the most beautiful pen review i have laid my eyes upon. congratulations, james. is manuscript the name of the company? is there only one model (different nibs excepted)?

Here is a link: Manuscript Pen Company

Thank you Dave -- here is a link to the Manuscript Web site ....

http://www.calligraphy.co.uk/results.php?category=1&page=1

great review!

thanks for sharing your beautiful handwriting with us.

if i could write half that well i would be pleased.

back to the drawing board err...... pad. <_<

all the best ,
Jason

Again, WOW!!!! Oh yeah, thanks for the good review also.

Manuscript are great.

our cheapest pen is a manuscript. Straightforward student fountain pen at £1.99- we sell loads!
It writes a lot better than some Inoxcroms and Schneiders at 3 or 4 times the price. I've got about 7 or 8 just so i can use different J Herbin ink colours.

I think I saw some for sale in either an A.C.Moore or Michaels store. If I have the opportunity to visit one or the other, I'll probably get one (or more!!)

James, thank you for the exemplar. With apologies to Robert Frost, I have miles to write before my hand begins to approach the elegance of yours.

Mr. Pickering your hand is nothing less than awe inspiring!

Based on this review, I bought a Manuscript beginners calligraphy kit yesterday at Michaels arts & crafts store for $7.99 plus tax. I'm quite charmed by the 0.85mm fine nib. So far it tolerates my writing pauses with ease, and I like the facets on the barrel. I believe this is going to be one of my favorites.

Ashland

If I had handwriting like that, I would get A+s in my Literature essays even if the content was bad

James, thanks for sharing your review; it's always a pleasure to read your handwriting. But I must thank you even more for reminding me that the price of a fountain pen doesn't have anything to do with the beauty of the handwriting. Kind regards.

James, your hand writing is just beautiful, I really enjoyed reading your review, thank you for sharing it with us.

Dawn

Great post James, but the manuscript website is an absolute pain to navigate!

Hi all,

I'm just a newbie when it comes to fountain pens, but I have had experience with Manuscript and the company has stellar service. Given the price point, quality and service I don't think you can go wrong.

(Not affiliated in any way other than a happy customer.)

-Scott

James, let me first say that I hate you, as generally I do anyone with talent that I wish I had but do not. Okay, only kidding (kinda), but I have put in more than a few hours practicing calligraphy, with much less than stellar results. Since my natural handwriting is rather jagged as opposed to flowing (e.g., pointed tops to lower case script "m"s and such), I gravitated to a non-flowing calligraphic script, namely Gothic Textura Prescisus vel sine Pedibus (there, say that ten times fast!!!), basically a hexagonal script with short, straight strokes that alleviate the need for smooth, flowing and aesthetically pleasing arcs in which you excel. Though I am resigned to calligraphic Purgatory, or perhaps even warmer climes, I do have a technical question. How do the Manuscript calligraphic pens compare to the garden variety, see-through Sheaffers (of which I have perhaps a dozen, and twice that many nibs)? Not that it would make that much difference in my case, but I have wondered about the pecking order in calligraphic nibs and such. Thanks for any enlightenment!

You'll get much better thick/thin contrast with the 0.85 mm (F) Manuscript nib than with the "garden variety" Sheaffer's calligraphy nibs. Of course you can narrow and sharpen a Sheaffer F italic, which I've done with good results. But the Manuscript pens aren't expensive, and since the nibs are so nice, you may want one.

HTH, Ann

Thanks, Ann, I guess I'll have to give the Manuscript a try. What's just one more pen on the shopping list, anyway?

I recently purchased a Manuscript fountain pen with a non-calligraphy Medium nib (folded tip - no iridium ).

So far it writes beautifully for a non-calligraphy nib. I'm just saddened at the fact that there is no tipping (which means faster wearing out)

Dear Nihontochicken,

I was checking back here to see if anyone knew of US sources for Manuscript pens, etc. -- My local Arts & Crafts shop no longer carries them.

Anyway, in the course of my check I came across your post which I missed previously -- it must have been when I became ill and stopped participating on this Forum for quite a long time.

I think your handwriting is quite good and I think your textura calligraphy is very handsome. In answer to your question regarding Manuscript versus Sheaffer ninbs -- I personally find the latter nibs noticeably thicker and stiffer than the former -- I just seem to produce better quality letterforms with Manuscript nibs.

James

Dear Rackness, southpaw, georgem, Chad234, kissing, Escribiente, Dawn, Scottish007,

Thank you all for your kind comments -- I missed them originally, probably due to me becoming ill and not participating on this Forum for quite a long time.

James

Hi James,

I just purchased my first Manusript pens over the weekend at Joann Fabrics, so you can find a limited selection there. Michael's may also carry them.

I am sorry to hear that you've been ill. I hope you are feeling better now. As a newbie to calligraphy, your work is truly inspiring. Thanks.

James, thank you for your reply, which I missed for quite some time. Turnabout fair play and all that? Sorry to learn of your illness, and hope all is well now. I will have to try some Manuscript pens (if I can stop breaking the piggy bank buying 51s and Vacs!!!).

Hello, James -- Paper & Ink Arts (www.paperinkarts.com) has a 6-nib set for $11.95. Brenda carries a deluxe set with converter for $19.95 and the cap/barrel/converter as well. John Neal (johnnealbooks.com) has the deluxe set also for $20.45 and cap/barrel/converter. As late as the spring, Plaza Art (plazaart.com) was carrying many Manuscript products, including the pens -- I haven't checked that section of my local store lately, so don't know if they continue to do so.

I'm sorry to read that you've been ill, and wanted to give you a belated thank you. This spring I was trying to decide which calligraphy fountain pen to buy, and found the Manuscript and Lamy reviews on your old Web site so helpful, as well as beautiful to look at. In fact, I passed along the link to someone in my calligraphy class who was also looking for a fountain pen.


Regarding this thread, the inclusion of a nib smaller than 1 mm and the promise of sharper contrast between thicks and thins were what led me to purchase the regular set. And the nibs do deliver nice, sharp thins. My trusty Sheaffer is dead reliable and smooth writing, but lacks that sharp contrast.

what a perfect pen to fill up with the new Galileo Manuscript Brown Ink

When my bottle arrives, the first pen to fill with that ink is my Manuscript Fountain pen

Hooray

Almost all of the local art stores have them, and I've even been tracking prices w/ an eye towards getting one for my daughter (11 years old) once she tires of the Pilot Varsity 3-pack I'd gotten her:

Michael's:
[CODE]
$24.99 Masterclass
$13.99 Artist's Pen (5 nibs)
$5.99 Italic Pen
$2.99 12 black cartridges
[CODE]

Art Depot:
$2.95 12 cartridges (available in black, blue, red, green or sepia)

Hmm, didn't write down all of the Manuscript products... probably 'cause I was planning on getting the pens at Michael's w/ a 40% off coupon.

William

Most standard international-sized converters work in them too - so you won't have to be restricted to cartridges

Dear James,
Have you tried Manuscript MUSIC nib?
I'd like to know your opinion,
Regards,
René Álvarez,
Chile.

James, beautiful hand! I'm absolutely jealous.

Actually, a Manuscript Calligraphy set is what lead me here. I started trying calligraphy and decided I wanted to get back into the joy of handwriting in general. Now, with a passion, however. ($$$)

Anyway, I highly recommend the inexpensive set to anyone. It's also a terrific gift. The first set I purchased at Michael's was less than $15 and came with 5 or 6 different nibs, a converter cartridge, and 6 ink cartridges.

After that, I went online to find more ink and nibs. At www.rexart.com I found another set called the Artist's set. It included another pen, more nibs, and more ink. You can also purchase a barrel with just a converter for less than $5. With all those nibs, it's easy to have multiple pens setting around with different inks.

Overall, the Manuscript sets are an extraordinary bargain!