Steinbeck Typewriter

John Steinbeck’s Typewriter

John Steinbeck was known for writing his novels out by hand. Later in his career, however, he was forced to introduce a typewriter into his daily routine. John’s son Thom shared what brought about this change, and how his father coped with…
Steinbeck Print

Inside the Blackwing 24 Subscription – An Unreleased Portrait of John Steinbeck

By now, many of our subscribers have received their shipments containing the Blackwing 24, our tribute to John Steinbeck. In addition to pencils, past subscriptions have included extra goodies, including an Incense-cedar pencil slat with a map…
Blackwing 24

Volumes by Blackwing – Vol. 24

To round out the first year of the Blackwing Volumes program, we wanted to pay tribute to one of our personal heroes, John Steinbeck. Designed under the guidance of his son, accomplished author Thomas Steinbeck, we’ve attempted to create what would have been John Steinbeck’s ideal pencil.
Our Day with Steinbeck

Our Day with Steinbeck

He entered the room with a presence befitting of his pedigree. His slicked-back hair and low-cropped beard had long since conceded their color, but his eyes were still piercing blue. His baritone was rugged but gentle: “I understand you’ve come here to talk about my father.”
Roll-on Printing

The Process Behind the Blackwing 1138

Last week, we unveiled the Blackwing 1138. If you haven’t already checked it out, read the scoop here. This post will make a lot more sense if you do. With the reveal, the focus was on what was on the pencil; how we took the entirety of…
Blackwing 1138

Introducing Volume 1138

It's here, our third Volumes release, the Blackwing 1138. We're calling this one "the sci-fi pencil." Movie and science-fiction buffs probably already have an idea why. This pencil has a story to tell. Literally. Any “Intro to…

Subscriber Unboxing Video

Blackwing Volumes subscriber Pat Hannon posted this awesome video of him unboxing his Blackwing 211 subscription.

Exploring the John Muir Papers

It turns out, Blackwing has more ties to John Muir than just the new 211 edition pencil. We’re based in Stockton, California, home to the University of the Pacific, the oldest chartered university in California. Deep in the bowels of the…

What’s Inside the Volume 211 Subscription Box

By now, subscribers have started receiving their subscription box containing Volume 211, but that's not the only surprise tucked inside that little brown box. We threw a little something extra in there just for our subscribers. A…

Introducing Volume 211

When we started brainstorming ideas for our second Volumes edition, we knew we wanted to show a different side of the program. The 725 was a musician’s pencil: loud and in your face. The 211 is just the opposite: subtle and subdued. Here’s…