2019 San Francisco International Pen Show Recap!

[penwash]

Pendragon: Yes, but... I think the notion of buying a reference book about fountain pens is something you do after you have already become a fairly in-depth collector and not before. It certainly isn't what I do on starting a new hobby.

I purchased a fountain pen book, Collectible Fountain Pens by Juan Manuel Clark, and it lead directly to my first fountain pen purchase. I do get your point, though, which is well taken.

@penwash seemed concerned that the expert collectors of today would go offline, retire, etc. and their knowledge would be lost. I was merely pointing out that there are a large number of reference works on the subject. We don't need to worry about that knowledge going away. Not all of those books are still in print, but virtually all of them can be readily found for sale online in ether new or used condition. There were even some at the SF Pen Show. Now there is an opportunity for an enterprising bookstore - an entire table full of different fountain pen books.

@pendragon, this is why I thank you for the post above. That is a good list of available books. In the Dallas Pen Show club meetings, we have a gentleman who is the custodian of the pen club's books, and it's literally a table full of fountain pen books.

I agree with you, the knowlege recorded in those books aren't going away soon. And I'm not losing sleep over it, I just feel that we could do better as a community to foster knowledge transfer from one generation to the next. And being smack dab in the middle of both generations, I see both perspectives.