Join bestselling author, Simon Garfield, as we celebrate the publication of his kaleidoscopic compendium of the humble pen, The Pen

We are delighted to be joined by bestselling author of On the Map and Just My Type, Simon Garfield, on the evening of Tuesday 20th October at 7pm, as we celebrate the publication of his kaleidoscopic compendium of the humble pen, The Pen: A Human History.

The pen is our oldest tangible connection between an individual mind and the world at large, enabling the grandest proclamations and our most intimate confessions. But the pen's own story is just as eventful as anything it has described. This is the illuminating story of how the simplest tool has shaped our lives.

Simon Garfield takes us from a reed on the Nile to the home of Montblanc and Bic, and from the wartime trenches to the desks of Jane Austen, Sigmund Freud and Margaret Atwood. He explains why fountain pens make such good gadgets for spies and tells the story of the bestselling pen that wouldn't actually write. He introduces us to the very highest echelons of pen artistry costing small fortunes - but also to generations of schoolchildren with ink stains on their hands.

A paean to the pen - glorious and golden . . . At last, a book celebrating my most precious possession. I am so glad to better understand its history, and I shall appreciate my pen even more every time I pick it up - EMMA THOMPSON

After the wheel, the pen must be the second most important invention in human history. Or perhaps the most important: we can use a pen to describe a wheel, but we can't use a wheel to describe a pen. The many forms of this mark-making tool, from the simplest to the most extravagantly inventive, are celebrated in Simon Garfield's delightful book full of profound knowledge and unbounded pleasure - PHILIP PULLMAN

You used to be able to tell a keen writer by the callus on their middle finger caused by regular use of their pen. They're rarely spotted nowadays, but anyone who has read Simon Garfield's brilliant treasure chest of fascinating stories will be rushing out to buy a pen - and we'll be flaunting our writer's lump with pride - JACQUELINE WILSON

Book your tickets today!

Description supplied by the event organiser.