Product description
The Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Robert Louis Stevenson pays tribute to Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894), best known for his adventure novel Treasure Island and his horror story The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Born and educated in Edinburgh, Scotland, Stevenson suffered from a severe bronchial condition for much of his life but continued to write diligently and travel widely despite his poor health. A celebrity during his lifetime, he spent several years searching for a place that would accommodate his health issues and eventually settled in Samoa where he died at just 44 years old.
The shape of the pen is inspired by the spyglass used by sailors and pirates, with the lower geometry of the cone evoking the opening of the spyglass. Each edition features an original interpretation of the skull and crossbones, universally recognized symbol for pirates around the world. The compass rose that appears throughout the collection is a nod to “Treasure Island”, the location of a legendary treasure that plays a central role in Stevenson’s most famous novel. A reference to his final years on the Pacific Island of Samoa and the affection he earned from the locals, his nickname “TUSITALA” or “teller of stories” adorns each nib in the collection.
The Writers Edition Homage to Robert Louis Stevenson – Limited Edition
The cap and barrel are crafted from special resin paired with a platinum-coated forepart, cone and fittings. The cap is embellished with a pattern reminiscent of a treasure chest, enhanced by a compass rose underneath the clip in a shape inspired by a belaying pin, a device used to secure ropes and lines of rigging found on ships. The pattern on the pen’s black barrel was created using multiple “X"s including one in larger scale, alluding to the usual marker for a treasure’s location on a map. A reference to the pirates in Treasure Island, the Montblanc emblem in precious resin that crowns the edition reveals an elevated skull and crossbones.
The cap top ring bears the mirror-inverted inscription UNDER THE WIDE AND STARRY SKY, the first line of the requiem Stevenson wrote for himself that can also be found on his grave, while the cap ring features the author’s signature as well as the year 1866 – the year of his first (unofficial) publication - The Pentland Rising: A Page of History, 1666. The solid Au 750 gold nib on the edition’s fountain pen is rhodium-coated and decorated with a special embossing of TUSITALA surrounded by sea waves to represent Stevenson's voyage to Samoa surrounded by nothing but the open sea.
