The Pen

A wry, amiable read … Garfield has a ready feel for how these ubiquitous, unremarkable items fit into human culture * * The Times * *
A paean to the pen - glorious and golden … At last, a book celebrating my most precious possession. I am so glad to better understand its history, and I shall appreciate my pen even more every time I pick it up – EMMA THOMPSON
After the wheel, the pen must be the second most important invention in human history. Or perhaps the most important: we can use a pen to describe a wheel, but we can’t use a wheel to describe a pen. The many forms of this mark-making tool, from the simplest to the most extravagantly inventive, are celebrated in Simon Garfield’s delightful book full of profound knowledge and unbounded pleasure – PHILIP PULLMAN
You used to be able to tell a keen writer by the callus on their middle finger caused by regular use of their pen. They’re rarely spotted nowadays, but anyone who has read Simon Garfield’s brilliant treasure chest of fascinating stories will be rushing out to buy a pen - and we’ll be flaunting our writer’s lump with pride – JACQUELINE WILSON
A likeable and absorbing history * * Times Literary Supplement * *
There really isn’t a topic about which Simon Garfield can’t find a lively tale to tell … From László Bíró and George Safford Parker to the exploding pens of James Bond, Garfield once again shows what a rich history there is to explore * * Esquire * *
The pen has been waiting a long time for its biographer, and in Simon Garfield it has found the perfect one. Erudite, entertaining and full of wonderful surprises, this is a book to savour - a warm, witty and engrossing celebration of one of humanity’s greatest inventions. I adored every page – SHAUN USHER
As a user and low-level pen addict, I applaud this jaunty and entertaining journey around the most low-key important invention of modern times – JEREMY DELLER
An absorbing survey of the writing implement from the ancient reed to the Apple Pencil … The Pen is the sort of book filled with facts you want to read aloud * * World of Interiors * *
Praise for Simon Garfield: ‘Digressive, gossipy, thoughtful and thoroughly entertaining * * Sunday Times * *

Simon Garfield was born in London in 1960. He is the author of an appealingly diverse and unpredictable canon of non-fiction, including the bestsellers Mauve, Just My Type and On The Map. He is a trustee of Mass Observation, and is the editor of several books of diaries from the archive, including Our Hidden Lives and A Notable Woman. His recent books include Timekeepers, In Miniature and All the Knowledge in the World. He lives in London and Cornwall.

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