I’ve been presented with a free review copy of this book. Though I am extremely grateful to receive it – I would have had to buy it anyway – those of you who have read my previous book reviews will know that I will not be influenced by that and in any case it wasn’t the authors’ intentions that I should be influenced in any way.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the book. Anyone with an interest in British pens will know of, and probably own, Stephen Hull’s previous works and Andy Russell’s volume on the Conway Stewart Dinkie. Those glorious works should make us expect that this book will be at least as good. I can assure you that it doesn’t disappoint. All sections are well and clearly written and profusely illustrated.

This isn’t the kind of book you sit down and read from cover to cover. One will dip into sections as unknown or rare pens appear. For Instance, I began by looking at The Fleet Pen and Ormiston & Glass Ltd, companies I had come across before, and, indeed, written about here. I had been unable to find much detail or context in my other reference works or on the Internet but I found both here in great quantity. The depth and breadth of the research that has gone into the work is most impressive.

I think it is also worth saying that this is a book for the desk or table. It’s a mighty tome! Including the index it is 364 pages long, printed on heavy, high quality glazed paper. I do have a couple of small, person al criticisms of the style of the book. Indeed, they’re hardly more than quibbles. The colour of the main text lacks contrast and makes reading rather demanding for someone like me with poor eyesight. The choice of a sans serif font doesn’t help that.

I was particularly interested in the British Carbon Papers pens, Rosemary and National Security. I knew that Henry Stark, Son & Hamilton was involved and I took them to be the manufacturers but it now appears that The Lang Pen Company Ltd. were making pens for both companies. The complexity of relationships between companies, and indeed families, is something that appears again and again in this book. The English pen industry appears to have been a tangle of competition and co-operation.

Another thing that leapt out from the beautiful colour illustrations (do I see Andy Russell’s hand here?) is the popularity of the stylograph. In the years up to the early twenties so many were advertised that it seemed possible that they would become the main writing instrument. Many companies produced them and famous people chose to use them. Kearney’s Red Dwarf was the market leader for a time.

I had Whytwarth pens on several occasions so they were of especial interest to me. Again, I was not to be disappointed. Like some of the Fleet pens the Whytwarth was sent out unsolicited on a “sale or return” basis. Throughout much of its history the company’s mainstay was the wonderfully-named Thirza Cahalan. As I know from experience, these were impressive pens and despite financial troubles they remained in production for many years, eventually becoming the Valentine Whytwarth.

These are a few tasters. There is so much more I could say but I’m conscious that the article is more likely to be read if I keep it brief. I haven’t mentioned the introductory pages that put early fountain pen production in context. There is a wealth of information here that will keep collectors talking for years.

The book will be on sale shortly at englishpenbooks.co.uk.