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The Pen: A Human History
“A rich history” (Esquire UK) of writing, thought, and culture through the story of the pen and its integral role in shaping our lives into the twenty-first century—from New York Times bestselling author Simon Garfield
“A paean to the pen—glorious and golden.”—Emma Thompson, two-time Academy Award-winning actor and writer
The pen has been with us for millennia. Many beloved authors had their preferred instruments—Jane Austen and Dickens wrote their novels with hundreds of quills, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Graham Greene favored a Parker Duofold, Ernest Hemingway used both a Montblanc and a Montegrappa, and Stephen King calls his Waterman Hemisphere ‘the world’s finest word processor.’ It was the pen that signed the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the agreements at the Yalta Conference. The history of the pen is the history of civilization; the technology of intellect itself. Within the mechanics of ink chambers, springs, and ballpoint tips lies the history of ideas—from the faintest notion to the wildest invention—and of the oldest tangible connection between an individual mind and anyone in the world who can read its creations.
In this expansive history, beloved author Simon Garfield delivers an enthralling look at society through the evolution of our favorite writing tool. Garfield takes readers on a trek across time and place, from the home of the calamus reed pens along the banks of the Nile in the fourth century BC; to the factory floor at Montblanc and Bic; to the Apple Pencils we use today. We meet the pioneers behind various iterations of the pen, such as Joseph Priestley, who was among the first to affix a steel tip to a quill in 1780; Bartholomew Folsch, who created the early reservoir pen in 1809; and Milton Reynolds, who introduced the world to the first (and very leaky) ballpoint pen.
Written with Garfield’s unique narrative flair and drawing on a wealth of historical research and original interviews, The Pen makes a case for why this most important instrument is an indelible marker of our shared culture and how it continues to shape the way we live in the digital age.
“A paean to the pen—glorious and golden.”—Emma Thompson, two-time Academy Award-winning actor and writer
The pen has been with us for millennia. Many beloved authors had their preferred instruments—Jane Austen and Dickens wrote their novels with hundreds of quills, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Graham Greene favored a Parker Duofold, Ernest Hemingway used both a Montblanc and a Montegrappa, and Stephen King calls his Waterman Hemisphere ‘the world’s finest word processor.’ It was the pen that signed the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the agreements at the Yalta Conference. The history of the pen is the history of civilization; the technology of intellect itself. Within the mechanics of ink chambers, springs, and ballpoint tips lies the history of ideas—from the faintest notion to the wildest invention—and of the oldest tangible connection between an individual mind and anyone in the world who can read its creations.
In this expansive history, beloved author Simon Garfield delivers an enthralling look at society through the evolution of our favorite writing tool. Garfield takes readers on a trek across time and place, from the home of the calamus reed pens along the banks of the Nile in the fourth century BC; to the factory floor at Montblanc and Bic; to the Apple Pencils we use today. We meet the pioneers behind various iterations of the pen, such as Joseph Priestley, who was among the first to affix a steel tip to a quill in 1780; Bartholomew Folsch, who created the early reservoir pen in 1809; and Milton Reynolds, who introduced the world to the first (and very leaky) ballpoint pen.
Written with Garfield’s unique narrative flair and drawing on a wealth of historical research and original interviews, The Pen makes a case for why this most important instrument is an indelible marker of our shared culture and how it continues to shape the way we live in the digital age.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication November 3, 2026
About the author
Simon Garfield
34 books355 followersSimon Garfield is a British journalist and non-fiction author. He was educated at the independent University College School in Hampstead, London, and the London School of Economics, where he was the Executive Editor of The Beaver. He also regularly writes for The Observer newspaper.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Goodreads Giveaways
Full disclosure: I won a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Damn you, Simon Garfield! Now I want a Montblanc. As if I didn't already have enough expensive hobbies …
So. A book about pens. The book isn't a history so much as an appreciation. Sure, we get the beginnings. He touches on the quill, the stylus, the eventual development of the ballpoint … there's certainly some history within these pages. But there are also chapters on some of the more outlandish products aimed at the collectors market–and the cultivation of said market as a means of survival for most pen companies still in existence–and the use of pens in James Bond movies and the like. The book is as much concerned with the romantic idea of pens as it is with the actual instruments.
There's even a brief chapter on the pens used in creating the book.
Surprisingly, in this digital age, there are still folks who seek out and use fountain pens, and not just because they're interested in learning calligraphy. Sure, there are collectors, but there are also people who just want to put actual pen to paper, as a way of connecting more personally with their writing or drawing. Hearing the scratch on paper, the realization that what they put down matters because it can't be revised with the click of a button, the sheer personality of handwriting versus digital fonts …
In the end, the pen survives. Ballpoints–and later, computers–took a heavy toll, but the pen is still with us, and not merely as a luxury status symbol.
Garfield's prose is engrossing, even seductive. The book is much more readable and interesting than you'd expect--certainly more so than I expected, at least. It may instill in you the desire to own a really good fountain pen. Whether that's good or bad depends on you. Highly recommended!
Damn you, Simon Garfield! Now I want a Montblanc. As if I didn't already have enough expensive hobbies …
So. A book about pens. The book isn't a history so much as an appreciation. Sure, we get the beginnings. He touches on the quill, the stylus, the eventual development of the ballpoint … there's certainly some history within these pages. But there are also chapters on some of the more outlandish products aimed at the collectors market–and the cultivation of said market as a means of survival for most pen companies still in existence–and the use of pens in James Bond movies and the like. The book is as much concerned with the romantic idea of pens as it is with the actual instruments.
There's even a brief chapter on the pens used in creating the book.
Surprisingly, in this digital age, there are still folks who seek out and use fountain pens, and not just because they're interested in learning calligraphy. Sure, there are collectors, but there are also people who just want to put actual pen to paper, as a way of connecting more personally with their writing or drawing. Hearing the scratch on paper, the realization that what they put down matters because it can't be revised with the click of a button, the sheer personality of handwriting versus digital fonts …
In the end, the pen survives. Ballpoints–and later, computers–took a heavy toll, but the pen is still with us, and not merely as a luxury status symbol.
Garfield's prose is engrossing, even seductive. The book is much more readable and interesting than you'd expect--certainly more so than I expected, at least. It may instill in you the desire to own a really good fountain pen. Whether that's good or bad depends on you. Highly recommended!
September 18, 2026
2.5 stars.
The book was fun to read in sections - mention of the London pen show for example, or McNally Jackson.
But it had a lot of dull bits as well. An excessive focus on those awfully dull Montblanc pens. Not a single mention of Leonardo..
Sure, I pretty much read all 300 pages in a single weekend, and reading about stationary is lots of fun. But even.Diamine or Iroshizuku ink fails to get any kind of mention. That’s a big oversight.
Onward to reading the next fun book
The book was fun to read in sections - mention of the London pen show for example, or McNally Jackson.
But it had a lot of dull bits as well. An excessive focus on those awfully dull Montblanc pens. Not a single mention of Leonardo..
Sure, I pretty much read all 300 pages in a single weekend, and reading about stationary is lots of fun. But even.Diamine or Iroshizuku ink fails to get any kind of mention. That’s a big oversight.
Onward to reading the next fun book
October 27, 2026
A great little book, written with the personal perspective that you expect from Garfield. It gives a nice short history plus a perspective on the collecting and modern users. But it’s a good read for anyone with even a passing interest.
As someone who uses a fountain pen daily, a copper Kaweko Lilliput, I appreciated finding out what different authors and other people used, but also some of the lost brands and models.
Heartily recommend.
As someone who uses a fountain pen daily, a copper Kaweko Lilliput, I appreciated finding out what different authors and other people used, but also some of the lost brands and models.
Heartily recommend.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I enjoyed this book. Simon Garfield takes a mundane topic and makes it interesting in this informative, well-paced book. Garfield even makes information I'm not normally interested in, like literature, interesting. I liked the conversational tone and the clever wording. Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown for the advance reader copy.
November 3, 2026
A treat for pen obsessives and a fascinating primer for the pen-curious (like me). Loved the travel writing portions in Germany, England, France and Italy. Favorite part was the exploration of fountain pens in pop culture, campus novels and spy movies in particular. More for BookPage: https://www.bookpage.com/reviews/pen-...
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October 13, 2026A very interesting and entertaining history of the pen, principally the fountain pen but with references to the quill, dip pen and ballpoint. Written in Simon Garfield's easy going style.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews