I am what some consider me to be: a "stylophile" and have been since I was very young. My love affair with the fountain pen began when I was eleven. On my way to school each day, I routinely passed by a string of stores, and at the very last row of stores was a jewellery store. After weeks of passing this jewellery store, a sign in the window attracted my attention: "Going out of Bussiness," it read; for days, I walked by the display window of the jewellery shop showcasing a fanfare of beautiful fountain pens in the middle of the display. That afternoon, with ample trepidation, I, an eleven-year-old child, mustered enough courage to enter the world of adult shopping and earnestly enquire about the price of the pens. I remember the jeweller treated me respectfully and quoted me the pen's price; each maintained value at the same price. I thanked him, and as I left the store, I knew I was returning tomorrow to purchase this marvel of scriptorial engineering. I knew I had saved enough of my allowance to buy at least one pen. The pen I had obsessed over had a silver cap with a light blue body. The next day, at home from school, I bought my first fountain pen, a Sheaffer, for $l.25. Since the pen did not come with a box, I coddled it all the home for fear of losing or breaking it. It arrived (as well as I) in one piece. Sadly, I could not immediately write with my new-found treasure since the pen did not come with ink, unlike the HPLHS Edition of the Peaslee pen that does include an ink cartridge beginning your foray into fountain pens, whether a novice or seasoned enthusiast. I was just a kid; I didn't know about inks, but I learned and soon supplied my pen with Sheaffer brand blue ink cartridges. My world of writing changed in those precious days of self-discovery: I still have that pen.
In high school, I submitted all my essays written in fountain pen. I had developed the attitude that if I genuinely cared about something or someone, I would deliver my correspondence by fountain pen; otherwise, ballpoint would suffice. Guilty confession: I still do that! Using a fountain pen became the apotheosis of my writing; it was a form of art to me. When I wrote with flowing live ink, I concentrated intensely on my handwriting style, the choice of words, and the tempo of pen on paper. After all these years, I still adhere to these principles. Carrying a fountain pen became as natural as wearing a watch, pocketing a wallet, and wearing socks: it became an extension of my arm and defined who I was.
My affection for fountain pens transitioned with me into my university years. As a student with limited funds, I chose a Parker 45—a modest, affordable pen. It did the job quite well. My son, wishing to emulate his father, requested my Parker 45, which he used throughout high school until, after many years of use, the pen gave up and sadly was retired from daily use. To this day, my son has inherited the same love of fountain pens as I, and we often talk pens and occasionally gift each other these rare enduring writing instruments from our past. Granted that with modern techniques and materials, fountain pens have made a resurgence. Many fine, outstanding companies offer quality pens (such as)the Peaslee Edition fountain pens at affordable prices.
