The fountain pen as we know it today developed over thousands of years, from the simple stylus used for cutting marks into clay tablets, to the brush, through the reed, the quill and the steel-nib dip pen, and finally to the self-contained fountain pen. The advent of electronic communication of the written word has failed to dim the appeal of the fountain pen, and names such as Parker, Waterman and Shaeffer remain household names. "Fountain Pens" covers the complete history of the fountain pen with useful advice on how to build a collection and where best to look for fountain pens, from car boot sales to the internet. AUTHOR: Peter Twydle is the only son of the master pensmith, the late Arthur Twydle, and has been involved in selling, restoring and collecting fountain pens for over forty years. He trained in pen repair and sales with the Parker Pen Company, which had also trained both his parents. At eighteen, he took over the running of his father's shops. Peter then went on to help his father run his Pen Museum and launched the Pen Museum website, from which he began selling pens for the collector's market. Resident - East Yorkshire.

ILLUSTRATIONS: colour throughout.