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 flair, they have sturdy, vintage-feeling paperboard covers and lined pages made from recycled paper – edged with red for extra style. Three sizes are included in the set – the handy blank labels on the front make it easy to customize, whether with the title of your latest work or the names of your various projects. Sleek and fun!

These are sold as a set of 3 notebooks tied with raffia, including: 1 pocket size (3.5 x 5), 1 medium size (4.75 x 6.5) and 1 large size (5.75 x 8).
• Sold as a set of 3 notebooks
• 3.5 x 5, 4.75 x 6.5, and 5.75 x 8
• Euro school-style notebooks
• Each books has 80 lined pages (40 sheets)
• Red edge
• Cream-colored, recycled paper

I was immediately smitten with the retro look– the labels, the texture, the red edges. I haven’t seen anything quite like these elsewhere. So of course I had to email them and beg for a sample to review, which their marketing department was kind enough to send!

The notebooks arrive attractively packaged in brown paper, with Vickery’s business cards. Inside, the set of 3 different sizes is held together with rough brown twine.

Someone really paid attention to detail when they designed these. The crocodile texture covers look great with the labels, and the red edges really make these feel special. The lines inside are nicely spaced and consistently straight.

The covers are a little lighter than I would prefer– they’re very flexible and I’m afraid they wouldn’t stand up to a lot of wear and tear. The pages are held together with staples.

The first page in the notebook is unlined, which is a nice touch.

The paper is a little rougher than a Moleskine– it still worked well with most of my rollerball pens, and show-through wasn’t too bad. (Those dots are the Super Sharpie.)

The small notebook is slightly shorter than a Moleskine Volant, but of similar thickness. Also below is a comparison shot with a Moleskine Volant and a Kikkerland Writersblok:

The large notebook is my favorite– I literally squealed when I opened it up to find these extra touches, to make you feel like a little Italian kid in grammar school!

At $24 for the set, these are a little pricey, but I think the quality and great design make up for it. This is something you could proudly give as a gift without the recipient thinking “ho hum, I could have bought that at Staples.”

I’ve never seen these in any other store, so if you want them, buy them online at Vickerey. Or you can throw your hat in the ring to win one! I’ll be picking random winners to receive samples of these notebooks, one winner each day on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week (July 14, 15, 16, 2009). Here’s how you enter:

• Follow me on Twitter @notebookstories AND post this message as a Twitter update: Win a cool notebook this week @notebookstories https://www.notebookstories.com

I’ll pick a winner each day so Tweet each day to increase your chances. I’ll announce all the winners at the end of the week. Good luck! Or should I say buona fortuna?