by James Scott Bell
@jamesscottbell
We’ve talked in the past about doing some of our writing by hand, with an actual pen on actual paper. Since my handwriting resembles Foghorn Leghorn’s footprints, I have generally kept to the keyboard. I do, however, like to do mind maps with pen and paper. Sometimes I’ll block out a scene that way.
Today I’d like to say something about the pencil. I do love a good pencil. It’s a writing instrument, sure, but also an underlining buddy, perfect for marking up a book. And subject to change, for a good pencil carries with it the original delete key—the eraser. Many a time I’ve rubbed out a word or line, and whisked away the little red leavings with the back of my hand. A fresh start! Unlike the unforgiving pen, the pencil is happy to do it all over again.
It has been asserted that that a manuscript of Theophilus, emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire from 829–842, shows signs of having been written with a black-lead pencil. But the first allusion we have of the pencil comes from a treatise on fossils written in the mid-1500s by Conrad Gesner of Zurich. He was a Swiss naturalist, and describes a writing implement formed of wood and “lead,” which was really a composition called stimmi anglicanum. I have no idea what that means, but that’s what it says in the pencil article in my grandfather’s Encyclopedia Britannica set.
Black lead was first used in chunks, called marking stones. Later, the material was cut into small rods or strips and wrapped in twine to provide a comfort- able grip and additional strength. Users unwound the twine from the point, as necessary. These instruments made a fine black line, reminiscent of the writing from the fine Roman brush called a pencilium; thus the instrument became known as a lead pencil.
Today, the #1 is the softest, and darkest, of the pencil family. It is therefore perfect for marking up any page, and especially useful for thin pages, as in a Bible. The harder pencils almost tear through pages like that because you have to press harder to make the line good and dark.
The #1 skates easily across any page. And it’s great for doodles and mind maps, too.
But it’s gotten bullied almost out of existence by the cocky #2.
That’s because #2 became the de facto pencil in education. To fill in those Os on tests it is always, “Use a #2 pencil.” There is no earthly reason for this exclusivity, but then again, there is no earthly reason for a lot of things these days.
The other day I went to Staples to buy some #1s, but found nothing but #2s on the rack. I went to the cash register and asked, “Do you carry #1 pencils?”
The nice young fellow shook his head. “We just don’t.”
“That is a sad state of affairs,” I said.
He looked puzzled.
“#1s have been shunted aside,” I said.
“You can always go online,” he said.
Which I did, right out there in the parking lot. I went to Amazon (natch) on my phone and ordered these.
And I ponder. Since when should #2 be given more glory than #1? How many books are there about Stephen A. Douglas? Or Walter Mondale? Or the 1990s Buffalo Bills?
All hail the #1 pencil!
Does a pencil figure in your everyday reading or writing?
I always do my planners (both home and work) in pencil (disposable mechanical). I work for multiple bosses in a department of almost two hundred people, so I start out with what I plan (my work) and adjust as their lists pop up. Lots of erasing going on (I also go through a lot of Pentel Clic Erasers).
At home I use pencil because sometimes something delightful comes up (a trip to Gemini Springs on Friday with the pup) and I move the boring stuff to other days. (That also led to my first blog post in forever).
I feel your pain on the #1. I can’t find blue fine point refills for my Cross Classic Century pen anywhere but Amazon. Both my other planners (work and chore) are 1 page per week. My “you are a writer no matter what other mundane stuff you also have to do” planner is a wirebound Day-Timer two page per day with a beautiful burgundy cover with my name on it in elegant script. I do that one in blue ballpoint pen (craft study, movies watched, pages per day that I wrote, screenplays read, morning pages checkoff, submissions, etc.). Morning pages I do in a regular notebook with a blue Pilot V7 gel pen.
Clearly I need to own an office supply store.
Yesterday I treated myself to two of your books – How to Make a Living as a Writer and How to Write Short Stories and Use Them to Further Your Writing Career. My planner seemed to know that was a goal before my brain did, but now that it’s engaged, it appears to be making up for lost time.
Happy Sunday, y’all!
Thanks for the purchases, Cynthia!
Glad to hear you are a planner and morning pages devotee. Two good practices!
My analog address book is written in pencil b/c of people who move frequently or change phone numbers and email addresses. Also my analog list of passwords is in pencil, cuz ya gotta change passwords as often as your underwear.
Pink Pearl eraser are necessary accessories for pencils.
Wish I still had an old-style crank pencil sharpener from elementary school days. Those worked the best.
Oh my yes! North if like the old crank sharpener. It was the perfect opportunity to chat with a friend. “Teacher, I have to sharpen my pencil!”
Yes, Debbie, a good sharpener is essential. I could never get those little school supply ones where you put the pencil in and turn it yourself, to work right.
There is a Pink Pearl, lightly used, atop my computer. In 7th grade, my sister introduced me to Pink Pearls and also to Heath Bars, as well as A.E. VanVogt’s “World of Null A.” I decided she was useful, after all.
The poor pencil. I have realized through reading your post I never stopped to appreciate them and their history because I’d never taken the time to find out how they got their start.
However, despite lack of erasure, I prefer pens for any kind of day to day writing or tasking. However both pencil (numbers/letters across the spectrum) and charcoal are great fun for drawing.
You remind me, BK, thatI ‘ve been doing some cartooning for fun, and the #1 pencil works great for that, too.
I have 2 go-to’s. A good #2 and a mechanical pencil.
Jane, I could never get mechanical pencils to work right. Too much lead would come out, and it would break, and so on. Give me good old-fashioned wood!
I use a pencil for playing Wordle and Phrazle. When I was tutoring for Adult Literacy, we used pencils for workbook exercises. I had a nice big pink eraser, and I’d tell my student we were doing fine because we had plenty of eraser left so feel free to make mistakes. I use a pencil to mark up my final proof copy of my books.
I also use mechanical pencils. My pet peeve about most of my pencils is that their erasers don’t erase. So I keep a separate one handy.
Yes, the problem of the everlasting eraser is a bedevilment. Johnny Carson for years played with pencils that had erasers on both ends. Maybe he was on to something.
Wife and I use pencils thrice daily at mealtime on crosswords and sudoku. No. 2 for her and No. 2 or 3 for me, the latter especially today because the boxes for the large Sunday puzzle are so small.
In a historical I’m writing, a yellow No. 2 Ticonderoga slips into the 1923 backstory scene at a girls finishing school in NYC. Like your school days, Jim, those yellow sticks of wood had a major role in mine.
I remember seeing bite marks in the yellow paint from pensive pencil ponderings. Some people would stick a pencil in their teeth to free up both hands for office work.
A pencil unused too long would and will acquire a hardened eraser that smudges the page without mercy.
My old-timey1889 school desk in Leadville, CO, ca. 1952, had a groove in the top perfectly fit for a pencil, although it was originally intended for the pen that went with the inkwell hole to the side. We all hated the pen exercises, returned gladly to our yellow No. 2s.
Thanks for the fun jaunt down Memory Lane.
Thanks for all those details, Dan. I do remember heartily putting bite marks on my pencils. The ultimate personalization!
My earliest school years included desks with an inkwell hole. I used the hole to remind me which was the right hand. It had no other function at all.
Little children have a tendency to rub the side of their hands across the page when they write, smearing the writing and their hands. Big mess. Thus the emphasis on #2 pencils on required school supply lists. The lists where I live even require Ticonderoga brand.
I like using pencils for certain things, and have two crank sharpeners. My husband thinks I’m crazy as he demonstrates his electric one. But what will he do when there’s no electricity? 😉
Ticonderoga pencils are manufactured just up the road from me in Heathrow, Florida.
Here in California, that electricity grid may go down sooner than later. Crank away!
Your mentioning the #1 pencil takes me back to the days of learning how to write in kindergarten and first grade. I can still feel the chunky wood in my hand. I’m not sure why those didn’t have erasers.
And sometimes the paper had more wood pulp in it than the pencils!
Our 1st grade pencils had erasers. Once, Sr. Polygrippa told us not to erase our mistakes. I, of course, compulsively erased an error. Sister snatched my pencil from my hand and broke off the eraser. If she was attempting to head off nascent perfectionism, she failed miserably.
I’ve heard about those nuns.
I use the Pilot G2 07 for my everyday writing/outlining/notes, but I like a #1 lead when sketching out new devices or “inventions.” They’re great for laying on their side and shading.
Long live the “soft”-lead pencil, and the old crank pencil sharpeners.
Yes!
Steve, I’m with you on Pilot. I’ve used Pilot BP-S Fine stick pens for decades. I’ve never had one skip, smear, or quit writing until absolutely and completely empty. I throw away the cap and use a soft grip on them. I can’t find them in stores, so order a dozen or two from Amazon when I need them. Well worth the trouble.
Good morning, Jim.
I wish I could claim to do crossword puzzles in pen, but I can’t for obvious reasons. I like to use mechanical pencils. No sharpening required.
I think every child has asked, “How do they get the lead in the pencil?” I’d love to take a tour of a pencil-manufacturing plant some day.
Have a great week.
Milton Friedman did a famous video on all of the components that went into making a simple pencil. I think it was in the first of his Free to Choose videos. An illustration of the cooperation of free markets..
I had never seen the Milton Friedman video, but just watched it. Awesome. It has led me (pun intended) to think of ordering lead pencils with some kind of clever saying on them to give out at writers conferences.
Now all I have to do is come up with the clever saying. Suggestions welcome.
Great pencil-post, Jim! It kind of reminds me of the pencil-pushers in my dim work-outside-the-home past . . . you know, the ones who never knew how to do, but could sure tell others how to. But, I digress.
I have lots of pencils in my arsenal that, as a result of this post, I must become re-acquainted with. Loved the pencil-history lesson, too.
My fave? . . . but then again, there is no earthly reason for a lot of things these days.
Nailed it! (With a #1 lead pencil, of course . . .)
🙂 Happy Sunday.
If you find an earthly reason for something, Deb, write it down in indelible marker.
🙂 🙂
One more comment: This is the only place in the universe that a discussion of pencils could possibly be entertaining…
Carry on!
We do our best!
Great post, Jim. I typically use a pen, such as a Pilot Precise V5, but I like the idea of using a #1 pencil a lot. I’ve always used a #2. The one thing our household is missing right now is a decent pencil sharpener. Sounds like it’s time to order one along with some #1s.
You’ll be glad you did, Dale.
I always wondered where the number one pencil was 🙂
I remember loving pencils in elementary schools, for the satisfying scratch they made on the page. You knew the pencil was writing when you felt that scratch. Not so with pens. I remember getting really mad when mechanical pencils came out, fourth grade, but by then, we had to type almost everything on the computer for our “poor typing skills to get better or else we won’t survive as adults.” Only math and the beloved matching/multiple choice test was done in pencil.
I wonder which generation it will be that has no knowledge of pencils at all. Sad!
Well done, Jim. But you missed a key feature of the “lead” pencil: it’s Permanence! The key to the “lead” pencil is its graphite core (there’s no Lead in a “lead” pencil). And graphite is a form of carbon. And carbon is one of the long-lasting things around. So if you want to preserve all your markings, underlinings, and doodlings for future generations of earthlings or other species (re-animated Neanderthals?), use a pencil, or better yet, use charcoal.
Good point, Harald. I’m tempted to say you’re “sharp.”
The pencil cup afore me has eleven HB/No. 2 pencils. Ticonderoga, Entré, Sanford (green), Faber/Castell (green) Prismacolor (blue), Castell, Dixon, two golf course shorties, and one unmarked, with a crude clip affixed. Two have no eraser left, one has an ineffective rubber bump, five are like new. The pencils of color have a slip-on eraser or none at all.
The unmarked pencil is a stage prop. In Unforsaken, Diego sees the pencil clipped in Abilene’s pocket and asks, “You have the letters?” Abilene then scribbles Diego’s final note to his mother on a rock.
I almost never write in pencil. Crosswords are, of course, done with a proper ballpoint. Thank you, Sr. Polygrippa.
A good supply for any occasion, J.
I much prefer wooden pencils to mechanical ones. In fact, one of the first gifts my crows ever brought me was a #2 pencil. Maybe they can find me a #1!
Have them look, Sue!
Henry Petroski has written a wonderful book entitled The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance which is highly recommended for those of us who love wood pencils. It is a great read.
https://www.amazon.com/Pencil-History-Design-Circumstance/dp/0679734155/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H6A4TJCG1UH6&keywords=Henry+Petroski+pencils&qid=1678041274&s=books&sprefix=henry+petroski+pencils%2Cstripbooks%2C118&sr=1-1
My story is a little different.
Way back in 1954 I was the kid in Miss Joyce LaPolla’s first grade class who got the pencil with the broken lead inside and frequent trips to the wall mounted crank pencil sharpener earned me the ire of Miss LaPolla-after all it was her first ever teaching job fresh out of Montclair State and I guess she needed a project to show off her chops.
Well.
I swore a dark and bloody oath which is a strange thing for a six year old kid to do, that when I was a grown up I would have as many No. 2 pencils as I wanted, all sharpened to a fine point. I have a large banker box filled with brand new antique and new production pencils that I acquired, and at last count a collection of ten or fifteen quite attractive electric pencil sharpeners. Going through undergrad and law school I kept a battery powered sharpener in my backpack so that I would never be deprived.
I may not have accomplished much in my 74 plus years on planet earth, but every time I sharpen up a new pencil and apply it to paper I’m somehow grinding my grubby first grade thumb in Miss Joyce LaPolla’s eye.
Love that tale, Robert! And thanks for the link to the book.
I was just researching Blackwing pencils, and according to their ad, it was the pencil of choice for John Steinbeck. 🙂 It’s what my heroine uses for sketching.
I love using a mechanical pencil as long as it has the thicker lead.
Patricia, I never got the hang of mechanical. There is something meditative about sharpening, too. In this area I am a Luddite.
I’m a #2 wood pencil on three hole paper kind of guy, mostly because I’ve yet to find a word processor that will let me draw circles, squiggles connecting bits, marginal notes, and such across the page. Besides, when I’ve gooned up a page beyond recovery, I take enormous pleasure in crumpling it up and throwing it away.
Yes, the pleasure of crumpling. Can’t do that with a screen!