Marcia’s post about writing implements was fascinating. She’s got quite a collection of fountain pens. Beautiful!
We got our grandson his first fountain pen not long ago and he enjoys it. I think this might be it.
Not long ago I came across an article at The Imaginative Conservative, “A Christmas Gift to Provoke Young People to Marvel Again.”
My simple suggestion for a Christmas gift to a young person is a fountain pen with beautiful ink. Perhaps it is wishful thinking to believe that those who receive so much instant gratification on their devices would embrace this soulful yet slow instrument of beauty. But who knows? They might be struck by the wonder of it all.
John Horvat, The Imaginative Conservative, December 4, 2022.
It’s a thoughtful article. Horvat contrasts the immediacy of young people’s digital worlds with the slower, more purposeful world of the fountain pen. He attends to the breath of available pens, and the all important accessories–the inks, papers, journals, planners–that make the gift so personal, again as contrasted by an “out of the box” electronic gift. He even suggests adding a book on cursive, “so that the writing might be beautiful. The fountain pen asks for this courtesy if it is to perform its art with maximum effect.”
My own comment was that a book to read–one filled with quotable lines–should also be included. The gift of a journal thus becomes a gift of a commonplace book.
Pictured, my current commonplace book and my old books journal.
Sweet. I’m guessing it’s a ‘cartridge’ pen. When he’s older, and is interested, a old fashion dip pen would be great for a history hands on experience. Does he use it?
Yes. cartridge. He did. His current interest is in chemistry, though so not much occasion for formal writing. As you know, he’s very focused. 🙂