Jul 29, 2024
You guys, I was searching the Internet for anything on what kind of writing instruments Tolkien used, and somebody posted an actual dip pen that he owned and which is on display in a museum, and it was not what I was expecting.
SWIRLY. BLUE. PLASTIC.
Not wood or plated brass like many antique dip pens that have survived. PLASTIC. And it's SWIRLY.
Truly he was a complex man.
(Also the full answer is "a variety": rough drafts were in pencil, then if he liked them enough he overwrote them in ink with either a dip or fountain pen, and finalized his drafts on a typewriter. The dip nibs were Esterbrook 413 Relief nibs, and at least one fountain pen was an Osmiroid 65. Thank you, FountainPenNetwork!)
