It is some thirty years since the Writing Equipment Society (WES) was formed and Steve Hull's father was one of our first members, soon followed by the young Steve, already an avid collector of fountain pens and mechanical pencils. However, his interest extended well beyond collecting: he wanted to research the pens and the companies that made them – many now forgotten. This was just what our infant Society wanted. Certainly we were collectors, traders and swappers, but above all we wanted to record and disseminate the sadly neglected history and technology of writing instruments and their accessories. It is difficult to appreciate now just how little information was available in those early days. Today there are books by the dozen – many, it has to be said, listing who made what and when, rather than delving more deeply into design and company histories. Steve's approach was different. He wanted to know everything, spending many hundreds of hours scouring company records, archives and patents in order to supplement his extensive collections of advertising material and the pens themselves. Initially I was WEA Journal Editor, so his material was priceless, and published on a regular basis to an appreciative membership. My wife, who typed up most of the articles, soon became quite an expert in reading his handwriting and even today he is still a frequent contributor to the journal. But his total contribution to the society has been much more than just a series of informed articles: he has always been the first point of call for any WES members needing information, particularly on English pens. It was for this endless help to the Journal and to members, given so freely over so many years, that he was recently elected to be one of our Hon Vice-Presidents.

With Steve's chosen specialization in English pens, it was inevitable that Conway Stewart would hold his particular affection. These honest, dependable, ergonomic and elegant pens always had a loyal following in their heyday – I well remember my own from school days – and modern collectors just cannot get enough of these period items. Today of course the re-formed company has opted for the luxury market, as the pen and pencil middle-ground it once occupied has largely disappeared, but the functional (if admirably conservative) design, the quality manufacture, plus those attractively patterned and innovative materials, have all continued. Steve has worked with the new company as corporate historian, and also with the various study groups on Conway Stewart history. His records of the company are substantial, and I'm sure that one of the biggest problems in preparing this book will have been deciding just what to include or reject – if in doubt he would certainly include it! I can guarantee that the result will be detailed, authoritative and accurate. It will be a readable, informative and well-illustrated text providing the definitive reference on this company and its products. He would accept nothing less.

Geoff Roe MA phD
President, Writing Equipment Society