The book is theinside story of the invention of an industrial product that became an American icon. It takes place in the 1960-70’s at a small, privately owned company, Sandford Ink Company, located in Bellwood, Illinois. When the author interviewed for the job, Keith Beal, the Research and Development Director, gave him a tour of the manufacturing area. Beal made it a point to stop at a small table. At the table were three or four assemblers manually placing Sharpie pen “reservoirs” into Sharpie “barrels”, fitting the “ferrule” (top half of the pen) into place, spin welding the assembly, adding the ink with a foot-operated syringe, setting the tip and cap in place, and then placing the finished marker in a box that was partitioned to hold twelve rows of twelve—one gross of product. “This,” Keith told me, “Is the Sharpie Marker.”

All the author wanted when he interviewed for the job of chemist at Sanford Ink Company was a way to support his young family. He would worry about making his mark in the world after his family had a place to sleep, a used car to drive, and food in the refrigerator. Furniture for the apartment could come later.

What happens next is today a piece of industrial Americana.

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