A couple months ago I posted about the artist David Fullarton and wondered where I could get a notebook like the one he used for his work. Well, it turns out I had only to look in my own collection! The unusual gridded pages appearing in Fullarton’s artwork come from an engineer’s field book like … Continue reading Engineer’s Field Notebook, late 1980s
I think I stumbled across Vickerey’s website while looking for retailers that stocked Cavallini journals– but all else was forgotten when I caught a glimpse of these: Here’s Vickerey’s description: Old Style School Quaderno Notebooks (set of 3) These old-school Italian journals are reminiscent of classic academic exercise notebooks (quaderno in Italian). Replete with European … Continue reading Review and Contest: Old Style School Quaderno from Vickerey
I think this photo is adorable: It’s from a blog called The Lily Pad, where the child’s mother writes: Her favorite thing is notebooks. Big notebooks, tiny notebooks, spiral notebooks, journals, blank pages, lined pages; she loves them all. I hope the love of art and writing and her imagination and creativity stay with her … Continue reading Starting Early: Kids Who Love Notebooks
This is a strange example of my notebook obsession. I took two spiral notebooks, removed the spirals, and then combined the pages into one thicker notebook with a taped spine. I probably coated the edges of the pages with rubber cement under the tape, and they are still held in quite well. The lines of … Continue reading Modified Notebook, 1980s
Here’s a pretty basic notebook from the mid-1980s. I used it for a while in high school to keep track of school assignments and such– I dated each page, and noted each day’s assignments and deadlines. It’s got a nice clean design, but is otherwise quite boring! I’m not sure why I favored it at … Continue reading 1980s Roaring Spring Spiral Notebook
Here’s a notebook which evokes bittersweet memories for me… When I was a kid, it seemed like this sort of diary was a common promotional giveaway. Is it just me, or do companies never do this any more? Now it’s all logo pens and flashlights and foam squeeze balls, although logo-embossed notebooks are making a … Continue reading Sandoz Pharmaceutical Diary, 1970s
Here’s another amusing item from my childhood collection: This started out as a simple plain notepad, the kind with glued-together pages and a cardboard backing. They came as a pack of 3 that were meant to be separated, but I liked the chunky thickness so I left them all together. I decorated the first page … Continue reading Modified Note Pad
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
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