The Stationery Cupboard

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Lucy Mangan explores our obsession with pens, paper and the paraphernalia of office life.

Lucy Mangan explores our obsession with pens, paper and the paraphernalia of office life. From 2012. 

Lucy Mangan loves pens...and paper...and folders.

In fact, from her first fountain pen to the latest leather notebook, Lucy has been thrilled by the smell and feel of fresh stationery. Of course, she's not alone - one of the most popular luxuries for BBC Radio’s Desert Island Discs castaways is pen and paper. 

Meet fellow devotees of the paraphernalia of school and office life, as Lucy goes back to her South London junior school to talk to children about pencil cases. 

She also meets writers to discuss the merits of the 1920s typewriter, a sleek laptop, and a pile of lined A5 notebooks.

Psychologist Linda Blair explores our attachment to particular designs, and members of the Writing Equipment Society explain why happiness is a collection of 2,000 fountain pens.

Producer: Chris Ledgard

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2012.

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