These are described as “Sweet Bella vintage Italian notebooks from the ’40s and ’50s.” If they are really that old and not reproductions made more recently, that is pretty cool! They look brand new…
Sweet Bella’s website features some products from Antica Cartotecnica which are said to be vintage items “culled from decades of storage,” but they don’t currently have anything that looks like these.
Found via a 2011 post at Mohawk Connects.
Cute notebooks with metallic stamped designs:
See more at Gold & Silver Foil Stamped Notebooks by Sparrow + Wolf | Paper Crave.
Jes from Australia writes to say that her 4 year old son is a budding notebook addict!
“About 18 months ago he asked for a notebook from my own (extensive collection, who said addiction doesn’t run in families? ). Since then he has filled a few. I love watching him create and record himself in his notebook’s. Â He often says he is writing his diary. He now has the same number of journals as the number of years he has been alive.”
He’s off to a good start– let’s hope he keeps up his notebooking habit in the years to come!
Thanks for sharing this story, Jes!
Ed Jelley reviews a cute little notebook, sized to exactly match your iPhone 4 or 5:
Read more at Paperscreen Four/Five Pocket Notebook – Review | edjelley.com.
Notebooks specially designed for photographers:
“They have dedicated spaces to make note of which camera you’re using, the date, subject, film speed, lighting conditions, f-stop, shutter speed, all for either 12, 24 or 36 frames of film.”
See more at Object of Desire: Ilott Photographers’ Notebooks – Telegraph.
A reader asked for more details about the notebooks in my “What I’m Using Now” photo. I haven’t been updating that photo as often as I should, though for the most part, it’s still accurate most of the time.
The red and blue notebooks are HandBook Artist Journals that I have been slowly filling with drawings and watercolors and collages over the last few years. Both were started as travel journals but have evolved into not having any particular purpose other than messing around with art supplies. These sketchbooks have been a favorite of mine for years– I love the construction and the cloth covers, which come in nice colors. The paper is good for drawing and watercolors, but a bit too toothy for writing on with fine point pens. I bought quite a few extras and am glad I did, as their prices have crept up lately, at least at some stores. They are still pretty cheap at Blick: $8.80 for the pocket size:
Hand Book Artist Journals, Cadmium Green
The black notebooks in the photo are 3 pocket-size Moleskines, one squared and two sketchbooks. I am currently using one squared and one sketchbook. I tend to have a squared notebook as my main daily notebook for keeping lists, jotting notes, journal entries, etc.– it’s usually a Moleskine, from my stash of older ones, but I’ve also occasionally used a Piccadilly. I also tend to have a sketchbook going for assorted drawings, usually made during my lunch hour when I’m sitting on a park bench observing people. Sometimes I’ll also use a sketchbook, or an unlined notebook, as my main daily notebook too– it doesn’t change things much, other than that I might be a bit more likely to use a bit of watercolor in it here and there. I sometimes do that in the squared notebooks too but the lighter paper doesn’t take to it as well.
One recent exception to my Moleskine/Piccadilly habit was using a Pen & Ink sketchbook as my daily notebook for 3 months. If you like the heavier, creamy paper of Moleskine sketchbooks, these Pen & Ink books might be your best alternative right now. The paper is not quite as heavy as Moleskine’s, but it’s very close, and sturdy enough to handle watercolors and most pens without showthrough or bleedthrough. The main difference between the two brands is the slightly softer cover material and more rounded spine. I thought the cover might get scuffed easily, but this one is still in great shape after bouncing around in my bag for 3 months and being used daily. Also note that there is not the slightest sign of wear around the spine– Moleskines often start to tear a bit at the corners.
I’ve had Pen & Ink sketchbooks in my collection for years but never used one til this, and it made me wonder why I’d waited so long! It’s really a great notebook and very reasonably priced– you can find them on Amazon
Art Alternatives Sketchbooks and Journals.
They also make a version with watercolor paper, currently $9.23 at Blick:
Art Alternatives Watercolor Books
I also bought a couple of their squared notebooks, hoping they’d be a good Moleskine alternative, but unfortunately the lines of the graph paper are really thick and dark, to the point where it’s very distracting to write on. I hope they do something about that! I will probably buy a bunch more Pen & Ink sketchbooks– their quality seems to have remained pretty consistent over the last few years, unlike Moleskine’s, but you never know. I’d like to add a few spares to my stash in case things change!
See these posts for more comparisons between Moleskine, HandBook and Pen & Ink sketchbooks:
Four Notebooks Reviewed, Part 1
Four Notebooks Reviewed, Part 2
Four Notebooks Reviewed, Part 3
How about you, readers? What are you using now?
A fun approach to the question of paper vs. digital notetaking:
Read more at A Hand-Drawn Interview With the Man Behind Adobe’s Pen of the Future | Motherboard.
This week’s addict is a writer who does much of his work in notebooks. He recently finished a novel consisting of “116,386 words, 472 pages (almost a ream of paper), and numerous books of hand written script.”
“I always write the first draft by hand, I find it more intimate than typing directly onto my laptop, my ideas seem to flow better, besides I love notebooks and pens. I can’t stop myself from going into every stationary shop I see and buying notebooks. The little book on top of the file is crammed with thoughts and ideas, also hand written research notes. Each one of my novels has one of these little books dedicated to it.”
Read more at My novels and other things: Manuscript, research notes and hand written notebooks..
Wow, this is really cool– an amazingly detailed reproduction of the diary of John Wilkes Booth, reproducing all the interior pages, and housed in a painstakingly crafted leather exterior. I love how it’s a wallet and notebook all in one, with lots of handy pockets.
Lots more photos at I have a Booth diary! | BoothieBarn, and more info about the making of the diary here.
Big thanks to former Notebook Addict of the Month Paul for the tip!
A nicely understated, rugged-looking notebook cover:
Available in 4 colors, and comes with your choice of either a Moleskine cahier or a Field Notes notebook included. Buy at “The Tennyson” Note Book – From Shire Supply Company / ShireSupply.