This notebook feels almost like a Holy Grail find. A pocket sized Smythson notebook with UNLINED paper!

I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Smythson notebooks. I splurged on one of their address books ages ago because I loved the classic and classy Panama cross-grain leather cover and light blue pages. At 3 3/8 x 5 1/2″ and about 5/16″ thick, Smythson notebooks are lightweight and flexible compared to a typical Moleskine-type notebook. They have luxurious little details like gilt edges– and very luxurious (i.e. expensive) prices to match. Unfortunately the ones you see for sale on eBay at lower prices usually seem to be in odd colors, and/or have annoying slogans stamped on the front– stamped in gold foil and a beautiful font, at least. And often the prices aren’t that much lower than MSRP, or they’re adding on expensive shipping from the UK.

My main reason for not having bought another Smythson notebook all these years, aside from price, was that the pages were always lined. I’ll buy a lined notebook to review sometimes if it’s not too expensive, but otherwise, I really only want to use plain, squared or dotted pages day to day.

I once saw a photo online (story here) that led me to believe that unlined Smythson notebooks might sometimes exist, but when I inquired in a Smythson store (and learned that one pronounces it with a long I, as in Sm-eye-thson) they said they only came lined. But I can now confirm that at least one unlined Smythson notebook has been made, and it is in my possession.

I was so pleased to find this on eBay. “Notes and Sketches” on the cover is so much more “me” than, say, “Sloane Ranger,” or “Yummy Mummy.” I love the red color. And the pages really are plain, no lines to be found. There is one page with Smythson’s brand info but otherwise it is completely blank.

I would guess this notebook was not made very recently: the Smythson stamp on the back cover looks different from how it is currently styled, and the brand info lists the address as 40 New Bond Street, which is not their current address. But it must be from after 2002, as the info shows 4 royal warrants, and the 4th was only granted in 2002 according to the company history. I suppose this notebook was aimed towards people who might want to draw as well as write. But the only unlined notebooks currently sold by Smythson are in larger sizes, sometimes with sketchbook paper.

The paper Smythson uses is very thin and lightweight– they refer to their notebooks as “featherweight,” in fact. It is hard to believe that this paper could be fountain pen friendly as claimed– but it is! Fountain pens work beautifully on this paper. I found that my ink colors looked more vibrant than I would have expected on blue paper. There is pretty much no bleedthrough, and show-through is less than that you’d expect too, hardly noticeable at all and definitely less than Tomoe River paper. (Somehow the show-through is less noticeable in real life than in these photos.) Where I pressed down for some line variation, you can see some marks from the pressure of the tines, but still no bleed-through. The only pens that did bleed through a little were the very juicy Uniball Signo 207, an oil-based Uniball marker, and the dreaded Super Sharpie, which really seems sacrilegious to use in a Smythson notebook. I feel like I have to apologize to the notebook by saying “Oh, I DO beg your pardon, terribly sorry!” in a British accent, but maybe that’s because I’ve been watching too many episodes of The Crown.

If I had to find something not to love about this notebook, it would be that it will never really “lie flat.” It will open completely flat as the sewn signatures and binding are very flexible. But the spine will stick out a bit so it’s always going to want to close itself. But that is pretty common with slim pocket sized notebooks anyway.

The closest you can get to this notebook in Smythson’s current catalog is the Panama Notebook with featherweight blue lined paper. It comes in various colors at $75. There is a Soho notebook with plain blue featherweight pages and the same leather texture on the cover but in a 5.5 x 7.5″ size– it will set you back $250. But beware– that notebook looked like it has the Smythson brand name on each page, so while it is unlined, it is not truly “blank.”

Smythson Panama notebooks are still made in England– it’s been a couple of years since I last looked at current models in a store, but the quality still seemed excellent, as it should be for the prices they charge, and hopefully that hasn’t changed since. If you are a fountain pen user who wants a simple, classic, luxurious notebook or agenda, or if you want to give a special gift to a notebook lover, or if you just have really deep pockets, they are well worth considering.