{"product_id":"j-thoreau-son-pencils","title":"J. Thoreau \u0026 Son Pencils","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis pack of four pencils is an homage to those made by Henry David Thoreau and his father, John. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYears before writing\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eWalden\u003c\/i\u003e, Henry David Thoreau joined his father’s pencil business and rediscovered a French formula for kiln-fired pencil leads—a mix of finely ground granite and clay—that could be reliably graded from hard to soft. In 1844, Henry invented a grinding machine that produced exceptionally fine graphite powder—the key to a strong, even point. J. Thoreau \u0026amp; Co. was the first American pencil manufacturer to market pencils using a standard hardness, graded 1\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e–\u003c\/span\u003e4, and won awards in 1847 and 1849 for their pencils. Around 1849, John Thoreau changed the name of the family business from J. Thoreau \u0026amp; Co. to J. Thoreau \u0026amp; Son.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eThis pack of four pencils with superior graduated leads is perfect for artists, writers, and engineers. Includes a No. 1 (Soft) pencil, a No. 2 (Medium) pencil, a No. 3 (Hard) pencil, and a No. 4 (Hardest) pencil.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eMade in Massachusetts.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"The Reader's Catalog","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42304600047662,"sku":"05-BWPTP","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0891\/0192\/files\/PXL_20251003_210342533_2.webp?v=1777383160","url":"https:\/\/shop.nybooks.com\/products\/j-thoreau-son-pencils","provider":"The Reader's Catalog","version":"1.0","type":"link"}