism as there are hundreds of now defunct brands from Europe alone and probably at least as many from the USA!Also offered is advice about care and maintenance, something that many users clearly either never understood or practised as is often demonstrated whenever a used model is purchased other than from a specialist retailer who may restore them, for example via live auctions, or eBay and similar sites; they may be unusable as ink dried-out over many years, possibly decades, clogs or corrodes working parts that may need to be replaced - it is a surprisingly common experience. Cleaning and repairing them is a task best left to the experts although an experienced user may be able to resolve the simpler problems.With a lifetime's worth of knowledge available to its author, the book includes only a small proportion but there is plenty here for those with an interest. Once all but forgotten other than by a few, fountain pens are seeing a strong resurgence in popularity and the number of users is steadily rising as is the number of specialist dealers. Collectors, even in the UK alone, probably number into the tens of thousands. The book is not just for the collector but could inform and educate a much broader audience.

Although this book was first published in 2009, there has been no book that is more up-to-date and informative as this one. By means of diagrams and photographs, Twydle explains all the parts of a fountain pen, clearly and comprehensively. He is clearly knowledgeable and has been a pen collector for a long time. He has a good description of the major manufacturers and their history. Some of the models he included are relatively modern, such as Pelikan's 'Caelum' and Waterman's 'Serenity'. Those who have collected pens for longer than these will enjoy some of the old advertisements such as that of Sheaffer's to experience some nostalgia. Most importantly, for the novice, Twydle shares his experience in a section on how to build your pen collection.

Wonderfully detailed book on fountain pens. It's written well. A good read and a reference book. Good for those that are new to fountain pens as well as fountain pen enthusiasts.

well done peter twydle very informative easy to read .very interesting man it will keep your interest fresh thank you.

This is a beautifully illustrated book full of colour pictures of all brands and vintages of fountain pen. A large section of the book covers the various manufacturers, but there are also sections about the history of the fountain pen, how it works, building a collection etc.A gorgeous, informative book which I've spent too much time poring over.

I was put off buying this book for it's alleged superficiality , I shouldn't have been , its not superficial to me. Tells me all I really want to know in collecting and keeping vintage pens. I particularly like the quality of the paper and print , and the many reproduced coloured adverts.Great value.

A very interesting book, very useful for the pen collector who is just starting out and I expect for experts too.

I bought this book as I'd just started buying and using vintage fountain pens. My favored period is 1920s and 30's. Unfortunately this book has limited information on pens from that period and most of the book concentrates on later pens. Not perfect for my purposes, but interesting all the same.