Crowood Press (UK) Fountain Pens

This book, "Fountain Pens: A Collectors Guide should be read by every new collector of pens. It's an amazing teacher! Buying this book and The RichardsPens Guide to Fountain Pens would be a great investment for anyone who wants to learn about fountain pens. I have these two books and I am learning about fountain pens fast. They will both be my reference books for years to come, I'm sure.

Very well written book with various facets of pen information including a history of the major manufacturers.Very pleased with the purchase.

Would like to have seen more discussion of pen features and pen comparisons. Nice photos.

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.