From its title you might be forgiven for thinking it's some sort of travel tome, but Gutberlet Crossing Kaweco is not the story of a woolly-hatted explorer traversing some remote plateau; it's the story of Kaweco. And the story of Gutberlet, because as author Michael Gutberlet, the man who rescued the Kaweco brand from extinction, puts it 'one story flows into the other'.

The book documents over a century of pen history, from the Kaweco Pen Company's humble beginnings as a dip pen factory in Heidelberg in 1883, to the modern Gutberlet-driven powerhouse it is today. Through narratives in both German and English, along with a plethora of photographs of pens and pencils; reproductions of old advertisements and company branding; plus original sketches and diagrams, Michael Gutberlet provides a fascinating insight into one of Germany's oldest pen manufacturers, betraying his obsession with writing instruments into the bargain.

It mentions the world's first 'safety' fountain pen, which used a screw mechanism to withdraw the nib into the barrel of the pen, and what was probably the predecessor of the popular Sport range: a pocket fountain pen for 'ladies, officers and sportsmen', which makes you wonder what ordinary men and women made do with!

Michael Gutberlet's passion is plain. His fixation with fountain pens in particular has spanned 35 years and his vast personal collection of writing instruments has inspired the progression of the modern Kaweco company, enabling him to make a career out of doing what he loves. Gutberlet Crossing Kaweco is the result of meticulous research, and is an easily-read, beautifully-pictorial homage to the Kaweco pen.