LOVE this review! I also love the Beethoven background music too! I could sit for hours listening to classical music in a library like this with my journal and pen. Wow! Stunning. Thank you!
I grew up in East Boston and went to High School in South Boston. I was the shy kid in the back of the room with a book in her hand. I was the kid the prefered a good story rather than hanging out. The only time I skiped school was to go to the BPL, because I loved the feeling when I walked through the stacks. The BPL was my quiet place, a place where I could be anything, read anything, and invent worlds. I loved the old parts, fell asleep in the new parts, and almost got locked in for the night when I was so engrossed in a book, I didn't remember the time. The BPL wether the lovely building of the neighborhood library was my refuge. I really love the color of the m600 but it's really to small for my hands. I wanted the pink one that came out a few years ago, until I got to hold another m600 at the old Bromfield pens. I was disapointed in the size. I love both of my m800 and m1000 - They both feel comfortable in my hands. I just wish that they had more colors and options in both the 800 and the 1000. I do love the color of the m600 it's tempting me, but not sure. I loved the added video of the Boston Public Gardens. Thank you for showing Boston in your videos!
I love your story on living at the BPL! Sounds like the making of an A.S. Byatt story. There could be a novel in that for you. The M400 would be tiny coming from an M800/1000. All the best!
Nicely done video. I teach library studies and have also enjoyed doing research at BPL. I live that reading room with those Tiffany lamps and especially the amazing collection. The BPL was a model for public libraries in the US and beyond. I love my Pelikans too although they are more affordable relatives. I had to laugh with empathy when you talked about loosing an Oxford shirt to a pen. Two weeks ago I pocketed a Capless that I had neglected to close. So relieved I had a spare shirt.
Hello Andrew! Yes, that does happen with the Oxfords. McKim, Meade, and White did some amazing work. So glad you know the space and thanks for watching the video!
@@HemingwayJones yes great architects. In terms of architecture and space NYPL is my #1 although BPL and LC are amazing bits of heaven. And yes Oxfords are better as pinstripe rather than pen-streak. My wife teased me that she thought I was the only one to have such incidents. Enjoy the weekend.
The Pelican brand has become one of my favorites. I own three, including the M605 Stresseman which I pair with a Montblac Scarlet Red ink. Fabulous combo.
I am currently at the National Museum of the United States Army working. I have a Pelikan m605 and really need to start journaling. This place is amazing and sad at the same time.
Thanks David! I think this one still holds up. I am sure I will film there again. I love when the back catalogue gets some love. I am going to film one soon in this vein.
Thank you, Hemingway, you have convinced me to get a Pelikan M600 (though i'm not a fan of piston fillers), and that library definitely needs to be visited! I've actually enjoyed more the library presentation than the pen's :)) thank you for a great video!
Haha! Thanks, I actually am glad that you preferred the library! I need to know, why don’t you like piston filled pens? Is it because if they break, you have a bigger issue on your hands? Thanks so much for watching!
@@HemingwayJones i enjoy trying and chaning inks quite fast, and a piston filler has a high capacity and it's also more difficult to clean. But i'll gladly do it for a Pelikan nib :)
Beautiful library, and beautiful pen. I have my m600 in the classic Black/Green pattern, with a fine nib, and it's one of my favourites. Just the perfect pen for everyday use.
As usual, I just got a chance to see this and comment. I enjoyed it very much as I love my Pelikan's and had just visited the BPL last week for the first time while visiting one of our daughters at College in Boston. Truly a unique location and a nice break from the hustle and bustle outside. Thanks, and keep up the great work.
Ah, an enjoyable and pleasant video. The M600 is my favorite Pelikan (albeit, in plebian green stripe/black cap), Boston and the Boston Public Library amongst my absolute favs (especially in nice weather!)
Amazing building. I got a little bit distracted. I had to remind myself you were reviewing a pen. The Pelikan, in this colour, is truly a thing of beauty. Both the pen and the library would surely be inspiring for writing a journal or taking notes.
The building is a gem. I certainly appreciate the ritual you've adopted in chosing an "appropriate" pen for the occasion the way Macchiavelli put on a Roman toga to read the Roman classics. When I purchase a Pelikan then I'll tell you how it feels.
I love pelikan fountain pens, i don't own the 600 series but i really liked this particular pen the colour makes it much more beautiful. I have the M 800 and M805 and a M1000 but i couldn't find this colour with those. I want one now.
Every time I have toured Boston, my favorite by far is that magnificent library. Reminds me of other great architecture like Philadelphia`s City Hall another must see building. Oh nice pen too and another great video!
I used to visit this amazing library quite regularly - didn’t have the 600 back then, would make do with the metropolitan back then, there used to be a guy playing flute on the street and could hear him as I studied in the great hall - in 2015, the green lampshades compliment the oak tables so well..
Wonderful! Great video, enjoyed the tour! Also, I recognized two of the piano pieces playing in the background as pieces I played years ago at recitals! I have two Pelikan 200s and would love to have a 600 someday, preferably in green, as that is my favorite color. Also--nice shoes!
The building reminds me of the simplicity of the library at UC Berkeley. so beautiful. Happy and proud to have the red tortoise shell M600 in my sketchbook. Yes, I carry that pen everywhere. It was a little hefty for an EF so I had to have it adjusted to a true EF by one of those legendary nib meisters who evidently also happens to be an architect but decided to do nib works now. I am much happier sketching with a true EF that kept the smoothness of a Pelikan.
Very nice video and a very creative way to review the pen. Excellent work. Thanking your wife, I assume, for the video work of you walking through? Give her a raise.
Thanks so much! I am glad that you enjoyed it. I call my wife, the walking gimble. She is very steady with the phone and I appreciate it. We make a good team. Thanks!
@@HemingwayJones I was in the old Penn Station often, but as a small child. Recall large space and opulence. We came so close to losing Grand Central, too. Architects did walking tours. Penn Station was much nicer than Grand Central. Just have vague memories and photographs. I would get arrested today gladly. The present station is garbage. Ugly. Degrades human spirit. We wait for extensions. Workers tell me a lot of tracks and tunnels are done. Just the final big push. I must use it a lot. Spirits soar at Grand Central. The opposite at Penn Station. I took one walking tour to kill time. They converted me into a zealot. I worship in McKim churches. Robert Moses just about destroyed NYC to favor cars. The man could not drive. The lions are carbon copies. Columbia has some buildings, too. But others used similar styles. Boston and NY are linked by a lot.
That is incredible. I wish I got to see it. What was the quote? Something like, where once we stride into the city like a colossus, we know crawl out of the ground like sewer rats! I hear that the new station is nice for a modern one. 30th Street Station is lovely in Philly. I love train stations.
I admit, as much as I live to spend time in libraries, it would not have occurred to me to visit should I find myself in Boston. Until now. Thank you for that brief tour; it is extraordinary. As is the pen. I have been pondering which M600 to purchase, and this has stepped to the front of the line. The one I have is an old style in the M400 size, and having held a newer, larger M600 at a Pelikan Hub, I know this size is a more natural fit to my hand. A delightful video all around, thank you!
Thank you very much! It is an amazing building and has a cafe as well that I did not show. It also has a Brutalist addition that is surprisingly light and beautiful after a subsequent renovation. Thanks for watching.
That was another nice example of performance, what beautiful locations in your area I can vividly imagine that you do get a lot of inspiration and triggers there. This was again a great pleasure to watch. As for the Pelikan fountain pens, I have the Pelikan Souverän M800 Black/Green fountain pen. And indeed this one writes like a knob of butter on glass, the ink flows without pressure, all the words neatly in my notebook or paper according to the moment. This pen lends itself extremely well to completing long writing sessions, because it lies comfortably in the hand and is not too heavy, in short a solid writing instrument. Might look for an M1000 later, but I still have the MB149. On the other hand, I also saw something new this week at Appleboom review with Leonardo pens that they also have fountain pens now with a number 8 nib and next week the release of their new pens also one to look forward to. All that news and beautiful fountain pens make me greedy... just kidding (Not :)
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed it. The M800 is so awesome, very well chosen. I am the same as you; I want, but I do not want, and then I get, and rationalize! All the best!
Love it, both the library and the pen! Great vid! Pelikans are my favorite fountain pens. My most treasured one is a 100N (manufactured from 1937 to 1951) that my grandpa used to write his sermons with before he typed them up. It still works like a charm, the smooth gold nib "sings" when writing. I´ve used Pelikan fountain pens from elementary school on (fun fact: children in Germany still use fountain pens in school, even in elementary school). I have a 90s M400 with an extremely smooth broad gold nib and a couple of M200s. Even the steel nibs are great. Last year I got the beautiful SE M205 petrol marble with a fine steel nib and it is a great writer, too. Love the light weight of Pelikans and the fact that they perform well without any pressure when writing.
Hello and thanks so much for the awesome comment. I would love to try your grandfather’s pen. It sounds amazing! I am writing with an M200 right now. You are so right; they are amazing pens. You have a wonderful collection! By the way, which fountain pens do kids in Germany use in school? Are they the Pelikan or Lamy? Thanks for the great comment.
@@HemingwayJones Thanks Hemingway! I would love for you to try it. As to fountain pens in school I don´t have strong data but there is a variety of companies in that market. For beginners (age 6) there are a lot of "Anfängerfüller" (beginner fountain pens) by Pelikan (e.g. Pelikano, Twist, Griffix), Lamy (ABC, Nexx), Schneider, Online, Stabilo, Faber Castell, Herlitz etc all used with ink cartidges. For older children (from age 10) those companies offer more "grown up" versions designwise and here the Lamy Safari/Al-Star/LX come into play although some might use them in elementary school too. My daughter asked for a Lamy LX Rosegold when she started Gymnasium (Middle- and Highschool) at age 10 and used it for a couple of years. Today she mostly uses her iPad but has beautiful elaborate handwriting. My son was a Safari-guy too but switched to Jinhao´s 51A with the wooden bodies (favorite inks: Diamine Oxford Blue and Noodler´s Apache Sunset), he has very delicate small handwriting. Maybe I should mention that the kids learn cursive when they start writing so handwriting looks very individual over the years. I don´t know anybody who doesn´t write cursive as their default as an adult.
My Pelikan 600 Streseman had a dry nib. Returned it for a refund and replaced it with a Santini Italia Libra. This workshop, in Lombardy, makes their own, 18-caret gold nibs, ebonite feeds, and elegant pens. Next year in Lombardy!
The BPL is wonderful, haven't seen in in decades. (I lived on the Cape for most of my childhood, and spent the summers of '67 and '68 being a low-paid intern at Harvard-Smithsonian Observatory). I have a standard green&black M600, which I'm very fond of. I do have a Pelikan M101N that comes close in color to the one you show, and I'm fond of it too. I recently bought an M800--my first--in burnt orange. It's quite a looker, and the next best thing to an MB Hemingway. Thanks for the post!
Thank you, Paul! You have an excellent assortment of pens. Nice to see another person from Massachusetts. The BPL is such a magical place and the new rehab on the new section greatly improved that Brutalist building as well. All the best.
If you're up for a drive to Ft. Worth, the area around the museums is nice. Also the Botanic Gardens. Dallas is a bit short of such wonderful buildings, but White Rock has a number of places to sit quietly with a journal.
I love my M600 but I will say I am surprised at how “thick” it writes for a fine nib. I bought this as my first “premium” pen and afterward I was told that this runs thick and if I want the equivelant of a Pilot “F” then I should get a Pelikan “EF”. Is that true? I use it with Iroshizuku Take-Sumi ink as I like the dry time. A great review. As for the Boston Public Library. I great up outside of Boston and absolutely love this building. I believe the BPL was the first public library in the United States. It is perfect for exactly what you did there. I could sit all day in that building. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for watching! I love that building. It is so beautiful. I am going to speak about Pelikan soon. Is it a problem that a fine writes like a broad? We are selling it like a feature, but is it? it will be a great video!
I've been a Pelikan fan for quite a few years. The M800 is my favorite and I have 4 of those. I also like the M600 and I have 3 of those including this very Red Tortoiseshell that I purchased in a medium nib about a week ago. I got an in stock notice from one of my favorite retailers, which surprised me because I wasn't sure if I'd ever see it again. Right now it's inked with Diamine Red Dragon. The M600 is a real nice size and enjoy all three of mine quite a bit. Like all of my Pelikans, they write very well. One of these days I'll pick up an M1000 to round out my modest collection. Cheers.
I had forgotten how beautiful the BPL is! My year in Boston was in the late 60s earning my master’s in Library Science at Simmons College. My cataloging teacher worked at the BPL. My only Pelikan is a green tortoiseshell M400, and you CAN see the ink level, fortunately. My trusty fountain pen in library school was a Sheaffer. That didn’t have an ink window and I didn’t even know that was a thing, but it wasn’t hard to keep track when you are using only one pen. By the way, you are a very spiffy dresser!
Thank you, Arlene! I am glad you enjoyed the video and my wardrobe! Nice that you went to Simmons. My wife and I volunteered at the Gardner and we meet there. You have had some great pens! Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you for this wonderful display of pen and architecture, I really enjoyed it. This pen is a beauty! I have the M800 in with the blue and black stripes in the body. It’s years old and still writes like a dream. I would not dare to take it out of the house though. I have lost three expensive pens this way so only my cheaper ones make it out through the door 😂
Hi Gino!!! If you are ever over there, it’s a nice place to take your lunch into the center courtyard. -on a nice day. I try to appreciate Boston the same way a tourist would and I’ve been here for 30 years. There is a lot of charm and it changes with the season. All the best, My Friend!
I have three Pelikans and find the gold nibs to be some of the best. The ink flows from these pens onto the paper as good as a Montblanc. I recently replaced the nib of my M1000, with an EF nib, and love the way it writes. As a side note Cult Pens in England have some of the best prices away where on Pelikans. They ship free to the US and don't charge sales tax. My last order got here in about a week.
I am a Pelikan fan. It is always a pleasure when writing and I enjoy all the nib sizes. I cannot wait for the Pelikan Meet on 11/18 here in Chicago. Are you going to it as well? I do have to put this beautiful Boston library on my wish list! Thank you for an exquisite tour of the grounds and the eloquent presentation of the Pelikan M600 ! Mine is always filled with the Diamine Writer’s Blood.
The pen looks amazing, as do the locations - it's great to experience them through your videos. I've got an M200 (and have had the cap remove itself as you described), and was all set on an M800, but I heard that they were changing the materials on their standard stripy finish so that you could no longer see the ink level, so I'm waiting for reviews of the new ones, as I really want to be able to see the level on a piston-filled pen. Even the M200 is well made and designed - it's one of the few piston fillers I have that posts securely and safely, so I'd have high expectations for their gold-nib models.
My first fountain pen, in 1976, as a first year medical student in NYC, was a Pelikan 120. The Red Tortoise, I suspect, is quite an upgrade to that, but it is your shoes that I covet more. Do you have a link?
That Pelikan sounds great, especially being vintage. As for my shoes. Thank you for noticing. These are from J Crew and they are 20 years old, so it would be tough to find them now. They are called Saddle Shoes and were very popular in the 1950s. Maybe someone else makes them? Good luck and thanks!
I never bought an M600. I wanted a blue (striped) M605, but I never found one. I have a green (striped) M800 and it's just as good as my MB 149. Maybe even... no, no perish the thought. I have an M200 too (extremely good pen too) and some funny older, cheaper Pelikans.
Another great video. For all these pens you review I'd like to know where you got them, who you bought them from and what they cost, and what your purchase experience was (how long it took to arrive, was your order packaged well, etc.). I know that information will become dated, but future viewers will know when your video was originally posted and understand the context.
Thanks so much for the feedback. I appreciate that. I’ll incorporate some of this. In this case, my wife bought it for me, so I have no idea! Thanks so much!
Been waiting for this video! What made you pick the M600 over the M800 / M1000? I have been thinkning about getting an M1000 but the M600 / M800 are in the runnig. I don't travel with my pens but I love the idea of the M400 (small piston filler). Great enjoyable video as always!
Thanks so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! This one was so much fun to make. What made me pick this? My wife bought it for me! So, it just worked out that way. I am very glad to have it. it is more slight, but that gives it a certain elegance, like smaller watch faces or fine jewelry. It is very lovely and an amazing writer. Of course, it makes me very curious for the M800 and M1000. Curiosity gets me in trouble each time! Thank you, My Friend!
@@HemingwayJones Well it doesn't matter what model it is then. I 100% agree that smaller pens often feel more refined in hand. I was thinking about a M1000, only over the other M models as I'm a fan of the 149 due to its large nib. Look forward to your next video!
The BPL looks wonderful, I hope I get a chance to visit it some time. I recently got a really good deal on a Pelikan M800 with a medium nib and it's now my favorite pen. You can feel the quality as soon as you pick it up. I have my eye on an M605 black tortoiseshell but I really like the size of the M800 and I'm not sure about the smaller M600.
For high level of quality and performance I prefer Pelikan over Montblanc, I find the value for money and quality fairer in Pelikan. And while I like the iconic MB 146 and 149 models, Pelikan has wonderful nibs that I can't stop using, it's a matter of personal preferences.
Very beautiful library! My own is in an old grocery store. The pen is interesting. I haven't followed this brand closely, but I agree it's an attractive finish. It is a shame that the darker stripes couldn't have been clear, but hardly a deal breaker. Thank you for sharing it.
Hey Bust, where'd you get those two toned shoes? Loved the video, especially how you integrated the BPL and Pelikan narrative. Seeing the Swan boat reminds me of my rides on them when much younger and growing up on the outskirts of Boston. As for the pen, you make me think seriously about investing in that lovely writing implement.
Thanks for a wonderful video on the M600 fp!!! Really enjoyable, it has got me thinking about me trading my NOS Pelikan M1000 fp in black for a Pelikan M800 pen, if I can find anyone interested in such a trade!!!!:):):) Good video, and I quite liked it. -Sid
