Who Invented the Quill?
The "quill," although rarely used today as a writing instrument, is still a symbol of writers. The Quill and Scroll Society exists for high school journalists and is designed to boost the future of academic journalism. But, do those young journalists ever think about who invented the quill?
-
Invention
-
No single person can be credited with inventing the writing quill. However, the quill does have a long and interesting history, and it was the primary writing instrument for most civilizations for more than 1,000 years.
Definition
-
A quill is a pen made from the wing feather of a bird. The feathers of crows, geese and turkeys were the most common kind of feathers to be fashioned into quills.
-
First Use
-
The first writing quills began to be introduced between 500 and 700 A.D. They were most commonly used in nations that had previously developed either reed paper or parchment and a stable nut- or gum-based ink. Theses nations included Spain, China and Japan and most of the Middle East.
Europe
-
The writing quill was slow to take hold in Europe. Because most Europeans used animal-skin paper, it was difficult to use a quill without having it break. This began to change in the 15th century with the invention of the printing press, and when increased trade made reed paper and parchment cheaper and more widely available.
Decline
-
Use of the quill began to decline in the 19th century with the invention of the steel pen. Invented in 1830 by the Englishman James Perry, steel pens could be mass produced and so were cheaper than quills. They were also easier to care for and did not have to be replaced as frequently.
-
