Another notebook that was probably manufactured in the late 1970s to early 1980s: a slim lined memorandum book by the Northern Central Co. of Milwaukee. The cover has a textured fake-leather look, but it’s just glossy card stock, stamped in gold foil. Dig that cool logo on the front! I didn’t use very many pages … Continue reading Memorandum Book Made by Northern Central Co., Milwaukee
I’ve been wanting to check these out for a while, and it seems they are finally more widely available. I picked up a set of 3 small dotted notebooks at Paper Presentation on West 18th St. in NYC. They also had the large size, and ruled and plain paper versions in both sizes. I’ve read … Continue reading Kikkerland WritersBlok Notebooks Now Available
When I was about 8 years old, my grandmother took me to visit the office where she had formerly worked. One of her friends there took a liking to me, and for several years afterwards, we kept in touch through short cards and letters. A few years ago, the friend, whose name was Lucy, returned … Continue reading A Chinese Diary, 1980
Here’s a gem from the late ’70s/early ’80s. I love the simple cover design with the 25 cent price at the bottom. I wonder what ever happened to the Eastern Tablet company of Albany, NY. When you google it, not much comes up other than the obituaries of people who worked there at one time. … Continue reading Paper King Memo Book, late 1970s or early 1980s
I’m a little more than half done with my current notebook and I’m already starting to wonder what I’ll use next. Partly this is because I have such a large stack of unused notebooks to choose from… but it’s also due to a bit of restlessness. Since I’ve started using Moleskines, I’ve been quite good … Continue reading Thick or Thin?
Happy New Year! I am glad to report that during my holiday hiatus, I received several new notebooks as Christmas gifts: From my mom: a Moleskine Pocket Sketchbook, a Cachet Sketch Book, and a small Strathmore Drawing Pad (along with some nice drawing pencils). From a friend: a Moleskine Japanese Album and a Moleskine Weekly … Continue reading Notebooks Received as Gifts
I retrieved a ton of old notebooks from my parents’ basement– I had totally forgotten about some of these! I am looking forward to rediscovering some favorites from my childhood collection and posting them here!
Here’s a few blank books from my childhood: Remember those Nothing Books? They were all the rage for a while. They sold them at a local bookstore and they became quite a fad at my school– kids mainly used them for autograph books, I think, where you’d just have your friends sign a page and … Continue reading 1980s Notebooks from My Collection
After looking at various attributes of the Moleskine, HandBook, Derwent, and Pen & Ink sketchbooks (see Part 1 and Part 2 of this review), let’s sum up a few key points about these 4 very similar notebooks. Moleskine: Made in China 80 pages Price: $10-15, depending on retailer Where to Buy: Amazon and all major … Continue reading Four Notebooks Reviewed Part 3: Moleskine, HandBook, Derwent and Pen & Ink
This is a rare experience for me– I’ve loved notebooks all my life and used hundreds of them, but it’s unusual for me to actually fill one up completely. Sometimes I just can’t hang in for those last few pages, because it doesn’t seem like enough room to start something, or because I’m just itchy … Continue reading Finishing a Notebook