from The Spectator,  The return of the fountain pen

But the fountain pen should not be regarded as a historical curiosity: global sales are actually increasing. Last Christmas Eve I encountered a scene of utter mayhem in the pen department of John Lewis on Oxford Street as shoppers fought over the remaining models. Sales of fountain pens across the group rose 9 per cent last year, and are also booming on Amazon, which some might think is a bit rich. ‘Children like the individual quality of a fountain pen, the way the nib shapes itself to your writing,’ says Natasha Stoddart, a John Lewis stationery buyer.

print