FOUNTAIN PENS - HISTORY AND DESIGN

This is an eminently readable survey of the history and design of the fountain pen. In a series of essays the reader gains an encyclopaedic insight into the social, economic and aesthetic impact that was made by these insignificant, small writing tools. The fountain pen is set squarely in the historical context of the development of writing and writing instruments from the earliest cave drawings and clay tablets to the advent of the ball-point pen and the electronic keyboard which have spelt its eventual fall from popular usage. There is considerable discussion of the technical difficulties and the solutions that were found for them.