The brothers trying to save the British fountain pen

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

In the 19th century, around three quarters of the world’s nibs and pens were made in Birmingham. At its peak, the city was exporting writing implements at a rate of billions of nibs a year, with factory workers expected to turn out 18,000 a day. Then came the ballpoint pen, signalling the decline of British pen-making: more than 100 billion have been sold since…