Web: Sellers of vintage pens rely heavily on the Internet. The Pendemonium site and that of David Nishimura, a Rhode Island-based dealer, at www.pendemonium.com and www.vintagepens.com , offer essential collector information. Jim Gaston, an Arkansas hobbyist/dealer, shows a well of pens at www.jimgaston.com .

Print: Want just one book? Sam Fiorella suggests Paul Erano’s Fountain Pens: Past & Present , out of print but available from used-book sources. The only American magazine devoted to vintage pens, The PENnant , is published three times yearly by Pen Collectors of America. A $40-a-year membership includes a subscription and access to a library of approximately 7,000 pen-related documents. Visit www.pencollectors.com , write to P.O. Box 447, Fort Madison, IA 52627, or phone 319-372-0881:

Repairs: Users of vintage pens should know that Fountain Pen Hospital lives up to the name Terry and Steve Wiederlight’s father and grandfather gave it in 1946. The store, at 10 Warren Street, New York, NY 10007, is crammed with merchandise, new and old. Visit www.fountainpenhospital.com or phone 800-253-7367.