Couldn’t help myself. I was invited to a Mont Blanc event, the opening of a new boutique. Of course, while I was there, they put the press on me to augment the fountain pen collection. Could have been the whiskey they foisted on me. Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I’m not sorry. This pen is part of their Writer Series. I’m not a big fan of William Faulkner. (Nothing against him. He was a master, no doubt about it, just not my flavor.) However, the pen Mont Blanc designed for his name is exceptional. Here’s a first look:
The pen is heavier than my model 149’s. I like a heavy pen because I’m a clumsy, left-handed scribbler with a tendency to press. You don’t have to press with a fountain pen. It glides over the paper. So weight is like back pressure; it keeps you off the throttle. Here’s a close up of the nib:
Faulkner was a big fan of aerobatics. That’s why the airplane is cut into the nib. There’s clouds there, too. Each pen in this series draws something from the author’s life that is subsequently designed into the form of the unit. You should see the one for Jules Verne. (I’m secretly saving for it.) One more shot:
Fountain pens aren’t for everyone. I use them in the course of writing because I find long handed writing more productive than typing into the computer. For this silly reality, I offer no explanation. It works and I don’t mess with it. Ah, one more piece of eye candy:
This pen has been inked up and tested fully. Trust me, it writes like a dream. You can crank through twenty pages a day with no cramps, no crying. Paper selection is a key part of the solution as well and we’ll get into that later. I’ll also post a few shots of my older pens. (They’re shamefully dirty, but I don’t have them to look at. They’re the tools of the trade.) By the way, all these photos were taken by my wife, who I think did an excellent job.
What’s your favorite writing device? Let me know.
The Bent Page 
I love fountain pens. I still have the Sheaffer I learned to write cursive with in the third grade. My treasure is a Mont Blanc given to me by my DH on our 25th anniversary.
A beautiful pen–well photographed–and I love your remarks about the pleasures of writing with a fountain pen. My pen–a Waterman Phileas–isn’t nearly as fancy, but I identified with your defense of longhand. Some writing just shouldn’t be typed.
I have a small (okay, large) addiction to pens. I love fountain pens very much but I’m afraid I’m to inpatient to use them. I think I like collecting them more than using them. This pen is gorgeous and I’d love to try one like this. You have a very good eye with things and take excellent pictures.
Lovely pen. One of these days I’ll venture into Mont Blanc and ask to try their pens. Quite frankly, the store intimidates me slightly, and I know I won’t come out empty handed.
I have my writing phases, mostly I love pencil, the scratchy sound and the wood between my fingers, the scent of a freshly sharpened tip (has to happen with a pocket knife), the feeling of raw, manual labor, of crafting. It’s my everyday writing tool.It get’s messy and perishable, very much like life at times.
For my poem book I prefer ink, much for the same reasons as you indicate, elegant, permanent and always longhanded.
Computers I do use, mostly when speed is an issue, not wanting to risk loosing my ideas while I wait until I’ve winded my way trough a sentence.
Off to google the Jules Verne pen.
Lovely pen. Love the ones with some heft. My favorite pens are Rapidograph technical pens. Fine lines, dense India Ink, and a satisfying noise that rocks back and forth as the valve pumps ink into the needle-like nose. I’m also a big fan of felt-tips, extra fine, but thy are getting harder to find.
What a beautiful pen!
Maybe it’s a writer thing, but both my father and I are addicted to pens as well. I can’t name a favorite, because it changes daily (and they’re not ALL expensive, though some certainly are…). In general, Mont Blanc, Sheaffer, Lamy, Cross, and Parker are among my favorites (on the expensive end). Pentel and Pilot make some nice “cheapos”.