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~ On Saturday, 23 April, 2016, I went to the Montblanc boutique in the China World Trade Center in Beijing, after teaching a morning class in the Peking University School of Life Sciences. I’d been invited to what had been described as a “small VIP event”, which I mistakenly supposed would relate to the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. The event was to introduce the Rouge et Noir Special Edition Heritage pens. A waiter served superb canapés while Mozart concerti provided a pleasant musical atmosphere. A skilled calligrapher from the Beijing Calligraphy Association wrote couplets for guests. Costume props representing more than one century ago were provided for guest photos against a backdrop of the Opéra de Paris interior. I was shown two of the Peggy Guggenheim Patron of Art fountain pens. The large scale guidebook introducing the pens had images of Ms. Guggenheim with her Lhasa Apsos. An offhand remark to the highly skilled sales representative, who has sold me more than ten Montblanc pens, resulted in the purchase of the Johann Strauss Donation Pen. The ‘M’ nib in champagne gold features a stylized bat in honor of Strauss’s operetta, ‘Die Fledermaus’. The clip on the cap resembles a stringed instrument bow. The size of the pen is a good fit for my large hands, while the relatively light weight makes it an ideal pen for daily use. The design is especially attractive, contrasting well with ten other Montblanc fountain pens. After inking it with Montblanc’s Midnight Blue ink, it smoothly writes on various types of paper. Once again, Montblanc’s quality and ingenuity have pleased me. Tom K. Writing Sample Presentation Box In the Box Side-by-Side Johann Strauss Donation Pen Champagne Gold Medium Nib Die Fledermaus Nib Stringed Instrument Bow Clip