I'm just curious ... was looking up for something in "An Illustrated
Fountain Pen History" by Cliff and Judy Lawrence and noticed Paul Wirt's ad
from December 1889 where they used Mark Twain senntence wrote in Harper's
Magazine, to promote their pens.
The sentence in the ad is: "An absolutely perfect reservoir pen, a pen
compared with which all other pens are frank failures. Mark Twain".
Bacause Mark Twain is mostly known as an enthusiast of Conklin Crescent pens
I wonder if till this 'Conklin time' his opinions about fountain pens was
used by any other manufacturer. We know it was Paul Wirt but any other else?

And ... I think it might be also intresting, the list, who from 'the
greatest of this world' use which fountain pen" at all. I know:
- Eisenhower - Parker 51
- Julian Tuwim (great polish poet) - Parker Vacumatic (grey striated)
- Joseph Conrad (aka Korzeniowski) - Parker Duofold Senior (black)
- Mark Twain - Paul Wirt, Conklin Crescent

I would love to hear of another ...

Have a great day,
Marta

I assume you're talking about famous people and the fountain pens they used?

Gen. D. McArthur - US. Army - Parker Duofold 'Big Red'.
Sir. A. Conan-Doyle - British fiction-writer - Parker Duofold 'Big Red'.

Not sure of any others...

I myself find it a very interesting question and am sorry to see only one contribution so far.

On the other hand I myself cannot contribute with any substantial answer - apart from three names:

Walt Disney is said to have black Sheaffer's balance in his writing desk (that is why Sheaffer produced the Walt Disney special edition).

Paulo Coelho propagates Montegrappa so I presume he also writes with one.

And according to John Mottishaw's writer's page Art Spiegelman (creator of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize winning memoir as graphic novel Maus: A Survivor's Tale) likes "Planck" nibs that can be fitted into a Pelikan.


Perhaps pens really wasn't a topic writers and people of intellectual interest were boosting about. I can only remember a few comments on a skipping pen or a horrible point in various diaries and memoirs. Stendhal often complained about the new steel nibs for being scratchy and rendering his handwriting even more horrible than usual, also Flaubert and Strindberg would not work unless they had the best pen, ink, and paper to be had - but I do not think they named names of the dip pens they were using on regular basis... But I cannot recall anybody from the later writer mentioning something like: "I got myself a new Waterman 15 psf and it is just the right pen". Pitty...

Regards, Zed

H. P. Lovecraft (an American writer of weird fiction) wrote with a Waterman - I think there was a VERY long, well-researched thread on him on FPN.

... and Mussolini wrote with that converter fill pen that's for sale by Mr. Benz on the 'Bay! Or not...

Einstein apparently used a Pelikan during the 1930's. His work on the two theories of relativity was done and the papers were written using a Waterman.

One time someone asked Einstein, "Where do you do your work? Where is your laboratory?" and he replied by pointing to his fountain pen.

In fact there seems to be a fair amount of information on which pen was used by one or another famous writer. We have some reason to believe Patrick O'Brian used a Parker 21, and I suspect that this was not a Super 21. At the time he would have bought that pen, he and his wife were quite poor, and it makes sense that he would have bought a 21 rather than one of the more expensive Parkers.

I have read repeatedly that Neil Gaiman writes with a Lamy 2000. Also, I think, some other particular pen. But I do remember from many net postings the Lamy 2000.

R. K. Narayan, an Indian writer very dear to me when I was younger, used what I think from general internal evidence (allusions in a book of autobiographical essays) was a Parker 51 with gold-filled cap. Whether a Vac or an Aero I would not venture to guess.

I don't mean to be dogmatic about these statements, and welcome amplification or correction.

Hi All,

A fairly well-known 1950s Sheaffer Snorkel ad featured endorsements by three celebrated cartoonists: Al Capp, Walt Kelly and Milton Caniff:

Click to view attachment

Cheers,

Jon

And then, of course, there is the famous story about Hemingway in Italy during WWI. It is said that while driving ambulances in Veneto, the region where the war front was, he was using some local fountain pen made by a small company, ELMO, later renamed Montegrappa.
Montegrappa even has a big image of the American writer at the entrance of their premises:

Click to view attachment

I don't know if the story is true, but I am afraid there is no proof on that. And anyway, Elmo did not made his own "complete" FP until after the WWI. But it could have been some ELMO artifact since the shop was already there (from 1912).

Regards,

I believe Churchill used a Conway Stewart.

I just remembered reading on David Nishimura's page that it were reportedly Conway Stewart's stylos that Churchill used throughout the Second World War (see http://www.vintagepens.com/stylos.shtml).

Regards Zed.

Well, Chiang Kai-Shek used a Parker - I am not sure which model he favored. His wife was the second woman to ever speak in the US Congress, and she brought Parker 51's back to China as gifts for her friends and family.

Click to view attachment

Neil Gaiman uses the Lamy 2000...

Nenad

Mitterand used a green man 100 patrician
Sarkozy uses a 149

Really..... then why is he featured in MontBlanc advertising literature holding a MB ? Maybe he was awaiting the return of his Pelikan from a nib tuner eh

Thank you (all of you) very much. I have also posted this subject on Zoss list ... here is some interesting additions:

from Nick:
Some French intellectuals- authors also liked and used American pens.
I the book "Un Amour de Stylo" by Gueno. Lussato and Tatsuno- Musee de la
Poste 1995 one can find a few interesting photos and quotes. For
instance....

ANDRE MALRAUX (1901-76)Prominent author, statesman French Minister of
Culture, who commanded the Alsace-Lorraine brigade in April 1945 is pictured
with his Parker Vacumatic while signing documents.

COLETTE (1873-1954) Legendary writer and controversial figure is pictured
using her legendary Mandarin Yellow Parker Duofold.

JULES ROMAINS ( Louis Henri Jean Farigoule) 1885-1972 Poet and writer
founder of Unanism appears to be writing with a fountain pen as is
PAUL VALERY- 1871-1945, poet essayist and philosopher who also seems to be
writing with either a large Waterman or a Swan? (not sure)

I prefer the non-conformists who were OFF "brand people" like

THOMAS MANN (1875-1955) German turned Check who moved to US 1939 becoming US
citizen. Grand novelist, social critic and Literature Nobel Laureate who
said
"I require totally smooth white paper, fluid ink, and a new nib (pen) that
glides easily on the paper. External interruptions become
internalized"...... and
Michel FOURNIER Contemporary French author, cinematographer and adventurer
who says
"I write with my hand, and I hold a pen that I fill from an inkwell.
I love the smell that comes off from the inkwell. Writing with a cartridge
pen is sterile".......

from Glenn:
Conan Doyle died in 1930 so he must have used the big red for just the
last few years of his life. He probably was paid by Parker to endorce it.
One imagines he wrote with several pens over his lifetime and since most of
his Sherlock Holmes stories were written in the late 19th century, I suspect
he used a lot of dip pens.

I know, L.M. Montgomery who wrote all the 'Anne of Green Gables'
stories during the same time period used mostly dip pens. In one of her
journal diary entries she talks about her love of the new ball points. She
can write so much faster and smoothly with it she says.
During a discussion I had with some eminate L.M.M. scholars ,I suggested
that since she made this ball point reference in an early 20th century
journal entry ,she was not referring to the same type of ball points that we
talk about today. The modern ball point still had 40 years to go to be
invented . I explained that she was probably referring to irridium tipped
nibs, or rounded steel tipped nibs instead of the plain chizeled sharp steel
pens she was using before that.

I do wonder what brand of ball point tipped pens she used. I would be
willing to bet she was a Waterman or Sheaffer type of person.?

..........

from me

Friedrich Nietzsche - Soennecken

Best regads,

Hello coffe cup,

Those are some interesting informations! But the one about Nietzsche surprises me. This is because he is famous among philosophers to be the first one to use typewriter. But then it is more than likely that he had a dip pen and inkwell lying next to the typewriter - so why not Soennecken...

Regards,

Zed

Thanks for sharing,

Regards,

D

Conan Doyle died in 1930 so he must have used the big red for just the
last few years of his life. He probably was paid by Parker to endorce it.
One imagines he wrote with several pens over his lifetime and since most of
his Sherlock Holmes stories were written in the late 19th century, I suspect
he used a lot of dip pens.

--

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle MD, lived from 1859-1930, dying at the age of 81, if I've done my maths correctly. He lived long-enough into the 20th century to have used a Duofold, which he did. I was not able to find out exactly how long he owned one, though.

I wonder what other pens he used?

And it is possible that Doyle used a typewriter for his stories as well - he mentions typewriters fairly frequently in his stories, so I'd imagine he might've used one at one point or another.