George Lucas is said to have used a Dixon Ticonderoga pencil on the first draft of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Roald Dahl sharpened six of them before a day of writing, but John Steinbeck favored the Blackwing 602 for his work.
The long history of office products is a fascinating one, and avowed office supply fanatic James Ward has written a delightful book detailing his extensive research into everything stationery: paper clips and highlighters, glue and Post-it notes, envelopes and letterhead, business cards and staples.
Each item of modern office accoutrements is lovingly detailed in a chapter of its own, written with wit. On the pencil sharpener: "The sharpener literally gives the pencil its point in life, but kills it at the same time. I know marriages like that."
Ward is a clear storyteller, giving what could be dry recitation of factual histories a wry twist as often as possible. This makes The Perfection of the Paper Clip: Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius and Stationery Obsession a worthwhile and engaging read, with anecdotes about graphite and metal mining, as well as the business mistakes that led to the creation of today's highly successful office product company 3M, originally named the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company.
Readers curious about the history of office products need look no further than Ward's entertaining book, filled with the personalities and business decisions that created the modern stationery store. Ink pens, postcards, pencils and, yes, paper clips will never be taken for granted again. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor