The Scriptum Blog

Dog earring books is a divisive topic. Some people are puritans, suggesting that a book can only ever be marked with a physical marker, rather than creasing the pages. Others feel that this approach is too restrictive, and don't mind the wear and tear that occurs in the process. This debate has been raging for longer than may be first imagined, so today I wanted to provide a short history of the centre of the furore: the humble bookmark.

If you have ever payed our Turl Street shop a visit, you will likely be more than aware of our affinity for opera. Come rain or shine, morning, noon, or night, a sparkling aria is never far away on our shop playlist! In honour of our new Opera Librettos Journal, I felt it would be opportune to talk to our resident opera aficionados, Azeem and Kirsty, about their (current) favourite arias. Lo facciamo?

There are an almost innumerable number of reasons to visit Oxford - the literary history surrounding you at every turn, the plethora of world-class museums, the exceptionally beautiful stationery shops... - but one of the main draws for many visitors to the city is its exquisite architecture.

Dearest Scriptum blog readers,

I have a real treat for you today! I was lucky enough to speak to friend of the shop Felix Flicker, who has recently published his first book 'The Magick of Matter'. The book is an enthralling exploration of condensed matter physics, a field that Felix describes as ‘the wizard’s art’ of the physical world. I think it’s best if I let him explain, so without further ado, here is the interview.

If you have ever paid a visit to the hallowed halls of our shop in Turl Street, you will have noticed that we really like books. Like, really like them. Our days would, frankly, feel incomplete without straightening a shelf of beautifully bound tomes, and often sneaking a peek between the covers in the process. As the weather is drawing in, and Autumn officially begins on Friday, we felt it would be pertinent to shed some light on a book we think you should all be cosying up with as the nights draw in: our Treasury of Irish Literature. Today, we wanted to give an overview of the Irish storytelling tradition, before giving you a quick rundown of just four of the thirty authors present in this magnificent volume.

 Stationery is undeniably a key component in many of life's most important moments - congratulations cards when a baby is born, birthday cards, wedding invitations: all are crucial and immensely personal uses of humble paper. Getting the correct stationery is never more important, however, than with regards to the passing of a loved one. In light of recent events, we felt it would be pertinent to pen a little something about stationery's place at the end of life, and explain why its significance.

Kaweco pens have long been a staple here at Scriptum - from the Perkeo to the Fireblue Liliput, or the Sport to last year's Special Red Collection, we adore it all - and so today, we are thrilled to introduce you to the newest member of our Kaweco family: the Supra. 

It should come as no surprise that we at Scriptum adore fountain pens. Tall, short, thin, chunky, metal, resin, plastic: we love them all!

We have recently been fortunate enough to expand the range of pens we stock to include some absolutely fantastic Esterbrook pens, and so I felt it would be opportune to give the Scriptum Blog readers a short history of the Esterbrook Pen Company, and to detail what makes their writing instruments truly special. 

In Oxford, there is always a good chance you will run into someone famous - a visiting author here to speak at the Union, perhaps, or a celebrity alumnus back for the day to stroll the spires and reminisce. However, if you are looking for a guaranteed face to face with some of the world's most prominent thinkers, look no further!