Unclipping The History Behind Our Office Supplies

Office supplies. Cluttered around your desk, holding notes and lists, they seem not only indispensable, but universal. But there is a hidden history behind the sticky note, the stapler, and the paper clip. James Ward, the cofounder of The Stationery Club and the Boring Conference, discusses the stories behind our everyday office supplies in The Perfection of the Paper Clip: Curious Tales of Invention, Accidental Genius, and Stationery Obsession. 

Leonard's in studio paper clip collection! Today's please explain is about office supplies. Tweet us your photos! pic.twitter.com/BZMwOuxpZj
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) May 29, 2015

@LeonardLopate Here's my desk drawer dedicated to filled notebooks. Just can't bear to part with them. pic.twitter.com/qF5iQsxPHa
— Katherine Milsop (@KMilsop) May 29, 2015

@LeonardLopate @WNYC @iamjamesward i sort my paperclips by size pic.twitter.com/eL5L8kJxfB
— Tara Hart (@Tara_Hart28) May 29, 2015

@LeonardLopate pic.twitter.com/WIha0GDgN7
— MJfromBuffalo (@mjfrombuffalo) May 29, 2015