From the publisher’s description:
Henry Petroski traces the origins of the pencil back to ancient Greece and Rome, writes factually and charmingly about its development over the centuries and around the world, and shows what the pencil can teach us about engineering and technology today.
Petroski, Henry (NHC Fellow, 1987–88). The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990. ISBN 9780394574226.