Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, consisting of 156 stories across nine volumes, have been translated into more than 125 languages and have inspired ballets, plays, and animated and live-action films. Some of his most popular works include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Red Shoes", "The Princess and the Pea", "The Snow Queen", "The Little Match Girl", and "Thumbelina".
Born in Odense, Denmark, Andersen attended grammar school in Slagelse. He would later reflect that his years at this school were the darkest and most bitter years of his life. At one point, he lived at his schoolmaster's home. There he was abused and was told that it was done in order "to improve his character". He later said that the faculty had discouraged him from writing, which then resulted in depression for young Hans Christian.
The tale of The Ugly Duckling, published in November, 1843 is the story of a plain-looking little bird, born in a barnyard. He is ridiculed, teased and picked on for being ugly. Even his family wished that “the farm cat would get him” and that “he had never been born”. He finally decides to run away, and at the risk of being killed, approaches a flock of swans, where, to his amazement, he realizes his true identity.
One of the most important messages from the story reads: “It doesn't matter about being born in a duckyard, as long as you are hatched from a swan's egg”. The story of reflection and self-realization is timeless, and resonates with all who have, at some point, but especially in childhood, felt alone, misunderstood, unloved, unimportant, undesirable, too fat, too thin, too tall, too short, too ugly or unwanted in any number of ways, who learn and realize their true identity. It speaks to the inner greatness within each of us; to the Divine in every soul.
The Hans Christian Andersen Limited Edition Collection is the 38th in the David Oscarson™ series of Limited Edition writing instruments. Available as either Fountain Pen or Roller ball, the collection continues in the spirit of artistic mastery and the tradition of Old World craftsmanship by combining the centuries-old technique of Guilloché with the art and expertise of Hard Enamel.
Using a mortar and pestle, a composition of glass, water and metal oxides is ground for hours by hand. When settled, the water is removed, leaving the fine paste that is the basis for hard enamel. A quill is then used to apply each coat of the mixture to the surface of the solid Sterling Silver, ensuring that the entire guilloché area is completely covered in enamel.
The components are then fired in a furnace at temperatures exceeding 1,000° F, fusing the enamel to the metal and forming a layer of glass. After cooling, the pieces are manually ground with a diamond file, restoring their proper shape and surface. This tedious process is repeated at length until the level of enamel reaches the depth required to cover the peaks and fill the valleys of each intricate guilloché pattern. When the final stages of firing are completed, the pieces are polished and buffed, revealing the velvet finish of translucent hard enamel. Production of translucent hard enamel demands the highest levels of patience, experience and skill. A five-year apprenticeship is required to ensure that the highest levels of quality will be met in each individual Collection piece. The Ugly Duckling collection will be produced in five color variations, each limited to an aggregate production of 70 pieces, one for each year of H.C. Andersen’s illustrious life. The collection stands as a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen’s understanding of intolerance, persecution, courage, endurance, perseverance, and self-realization and illumination.
Beginning at the bottom of the pen barrel, engraved in high and low relief, are a hatching egg and shell fragments, featured in either white or opalescent hot enamel. Just above, three ducklings and footprints are engraved in low relief as the clear water meets the duckyard. Also present is the signet (baby swan), featured in mid relief (still in the duckyard, but engraved at a visibly higher level than the ducklings). The signet and the ducklings are all intentionally positioned underneath the enamel in the duckyard area as they represent the dark memories of the beautiful swan’s early life; still visible, but only within the confines of the distant past.
Outlined in high relief, the magnificent mature Swan is featured in guilloche and hot enamel. His reflection is mirrored below, on the pen barrel, over the rippled water pattern. The pen clip features a cracking egg and adorning the top of the crown is the renowned signature of H.C. Andersen.
Domestic Shipping
The Pleasure of Writing is happy to offer free domestic standard shipping for orders over $150. Orders below $150 will be charged the carrier rate calculated at the checkout. Most orders are shipped within 1 business day. Once your order ships, we will e-mail you a tracking number so you may track it at UPS.com or USPS.com. Please note transit times do not include weekends and holidays and deliveries only occur on business days.
We do offer express shipping. Please note express orders will be shipped out within 1 business day. Transit time begins when the order ships and does not include holidays and weekends. Some products are not able to ship express.
For special shipping or delivery requests please write your request in the comment section or contact us by email or phone.
International Shipping
International shipping is available. We offer DHL standard shipping options at the carrier's rate calculated at the checkout. Once your order ships, we will e-mail you a tracking number so you may track it at DHL.com. Please note transit times do not include weekends and holidays and deliveries only occur on business days.
The recipient will be responsible to pay any duties or taxes.
If you need to update your shipping address please email (info@ThePleasureOfWriting.com) or call us at +1 831-626-8828. We will do our best to update the shipping address if your order has not shipped. If your order has already shipped we will not be able to change the shipping address. If the order is returned to us we can re-ship for an additional shipping charge.
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At The Pleasure of Writing, we hope that you love what you ordered. In the event that you are not satisfied, however, we have policies in places for returns, refunds, and repairs.
Upon receiving your order, be sure to carefully handle and inspect merchandise for any damage or defects; should there be a physical problem with the order, let us know as soon as possible by either calling us at 831-626-8828 or via email at info@thepleasureofwriting.com. The window for notifying us is within 30 days of receipt your order. Return requests received following day will be judged on case-by-case basis and may incur a restocking fee.
At The Pleasure of Writing, we hope that you love what you ordered, but if something is amiss with your order, let us know right away. Upon receiving your shipment, be sure to carefully handle and inspect pens for damage or defect.
Should there be a defect, we will work with you on a solution. In certain cases we can work with the distributor or manufacturer to replace the merchandise, in which case all shipping and handling will be covered. In the event that a refund is wanted for defective items, we will refund 100% of the sale to the payment method.
If the reason for return is based on preference, i.e. you received the item and didn’t like some aspect of it though it is fully functional, we will work with customers on a case-by-case basis to determine the best options. In some cases we may offer either store credit or refunds to payment method less a 15% handling fee (to cover the fees we incur from such returns); either way, we are always happy to work with our clients to help them find exactly the right writing instrument.
Once the necessity of a return has been determined, we will issue a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number, which you should write clearly on the outer box. Return shipping charges will be the responsibility of the customer (except in the case of damage/defect); we recommend shipping via insured ground service with a tracking number.
Returns must be received in their original state, and include all original packaging (warranty papers, cartridges and converters, etc.), and of course if you need to return a product because it is damaged or defective, we will apologize for the inconvenience and make it right.
Note that all returns are at the discretion of The Pleasure of Writing.
Once your return is received and inspected, we will send you an email to notify you that we have received your returned item and the status of your refund; if approved, your agreed-upon refund will be processed, and a credit will automatically be applied to your credit card or original method of payment within 10 days. Note that some refunds can take time to process depending on banks and credit card companies; if you haven’t received an expected refund, contact your financial institution first.
Note that we are unable to accept returns on any item that came free with another product or was purchased on sale, closeout, or other discounts; additionally, we cannot accept returns on any special-order products that can take many months to prepare, or on pens or nibs that have been modified in any way. Neither can we accept returns on used ink, paper, journals, sealing wax, or other supplies.
Note that we accept inked or dipped fountain pens for return or refund with the 30-day window, but these will incur a 15% fee as we can no longer sell them as new merchandise.
