“ It is hundred years since J P Maginnis presented a series of three lectures to the Society of Arts in London entitled Reservoir, Fountain and Stylographic Pens which traces the history of writing instruments since Roman and Persian times, using descriptions and illustrations from over 200 patents. The common feature was a portable pen with means for retaining a supply of ink, thus obviating the need to carry a separate inkpot. This paper attempts to bring that story up to date.

Maginnis was both a Civil and Mechanical Engineer (AMInstCE, MIMechE) with a special interest in drawing instruments; he patented several inventions to help the draughtsman, including a beam compass for large diameter circles. He was also an early collector of fountain pens and it is interesting that his lectures mention J J Loud’s 1888 UK patent 15630 for a ‘movable spheroidal marketing point’, now acknowledged as the first ballpen patent. With fountain pens, he correctly identified the ‘feed’, which regulated ink flow to the nib, as the most important functional component, even though an understanding of its working principle was still a mystery – even to the patentees. “

A charming booklet by Jeremy M R COLLINGRIDGE, Alan J HOBBS, L Graham HOGG, Stephen F HULL, Geoffrey E ROE, Marc Van der STRICHT and Michael West.