What Pens Did/do Famous Writers Use?

[sandy101]

I found the full quote from E M Forster's letter to J R Ackerley (31 May 1947); "Have repaired to the Observation Car for ink, and it will not function in my Presentation Parker 51 pen, and my Parker 51 ink is checked in my grip for Chicago."

 

 

[rodia77]

12 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

@rodia77 -- A few years ago, someone on FPN (I don't remember who, offhand) took his kid to some SF con and I think that Neil Gaiman autographed some book for the kid but with the father's FP!

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

 

Thanks for the anecdote!

[kestrel]

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson collects and writes with fountain pens.  Back in 2008 he gave a lecture in Jacksonville in conjunction with his latest book and had a book signing afterwards.  As I stood in line I noticed that he was using a bright red Visconti.  When my turn came I asked him which Visconti he had and suddenly I had his full attention.  He looked at me, his eyes darted down to my shirt pocket that contained several pens, and he pointed at my shirt and asked, "Is that an Art Nouveau?"  It was and he asked to look at it.  For several minutes (maybe longer) we talked pens.  His signature pen was a red marble Kaleido Voyager (celluloid version).  He also showed me his Knight's Templar (I did NOT ask to handle that one.)  I think he was using Waterman's ink in the Voyager.  Some of the people behind me became more than a little impatient.  

I bought my first Visconti because of that meeting, a red marble acrylic Kaleido Voyager.  Florida school teachers earn a lot less money than world-famous astrophysicists.  It is still a very nice pen.

Here is a link to a youtube video where Dr. Tyson talks at length about his pens including the Visconti Knight's Templar:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_RIhl_UFSQ

 

And here is his signature written with the Voyager.

[boilermaker1975]

@kestrel Great experience and thanks for the Youtube link. 

[georges zaslavsky]

Former French president François Mitterand used exclusively a Le Man 100 Patrician in Green.

[inkstainedruth]

@kestrel I keep hoping that some day when I'm in NYC and making my (almost annual at this point) pilgrimage to Fountain Pen Hospital that I'll get to meet Neil deGrasse Tyson, because he always comes across as a really cool and really smart guy (the fact that he's an  FP user is just an added bonus...).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth