John Steinbeck was an American writer who grew up in rural California amid a productive agricultural region and society. He spent his summers working on ranches and farms and was exposed to working conditions and the lives of migrant farm workers which greatly influenced his writing.

He wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Grapes of Wrath" (1939) and the short novel "Of Mice and Men" (1937). In all he wrote twenty-seven books, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books and five collections of short stories. In 1962, Steinbeck received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Click here for more on Steinbeck's life and writings.

A very interesting bit of trivia about his life is that he loved to write with pencils and was a prolific consumer of pencils every day and was a fan of the famous Blackwing pencil among others. You might call him the Ultimate Pencil Pusher.

In her post Perfect Pencil, John Steinbeck, Blackwing Pencils and the Mongol 480 historian Lito Apostolakou writes:

"Steinbeck's favourite writing instrument was indeed the pencil. It is said that John Steinbeck would start the day with 24 newly-sharpened pencils which he would need to sharpen again before the day was through with a rare for his time electric pencil sharpener. The story goes that he used some 300 pencils to complete East of Eden (1952). For the Grapes of Wrath (1939) and Cannery Row (1945) he is said to have used 60 cedar pencils every day."

Read more of Lito's post on Steibeck's use of pencils here.

Return to Famous Pencil User's Page here.

ORIGINAL POST DATE: February 22, 2006

Blackwing 602I have tried out a few new pencils lately, part of my continual search for the one pencil that seems just right to me. I have been very happy with the Palominos made by California Republic (as blogged about earlier HERE), and even though they have the best graphiteⁱ I have found since the Blackwing 602, they lack a certain, well, sense of style. The bright orange color, although definitely distinctive, is a little too loud for my liking. The design of the Blackwing 602 is as cool as it gets when it comes to pencils, and even though ultimately the important thing is how it writes, I find I'm still longing for a pencil that looks as good as it writes.

I have been piecing together the perfect pencil in my mind lately, exhuming the parts from the assortment of good pencils I regularly use to create the ultimate writing tool. In order to create the perfect all-around pencil I first need to harvest a few parts. My goal here is a pencil that would be highly functional for day-to-day use, comfortable for writing for longer periods of time, and not too specialized (i.e., it doesn't also have to be the best sketching pencil).

California Republic Palomino

The graphite core needs to be a California Republic Palomino HB grade. I would also keep the same Cal Cedar wood from the Palomino, but loose the orange lacquer. The Palominos have a very nice professionally done finish, but I find the high finish to be a bit slippery at times.

ORIGINAL POST DATE: November 11, 2005

Finding the elusive Blackwing 602 pencil is a lot like bird watching. You need to be in the right place at the right time, and be very patient. If you are lucky enough to find one you will end up feeling like you have just spotted the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker: rare, thought by everyone to be extinct, but lurking in the wild waiting to be discovered by the devoted few.

I have written previously on the NWD blog about Blackwing 602 pencils (HERE and HERE), partly because they are my favorite writing instrument, and partly because I still can't quite accept the truth that they aren't being made anymore. In an attempt to move on in my life and find a way to acceptance I have focused my pencil obsession in a new direction: finding a replacement for the Blackwing 602. I have searched the web, read personal opinions among the comments from Pencil Revolutionaries, and haunted the aisles at my local Staples (until I started getting funny looks from the sales staff). Finally I am able to say that I have found a pencil that meets the challenge, which picks up the gauntlet thrown down by the Blackwing and offers a compelling alternative to the ruling champion of writing instruments.

First, a short eulogy: There is something about the Blackwing 602. Maybe it is the sleek silvery-grey color of the finish or the distinctive eraser shape that sets it above your average pencil. Maybe it is the slogan stamped in gold: Half the Pressure, Twice the Speed. For me it has always been the graphiteⁱ core that makes the difference. I love great design and innovative looks, but it is the function that is the ultimate criteria for me, the thing that makes or breaks even the coolest looking product. No other pencil provides that smooth and rich writing experience. But they are no more, driven into extinction from the same quirky detail that set it apart from other pencils; the metal clip that holds the eraser in the ferrule.

I began using Blackwing 602 pencils as an art student years ago and have never found another pencil to compare with the richness of the lead. They give a deep dark black without being overly smudgy, and all the silvery range of greys are there too. The feeling that comes to mind is "smooth" and it is a pleasure to put this pencil to paper.