Common objects often have uncommon stories. The zipper, the pencil and the paper clip were devised by inventors who long struggled to produce things we now take for granted. Unearthing the histories of these humble objects may reveal much about the hidden underpinnings of our everyday world. That is the case with "Ballpoint," Hungarian author György Moldova's chronicle of the vicissitudes of the ballpoint pen's invention and commercial development.

Mr. Moldova, the author of more...