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TOKYO, Jun 29, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Ancient work by Japan's most famous poet, Matshuo Basho, reportedly has caused a modern day revival -- in the pencil industry.
A book of poems by Basho, often dubbed the "father of haiku," has caused sales of the traditional HB and 2H wooden/pencils to soar by nearly one-third in the past few months, the Times of London reported.
A publishing company brought out "Enpitsu de Oku no Hosomichi (Tracing the Narrow Road to the Deep North with a Pencil)," with tracing paper between each page.
The book has sold nearly 1 million copies, and the effect on the pencil market has been explosive, with sales of about 3.5 million pencils a month.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
