Pen World v27.4

The Universe of Writing Culture

go for the BOLD

Metallic Vanishing Point by Pilot Montblanc始s new

Meisterst眉ck celebrates a milestone you voted!

Readers始 Choice winners revealed

JUNE 2014 $6.95US $7.95CAN

0

74851 08282

06

9

E

X

P R E S S

YOUR IDEAS

with the New Apogee Limited Time Finishes

Inspiration Starts At C RO SS .CO M

More Ideas. Guaranteed.

t h e

a l l

n e w

m e t a l l i c

c o l l e c t i o n

Five high-energy ďŹ nishes with rich black accents and black, ion-coated 18-karat gold nib.

www.pilotpen.us

JUNE

VOLUME 27, NUMBER 4 ON OUR COVER: Vanishing Point Metallics

by Pilot

52 not-so-shy violet

Pilot jazzes up the Vanishing Point with bold metallic finishes and adds to its maki-e Yukari collection.

29

29 the suspense is over!

Presenting the winners of the 2014 PW Readers’ Choice Awards.

36

36 devoted to paper

Paper and papermaking take center stage at the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum.

40 note worthy

Thornwillow Press makes paper—and books—that are meant to last.

44 sweet as sugar

Franklin-Christoph’s new ink-friendly notepads are made of sugarcane!

48 power of the pen

A new exhibit at the National Archives is fun for the whole family.

56 romancing the Rosetta Stone An Egyptian stele inspires American pen designer David Oscarson.

59

ninety years young

52

Montblanc celebrates its flagship pen with a 90th Anniversary Meisterstück.

62 fit for a poet

Omas honors the Bard of Avon with a pen on the 450th anniversary of his birth.

48

68 sensational celluloid

Part II in our series on pen materials: Good-bye, hard rubber; hello, celluloid!

72 right on the button

59

Get to know the button-filler— popularized but (surprise!) not invented by Parker.

68

16

departments WHAT’S HOT NOW

06 view

raising awareness

08 mail

our readers speak

10 news 16 now 26 date

people, places and events

new pens and other products

mark your calendar

65

32 note 34 getting started 65 shop 76 network 78 source

handwriting for self-improvement

note writing

Anderson Pens

classified advertising

guide to products and services

80 imho

color me delighted

10

10 2

16

16

view

Body Parts

nib is the heart of a pen. Ink is its blood. What, then, is paper?

Skin, of course. (And once upon a time, that was literally true, as parchment and vellum were made from animal skins.) Paper is almost as variable as human skin—some smooth and some less so; some opaque and some translucent; and all of it in a nearinfinite variety of beautiful colors. We’re in love with paper, and we’ve devoted some extra coverage to it in this issue as we do every year at this time.

Jil McIntosh and Julian H. Kreeger focus on the papers of two very different brands: Franklin-Christoph’s new proprietary notebooks with paper made from sugarcane, and Thornwillow Press’s exquisite handmade books and fine papers. Deborah Basel takes you along on her visit to the wonderful Robert C. Williams Paper Museum in Atlanta, and we explore a new exhibit—Making Their Mark: Stories through Signatures—at the National Archives Museum in Washington, D.C. Both are great travel destinations for the entire family.

And of course, we have pens, starting with the ever-popular Pilot Vanishing Point seen on our cover in a veritable rainbow of brilliant metallic

A

shades. Find out how Omas’s new Shakespeare pen pays homage to the Bard of Avon while also benefiting the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, learn the secrets of David Oscarson’s new Rosetta Stone pen and celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the Meisterstück with Montblanc, all in this issue.

Of course, no issue of PW would be complete without a shopping trip, and this time we take you to Anderson Pens, a new brick-and-mortar pen shop that arose from an online business. Richard Binder and Paul Erano carry on their respective series on fountain pen filling systems and materials. And don’t forget to check out our annual Readers’ Choice Award winners.

All of which will inspire you, we know, to pick up your pens, fill them with your favorite ink and get your thoughts down on fine paper, whether it’s made of sugarcane, stone (see our new products section!), wood or cotton. If you don’t like to think of paper as skin, think of it as clothing— the outward manifestation of your innermost thoughts.

editor@penworld.com

Pilot’s Vanishing Point goes bold.

Now

BY NICKY PESSAROFF

You

See It ith Pilot/Namiki, it’s never a question of quality; the venerable Japanese pen company is renowned for its technical expertise and consistent performance.

Instead, a new Pilot release is more about the intended audience. With the last Vanishing Point, Pilot celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the pen and the ninety-fifth anniversary of the company with a luxurious limited edition Vanishing Point in wood.

Now, Pilot has a new Vanishing Point for those looking for everyday writers, along with three new additions to its long-lived and highly collectible Yukari collection of maki-e pens.

W

52

When Pilot introduced the Vanishing Point—better known as the Pilot Capless in other parts of the world—it was not the world’s first retractable nib, but it did revolutionize the concept. The original 1963 pen featured a complex inner mechanism with an airtight trap door, which prevented the pen from leaking or drying out. With a few exceptions over the years, the Vanishing Point uses a push-button mechanism to activate and retract the nib. Since there is no cap, the clip is reversed, beginning at the nib end and hugging that end of the barrel so that it remains in the nib-up

Vanishing Point metalic finishes pilotpen.us/PilotFineWriting

position when carried in a pocket, just like any other fountain pen.

Although it looks upside down when writing, Vanishing Point fans attest that, after the initial adjustment, using the clip as a guide while writing can even improve penmanship and ink flow.

Vanishing Point nibs disappear completely into the pen upon retraction and are composed of 18 karat gold.

With three available nib finishes— yellow gold, rhodium plating and black ion coating—Pilot ensures that even the nibs coordinate with Vanishing Point’s finishes.

“The Vanishing Point has gone through many changes in its fifty-year history,” says John Lane, general manager of the Fine Writing division of Pilot Pens USA. “There are twentyfour pieces in a Vanishing Point, and its uniqueness is that there is no cap and no leaking due to a door that seals the nib. All nibs are interchangeable.”

However, if Vanishing Point were merely a technical marvel, its relevance might have faded through the

years. Fortunately, Pilot pays as much attention to the aesthetics as the technical precision. The original Pilot Capless was a thin aluminum number with gold accents. Since then, Pilot has added an elongated clip, a push-button mechanism and a more robust body.

Composition has morphed from the original aluminum to a gold-plated version to stainless steel and plastic to today’s metal bodies. Styles and finish options have been just as varied.

Now, Pilot adds to the Vanishing Point line with vibrant metallic colors at median prices. Containing all of the Vanishing Point line’s bells and whistles, the new arrivals retail at US $175 and feature five bold colors: mountain blue, valley green, tropical purple, copper red and desert orange.

Lane, in his twenty-sixth year with Pilot, summarizes: “They’re unique, and they’ll appeal to a whole new younger crowd.”

The black matte accents enhance the pen’s urban, androgynous look, and the black ion coating on the 18 karat gold nib completes the package.

53

From top—Yukari Herb Decoration (Kusu-dama); Pine Needles (Matsu-ba) Opposite—Rock Garden (Seki-tei) MSRP: $1,376

This pen is appropriate in both a business meeting and a handbag, and the price point means that either a CEO or a copy editor can afford it.

The new metallic colors are an affordable piece of metallic luxury, right down to the beautiful gift box.

Those looking for a more traditional fountain pen from Pilot, don’t lose heart. Under the Namiki brand name—which is reserved for Pilot’s luxury products—the company also introduces three new Yukari maki-e writing instruments. The three new pens pay homage to Japanese customs and reverence for nature.

54

With a deep black background, accomplished through the painstaking application of layer upon layer of urushi lacquer, the pens seem to absorb light. Featuring designs created by sprinkling colored powders onto the urushi while it is still wet and sometimes with accents of fine gold leaf or mother-of-pearl, these pens are exquisite works of art.

“To be a maki-e artist is a revered position and takes years of practice,” Lane says. These pens carry a heftier price tag because of the handwork and skill involved—and the limited quantities. “[The Pilot facility in] Japan only

makes what we order. The quantities are low, as I only keep a design in the line for three years before retirement.”

Yukari Pine Needles, or Matsu-ba, pays homage to the pine tree, a symbol of longevity in Japanese culture because it keeps its needles year-round and grows tall and strong. The design depicts healthy young pine needles juxtaposed with a fan, a symbol of success. The geometric fan brings attention to the pattern in which pine needles grow, and hence, the symmetry of nature. Handcrafted in hira (flat) maki-e style, the pen is accented with mother-of-pearl.

Yukari Herb Decoration, or Kusudama, is inspired by the Japanese tradition that has the added benefit of smelling great: aromatic herbs are gathered in a beautifully decorated cotton bag and hung on a string of five-colored threads as a charm against impurity and illness. Today, they may be seen at the opening of new stores to bring good fortune. The flower decorations on the bags are intricately folded paper, using a technique that is a predecessor of today’s origami.

The flowers of the Kusu-dama pen are rendered in stark white and rich red and seem to jump from the ebony background, a perception heightened by the sprinkles of motherof-pearl, which represent the scented

herbs. Sprigs of green and yellow thread complete the togidashi (burnished) motif.

The Yukari Seki-tei honors a Japanese custom familiar to anyone who has ever seen a rock garden.

Ultra-minimalist in style, Japanese rock gardens feature just that—artfully arranged rocks and sand that mimic natural landscapes. The Seki-Tei Garden located at the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto is the most famous example.

Namiki’s own Seki-tei, done in togidashi-style maki-e, shows just how striking such a landscape can be. Swirls and waves of gold mimic the gentle sands and bring the eye’s attention to the charcoal-colored rocks nestled peacefully within.

With magnum barrels; a sturdy cap and thread; 18 karat gold nibs available in fine, medium and broad; and a stylish clip, the new additions to Namiki’s Yukari collection provide the reliability and artistry one expects from the company. Along with the new Vanishing Point metallic colors, Pilot has already managed to release something for everyone this year.

Which only begs the question: what else does Pilot have in store for the near future? On that, Lane remains mum: “No telling. Stay tuned.”

NICKY PESSAROFF is a former PW staffer who freelances from Las Cruces, New Mexico.

55

Meisterstück Crafted for New Heights Ninety years ago, Montblanc created a writing instrument that became an icon far beyond writing culture: the Montblanc Meisterstück – a symbol for the everlasting quest of achievement.

To celebrate 90 years of Meisterstück, the new Meisterstück 90 Years has red gold-plated fittings and a nib specially engraved with a commemorative “90”. Visit and shop Montblanc.com

montblanc.com

IInitio n itio The T he sslender len der b barrel arrel an and d highly hig i hly polished polished end en d pieces pieces of th thee IInitio n itio writing writiing instruments in stru ment s are expression pure are an ex pression of pu re elegance elegance and an d therefore both therefore bo th create crea atte an n eye-catcher eye- ca attcher and an d stylish s ylish accessory. st accessory. Available Ava ailablle in in Fountain Fou ntta ain Pen, Pen, Rollerball, R Rolle rball, Ballpoint Ballpoint and an d Mechanical M echan ical Pencil.

Pencil.

For F or mor m moree iinformation nforma attion an and d a list liist of ou our ra authorized uthorized dealers deallers please please visit visit www.graf-von-faber-castell.com w w w.graf--von-ffa aber- castell.com &&ABER #ASTELL 53! s 4EL s WWW FABERCASTELL COM ABE A R #ASTELL 53! s 4EL s W W W FFA ABERCASTELL COM M

www.laban.com

Est. 1968 Genève Suisse

7137 E. STETSON DRIVE #7, SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85251 480-947-2136 WWW.SCOTTSDALEPEN.COM

Fine Pens, Accessories, Books, Corporate Gifts, Inks, Engraving, Refills, Repairs, Tools, & Calligraphy Please call

800-253-PENS or visit WWW .F OUNTAIN P EN H OSPITAL . COM and request our free 92-page catalog.

FountainPenHospital.com/Ink

800-253-PENS 10 Warren Street New York, NY 10007 www.FountainPenHospital.com

Fine Writing Instruments Wednesday June 11, 10am San Francisco Preview June 6-8 +1 (415) 503 3255 pens.us@bonhams.com Montegrappa: Dragon Mediterranean Blue Celluloid and 18K Yellow Gold with Blue Sapphires Fountain Pen: Unique Artist’s Proof $35,000 - 55,000 Montegrappa: Dragon 18K Yellow Gold and White Diamonds Fountain Pen: Artist’s Proof (one of two) $30,000 - 50,000 Montegrappa: Dragon 18K Yellow Gold and White Diamonds Ink Pot: Unique Artist’s Proof $40,000 - 60,000

International Auctioneers and Appraisers – bonhams.com/pens ©2014 Bonhams & Butterfields Auctioneers Corp. All rights reserved. Bond No. 57BSBGL0808

network WWW.PEN-SITE.COM Online since 1999

Buy and sell vintage and new pens

The Ink Flow

TM

Fine Pen Retailers

COLLECTIONS ACME ANCORA AURORA BEXLEY CARAN d’ACHE COLIBRI CONWAY STEWART CROSS

Specializing in Dunhill Namiki & Maki-e/Lacquer Pens Vintage and Modern David E. Ushkow dave@pen-site.com • 011.516.528.7367

HOME

ORDER INFO

We make writing an enjoyable experience TRACKING

LINKS

CONTACT

F. A. Q.

CART

www.theinkflow.com FinePens@TheInkFlow.com 210.493.6135 Description

Retail

Yo u r P r i c e

Buy Option

S. T. Dupont Shanghai Limited $2990.00 Edition fountain pen

Click the buy button

Buy

S. T. Dupont Place Vendome L. Edition fountain pen 481047

Click the buy button

Buy

S. T. Dupont Place Vendome Limited Edition Roller pen 482 047

Click the buy button

Buy

Click the

Buy

. T. Dupont Samourai Limited.

$2500 00

San Francisco Pen Show August 22-24, 2014 Sofitel San Francisco Bay 223 Twin Dolphin Dr., Redwood City, CA 94065 Sponsored by

Public Show: Saturday 10–6 • Sunday 10–5 New and vintage pens and accessories Repairs • Appraisals • Seminars

Pen World 1988-2014 WORLD

Order back issues of Pen World.

PEN

Buy issues featuring your favorite pens.

Only $9.95 per issue plus S&H.

actor, director, pen designer

Sylvester Stallone wreaks Chaos for Montegrappa

PWʼs Annual Fall Preview

writes our world

Rare issues are $15.95 each plus S&H. Discounts for orders of 10-plus copies.

Admission $10/day • $15/2 days • Under age 12 free Friday, August 22: Traders only Weekend trader rate: $60

Reserve $129 hotel rate by 7/31: 650.598.9000 Show contact: Syd Saperstein sfpenshow@gmail.com

OCTOBER 2011 $6.95US $7.95CAN

0

74851 08282

10

9

To order:

email info@penworld.com • online at penworld.com

Pen World • P.O. Box 550246 • Houston,TX 77255 Phone 713.869.9997 76

sfpenshow.com

“90 YEARS OF KNOWING WHAT’S WRITE�

Fred P. Krinke PRESIDENT

Tuesday–Friday, 9-4 • Most Saturdays, 10-3 • Call to Verify 2640 S. Myrtle Ave, Unit 12 Monrovia, CA 91016

Phone: (626) 294-9974 Fax: (626) 294-0576 E-Mail: fredspen@yahoo.com

PPENTOOLING.com PENTOO ENTOOOLING.com OLING com m TM

Vintage V int i age F Fountain o ountain Pens Pen ns & Tools Tools For For o Restoring Restoring The Them em

%BMF #FFCF t "SSPZP (SBOEF $" (714) 408-7574 t XXX 1FOUPPMJOH DPN Shop at our website and email your requests to pentooling@gmail.com Presenting Eschenbach, Acculux, and other well made Illuminated Loupes

The Matchmaker Find the fountain pen that makes your writing look great!

See Susan Wirth at a pen show near you.

Susan’s Show Calendar: www.susanwirth.com/2000.htm Susan@susanwirth.com • 414.702.8442

DALLAS PEN SHOW Friday & Saturday

September 26–27 2014 Doubletree Hotel Galleria

www.dallaspenshow.com 77