Jane Austen is the latest author to be honoured by the annual Montblanc Writers Edition
If you’re familiar with Jane Austen’s work, you’ll recognise the opening line of Pride and Prejudice: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
While we can’t add much to Austen’s acerbic social commentary, we do know that those in possession of a good fortune tend to covet the finer things in life. So, it’ll come as no surprise that Montblanc’s latest Writer’s Edition, a four-pen collection dedicated to Jane Austen, is set to become a must-have for those who appreciate the written word.
If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, you’ll be aware of her elusive nature, evinced by the fact that today’s historians are still struggling to piece together the details of her enigmatic life. Still, Montblanc has managed to imbue each of the writing instruments in the collection with a touch of both her work and life to deliver a cohesive collection that honours her legacy.
The Writer’s Edition Homage to Jane Austen Limited Edition, for example, is inspired by the author’s love for the countryside, featuring a cap ring adorned with an elegant floral motif. Look closer and you’ll find an inscription that reads, “XLII,” a reference to chapter 43 of Pride and Prejudice, in which Elizabeth Bennet first sees Pemberley Woods.The floral motif extends to the Montblanc emblem found at the top of the cap ring where you’ll find a small inscription that reads, “By a Lady,” a reference to the pseudonym Austen had used when signing her first published novel.
Similarly, the inscription appears on the cap rings of both the Jane Austen Limited Edition 1813 and Limited Edition 97. While both writing instruments are designed to evoke Austen’s way of life, the two are inspired by entirely different aspects. The Limited Edition 1813, with its hornbeam wood barrel and patterned, yellow-gold cap are designed in reference to striking fixtures found in Austen’s residence—a glossy wood piano and a frame and panel fireplace respectively.
Meanwhile, the Limited Edition 97, featuring a cap made from cowhide leather with a solid gold inlay that resembles the interior of a coach, pays homage to the novelist’s love of travel. Adding to its allure are the writing instrument’s lacquer barrel that sports a wavy pattern resembling horsehair and a ruthenium skeleton structure that brings to mind a horse’s harness.
The crown jewel of the collection is, however, the Limited Edition 8. Unlike the humble ornamentation seen on the other three editions, this writing instrument immediately catches the eye with its bejewelled body. Inspired by the balls and thés dansants (tea dances) that light up her novels, the cap and barrel of the pen is adorned in a feather motif made from a mosaic of yellow sapphires and turquoise diamonds.
Near these precious stones is a net pattern that references the delicate lace dresses women of Austen’s era wore to social events. Rather than the inscription found on the cap rings of the other three editions, the Limited Edition 8 features a blue-lacquer engraving that reads, “by Jane Austen”—a fitting homage to an influential novelist whose name is still praised today.
