Happy Birthday, Johnny Cash!

 Yesterday was Johnny Cash's eightieth birthday, and according to my sources at Think pens, the limited edition Johnny Cash fountain pens released a few months ago are sold out. But take heart. There are a few rollerball pens still available, priced at under $300.


The black Italian resin pen has striped wood-grain accents inspired by the detailing on Cash's guitar. The clip recalls the guitar's fret board, and Cash's signature is featured on the band. Just 888 fountain pens were created. Each comes in a black lacquer commemorative box.

Sneak Peek: Jurassic Pen from William Henry

“When we started making writing instruments a few years ago, we tried unsuccessfully to use our exotic and storied range of fossil materials, says Matt Conable, CEO of the Oregon-based pen maker William Henry. The result? He continues: “Lot of broken parts, lots of expensive scrap, lots of disappointment. But last year we made a breakthrough, and proudly brought fossil mammoth, walrus and coral to market on exquisite pens. OK, figured that out, good. Next?”

Any connoisseur familiar with William Henry knows that the company is always pushing the envelope in terms of new materials from which to craft its world-renowned knives and pens. And in keeping with the personality of William Henry and its founder, nothing is too far out of the realm of possibility to try, as Conable shares.

“The hardest of all fossil material to work with, petrified dinosaur bone, [is] shown here for the first time. To raise the bar further, we worked with a jeweler to create a beautiful accent band in 18-karat gold and hand-set white diamonds—just a touch of sparkle to finish off this remarkable piece of work,” Conable explains, adding there’s “more like this coming (LOW volume) and more coolness …”

This work in progress is slated to make its debut in May as part of the fine jewelry collection. Its code name? Dino. The 100-million-year-old fossil material comes from an Apatosaurus (once known as Brontosaurus), and it hails from a private collection in Utah. 

Happy St. Valentine's Day from Montegrappa

The symbol of the heart is perhaps the most universally recognized symbol of love. And in honor of St. Valentine's Day 2012, Montegrappa is introducing the limited edition Cuore, which is Italian for "heart." This petite ballpoint pen is crafted from pearly pink acrylic and features three Swarovski crystals at the top of the clip. The metal trim is sterling silver. Just 100 pieces have been produced, and each comes in a transparent box with a pink cushion on which the pen rests.

Camouflage One-Touch

Monteverde is adding yet another version of its popular One-Touch, the combo ballpoint/stylus it introduced in 2011. The soft-point stylus may be used on your iPad or iPhone or any other type of touch screen. This retractable pen currently comes in a variety of colors, and the new camouflage style is hitting the streets February 15. Priced at around $30, it comes in camouflage green, brown, blue and purple.

Delta MOMO 30th

Carbon fiber, celluloid and pure titanium combine to create the new limited edition MOMO 30^th by the Italian pen brand Delta, celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the MOMO Design company. The collection includes 981 piston-filled fountain pens ($1,095) with a flexible titanium nib and 981 rollerball pens. There are also 30 exclusive fountain pens in 18-karat rose gold, black celluloid and carbon fiber, the nib of which is 18-karat gold. Delta is celebrating MOMO with this edition, since their design partnership dates to the early 1990s, when Delta enlisted this Italian automotive accessory manufacture to collaborate on the first titanium and carbon fiber pens. 

The loss of the written word?

Several friends brought this to my attention over the weekend. It's from the February 3 edition of the BBC News magazine online. It's entitled, "A Point of View: Mourning the loss of the written word."  It's a wonderful piece of writing and expresses some sentiments I believe we share, as well as some excellent points to ponder. It focuses on the letters and opinions of Virginia Woolf, and referring to Woolf's missives, the BBC author ends with the following: "Today's electronic forms of communication may lack that emotional depth but they do enable us to connect more speedily and efficiently than I at least could manage with pen and ink. Still, when we take advantage of them, we ought always to heed Woolf's warning, never to write carelessly. And, if we can, at least count to 10, and read over what we have written, before we press "send."


Image courtesy of Simon Howden.

Month of Letters Challenge

What a great way to get people writing again! The Month of Letters Challenge is the brainchild of novelist Mary Robinette Kowal: "In the month of February, mail at least one item through the post every day..." Letter writing--and receiving--in my opinion, is one of the most soul-satisfying ways to communicate, so let's get out those pens and start writing. Better still, use a different pen for every day. Help the US Postal Service, and have some fun. I promise you'll get letters in return!