Comments on: The Little Blue Book http://www.notebookstories.com/2010/01/28/the-little-blue-book/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page... Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:30:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike http://www.notebookstories.com/2010/01/28/the-little-blue-book/comment-page-1/#comment-29256 Mike Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:19:27 +0000 http://www.notebookstories.com/?p=2248#comment-29256 I presume they’re referring to <a href="http://www.smythson.com/SmythsonSite/product/Books_Pocket%20Notebooks_View%20All/SB-1005476.htm" rel="nofollow">Smythson ‘Panama’ notebooks</a> when they state “throughout history true gentlemen have always carried a Little Blue Book”. Unfortunately, this notebook only trumps the Smythson on price — Bond Street’s finest are renowned for their peerless quality and class, but infamous for their huge price-tag. They’re also incredibly thin due to the ‘Featherweight’ paper used inside them; on average, just over half the thickness of a Moleskine but with more leaves (128 vs. 96). I also think the Moleskine beats this too; it has character of its own, and its oil-cloth covers don’t try to be up-market like these PU leather covers try and fail to do. I’m also not convinced by the printing inside the front cover. It looks somewhat poorly done, and not much thought has gone into it. It certainly doesn’t strike me as particularly evocative of a gentlemanly image. Overall, I’m not so impressed. If Moleskine were to bring out one of their pocket notebooks in royal blue (as they recently did with their cahiers), I’d be much more likely to buy it. I presume they’re referring to Smythson ‘Panama’ notebooks when they state “throughout history true gentlemen have always carried a Little Blue Book”. Unfortunately, this notebook only trumps the Smythson on price — Bond Street’s finest are renowned for their peerless quality and class, but infamous for their huge price-tag. They’re also incredibly thin due to the ‘Featherweight’ paper used inside them; on average, just over half the thickness of a Moleskine but with more leaves (128 vs. 96).

I also think the Moleskine beats this too; it has character of its own, and its oil-cloth covers don’t try to be up-market like these PU leather covers try and fail to do. I’m also not convinced by the printing inside the front cover. It looks somewhat poorly done, and not much thought has gone into it. It certainly doesn’t strike me as particularly evocative of a gentlemanly image.

Overall, I’m not so impressed. If Moleskine were to bring out one of their pocket notebooks in royal blue (as they recently did with their cahiers), I’d be much more likely to buy it.

]]>