In over 1700 color photos and 145 patent drawings, along with an informative text, this book introduces readers to a wide range of mechanical pencils. Included among them are well known examples created by what the author defines as the big four of American pencil manufacturers--Autopoint, Eagle Pencil Company, Eversharp (Wahl Eversharp), and Sheaffer--as well as rarely seen models and unusual variations. Explore mechanical pencil history from 1851 to the late 1970s and the various mechanisms made to move and lock lead in place. Also included is a startling chapter on trick pencils. These compact wonders, first documented in a mid-nineteenth century patent, provide a wide range of extra features with clever attachments, including magnets, lighters, penknives, rubber stamps, and sheets of writing paper hidden in the shaft. Also included are suggested values for many of the mechanical pencils displayed and discussed. For anyone with a passion for American ingenuity and technological innovation on the small scale, this book is for you.

A comprehensive history of Autopoint, one of America's most prolific manufacturers of mechanical pencils

The Leadhead's Pencil Blog began in 2011 as an online update service for the author's first book, The Catalogue of American Mechanical Pencils. It is now a standalone resource for vintage and antique mechanical pencils, currently featuring 1,200 articles. This Volume picks up where Volume I left off and includes original research, extensive images and patent drawings for the second full year of the blog, covering "The Big Four" of pencils - Wahl Eversharp, Eagle, Autopoint and Sheaffer - as well as other highly collectible brands, such as Tri-Pen's Triad, W.S. Wicks, Parker and Conklin. Also included are many obscure and forgotten brands that have not been written about in the decades since they first appeared on the market. Part encyclopedia and part travelogue, The Leadhead's Pencil Blog brings together the pencils, the history behind them, and a wonderful community of enthusiasts whose shared information has helped build this indispensable reference.

Henry Petroski traces the origins of the pencil back to ancient Greece and Rome, writes factually and charmingly about its development over the centuries and around the world, and shows what the pencil can teach us about engineering and technology today.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1882.

The Catalogue is a comprehensive guide to antique and vintage American Mechanical Pencils. In addition to articles detailing the history and varieties of pencils produced by more than 250 companies, the book includes a price guide and general articles on collecting, repair and restoration.

Articles from 2021 about the history and collecting of American Mechanical Pencils, written against the backdrop of an American society in crisis.