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Pelikan Schreibgerate Book
Review
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Book Review
By Tom Rehkopf Pelikan Schreibgerate By Jurgen Dittmer and Martin Lehmann. A.H.F. Dunkmann GmbH, 2004. $98. 188 pages. When you ask a group of pen collectors what their favorite contemporary pen is, the name Pelikan is always at or near the top. Known for their excellent design and solid workmanship, Pelikans are well respected around the world. From modern Pelikans it is only a short step to vintage Pelikans, and before you know it you've started down that long slippery slope toward being a Pelikan collector. This is just about where Jurgen Dittmer's and Martin Lehmann's book Pelikan Schreibgerate starts to become an invaluable resource. Listing just about every Pelikan ever made, including limited and special editions, the book serves as an excellent reference and identification guide. This is the second edition of the original book, which was first published in 1997. The authors were aided considerably in researching background for the book by having access to the Pelikan archives in Hannover. Documenting the company's history from its inception in 1838 as a manufacturer of inks and artist's paints, these early records proved an invaluable source of information on all things Pelikan. The book contains much information on the background and history of Pelikan, including such items as the trademark registration papers for the Pelikan logo (1878). There are also many examples of early product brochures and advertising items. Dittmer and Lehmann have organized the book basically in chronological order, ending with several chapters on model identification, including value guides. Company history is followed by several long chapters devoted to the various Pelikan models, from the first Model 100 in 1929 to today's current production. Every single limited edition produced through late 2004 is illustrated and described. Photography throughout the book is excellent, and includes full size color identification photos of most regular production models. Pencils and ballpoints are also listed. Unfortunately there is no index, so the casual user may spend a bit of time leafing through the book to find specific bits of information. Like several other international publications, the book is written in two languages. In this case, the original German text and its English translation are placed side by side on the page. It takes a little getting used to, but fairly quickly becomes a non-issue. In fact, after a while it becomes a fun game to play amateur translator, sneaking a peek over to the German-language side to see if you can find the German equivalent of an English phrase. Let's see, I think "fountain pen" is "fullfederhalter." Or is it "fullhalter?" Whatever. I do know "Pelikan" is "Pelikan." As you can see, I am easily distracted. The book has not one, but two of those nifty cloth place markers bound into the spine. Definitely a touch of class. Value guides are included with the information tables describing each model. The authors do not list actual dollar values (probably a near-impossible task, given the international reach of Pelikan), but rather use an asterisk convention to indicate overall value in terms of market demand (*** = very rare, much in demand; ** = rare, in demand; * = in demand; no asterisk = not in any real demand). If you are a Pelikan collector, this is the book to have.
While not cheap (I have several Pelikans that cost less than
the book describing them), it ranks right up there as probably
the most authoritative Pelikan guide available today. It deserves
a place on your bookshelf next to your most valued pen books. All rights reserved by the author. This article was first
printed in the PENnant, The magazine of Pen Collectors of
America in Winter 2004-5. |
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