Adventures in Stationery: A Journey Through Your Pencil Case

I love to write letters and bought this book because I thought it was going to be about what we in America refer to as stationery, i.e., paper used for letter writing. I did not know that in Britain (apparently), the term "stationery" is used to refer to what are referred to as "office supplies" or "school supplies". The book turned out to be very interesting and is chock-full of all kinds of trivia related to things that are found in one's desk and pencil case. It is well written and researched, and I enjoyed reading it--even though it wasn't about the subject I anticipated.

Excellent read for anyone who loves stationery. Great history tidbits, a great exploration of some obscure pieces and really makes you appreciate these simple everyday items and the ideas behind them.

the book is well packaged, and it’s fun to know lot of the interesting stories behind those pens and staples

There's something about the perfectly-balanced pen in your hand, or the feel of a smooth sheet of writing paper. There's something about the smell of a freshly-sharpened pencil or the fwip of a Post-it note coming off the pad. We start using stationary supplies (such a generic name) when we're in elementary school or younger, and no matter how old we become or how much technology we use, they're always with us.James Ward provides an interesting and often humorous look at the history and design of our stationary supplies, from erasers to paper clips to the Rolodex. The book is from the UK so the humor is generally of the dry British sort. I consider this a plus. The products similarly aren't focused only on the US (a nice change) but cover UK and European inventions as well.The history of the design decisions made - from the flat cone of a highlighter to the different shapes a stapler can produce, provides insight into the world we live in. That sounds trite, but really, it takes a special kind of person two years to create the right kind of ink in a pen, and most of us don't put any thought into it past "the line keeps skipping" or "eew ink blobs". James Ward is interested in how these decisions are made, and he makes those decisions interesting to the rest of us, thus sneakily teaching us design skills we'd otherwise lack. (You'll give your spiral bound notepad a second look when you're done this book.)This is the kind of book I enjoyed reading, and will keep, not so much for its reread-ability but because the little facts of interest will be great fun to quote back to designers and developers at work (where I do web design) for quite a lot of time to come.

I’m a lifelong aficionado of stationery and still recall with pleasure the pre September school term forays into stationery shops for new pens, pencils, compass, protractors, files, notebooks ....... didn’t need them, of course, but the sheer joy of something new was not to be missed. This lovely book reminds me of those days. I’m still the same and I choose with care which pen/pencil to use for specific writing tasks - akin to insisting tea is served in a china cup and not a mug! Makes all the difference. One star less as I’d have preferred more pictures and some in colour.

For those not in the know, the book's author, James Ward is a blogging and social media powerhouse and is the originator of the fantastic 'Boring Conferences' which I am proud to say that I've previously attended three of and boring they certainly weren't! Anyway, at Boring IV he was handing out bookmarks advertising this forthcoming tome, so I thought I'd part with some pennies and buy it once it was released and I wasn't disappointed whatsover.It's very detailed indeed, something you'd expect from Mr Ward, but it zips along at a cracking pace. Ward covers a whole range of stationery-based topics, commencing with desk tidies through pens (fountain and ballpoint, pencils, highlighters, post-it notes etc - nothing is left out and he also embraces office-based stationery as well as home office and talks about hole punches and filing cabinets. Being a geeky kind of woman, I enjoyed it and the author's trademark dry wit is evident throughout.In conclusion: if you're a stationery aficionado, a Bic Pen fanatic or simply somebody who has spent years raiding the office stationery cupboard you'll love it. Ward's blog 'I Like Boring Things' is also worth a read.

What an amazing and fascinating read. If you have an interest in pens, as I do you may find this book a good read. I now know so many things about so many things that I never thought I would need to know, and in fact I don't need to know. But fascinating. The chapter on pencils is my favourite, and I will read it again (when I'm bored). Thank you.

Bought as an extra pressie for my husband for Christmas, he is mad on stationery. He loved the book, read it by New Year.

Bought for friend who loved itGeeky