Rhodia Webnotebooks Now Available

I’ve been curious about the Rhodia Webnotebook ever since seeing them reviewed at Black Cover and Amateur Economist and eagerly anticipated at Spiritual Evolution of the Bean. I have been in a few stores that carry a wide range of Rhodia products, but none seem to have these yet. But they are now available at The Daily Planner, at $12 for the pocket version. I was disappointed, though, to see that they list the size as 4.5 x 6″. I thought they were supposed to be the same size as a Moleskine, 3.5 x 5.5″. Also, lined paper seems to be the only option– no plain or squared.

Oh well– guess that’s one new product I don’t need to add to my ever-growing piles of notebooks!

Four Notebooks Reviewed Part 3: Moleskine, HandBook, Derwent and Pen & Ink

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 book and stationery retailers– basically, everywhere.

Pros: smooth paper is great for rollerball pens, slim format, easy to buy anywhere

Cons: expensive, smooth buff colored paper not always great for watercolors, everybody and their mother has one

It’s for you if: you like recognizable brand names, you can’t be bothered to shop online, and you mainly intend to write or draw with pen.

Derwent:

Made in China

80 pages

Price: $5.09-7.95

Where to Buy: FineArt Store, via Amazon; Jerry’s Artarama

Pros: nice pockets, heavy paper, inexpensive

Cons: some may not like the contrasting elastic or the bright white paper; suede cover can get dirty

It’s for you if: you’re on a budget, and you don’t want ink or paints to bleed through

HandBook:

Made in India

128 pages

Price: $7.28-9.99

Where to Buy: Blick Art Materials, Jerry’s Artarama

Pros: good value for the page count, clear plastic pocket, cloth covers available in nice colors for a different, classic look

Cons: slightly rougher paper may not work well with all pens if your main intention is to use the book as a writing journal

It’s for you if: you like a toothier paper for pencil drawings and watercolor; you like collecting things in the back pocket; you want a sketchbook that looks very different from a Moleskine

Pen & Ink:

Made in China

96 pages

Price: $9.99

Where to Buy: FineArtStore, via Amazon

Pros: feels very well made, soft leather-like cover, opens wide

Cons: cover sticks out from pages more than some may prefer

It’s for you if: you want a nice, plain all-around sketchbook that is very much like a Moleskine but cheaper per page, and you don’t like being told where to write your name in it.

Each of these sketchbooks has a lot to offer– I hope you’ve enjoyed this review and that you enjoy any of these notebooks you may decide to buy!

Would This Be Your Dream Job? Director of Sales for Moleskine USA!

Ooh, I’m tempted to apply! Here’s the ad:

Moleskine® is the heir of the legendary notebook of great artists and thinkers. Brought back over ten years ago, Moleskine is available today in bookstores, museums and design stores, art supply stores and the web with a great variety of formats and styles: notebooks, planners and city notebooks.

The continuous growth of the office in New York requires expanding the commercial area and we are looking for a Director of Sales for the Trade division of Moleskine. Please visit www.moleskine.com for information about our products and distribution in North America.

Responsibilities include:

Sales and Account Management: develop national and regional book trade and specialty markets, maintain commercial calendar for new product launches, client meetings, sales presentations and specific account’s trade shows; work with distributors to understand account goals, needs, potential; create solutions, proposals, new products, and special relationships, as needed; work with internal Moleskine partners; study market and competition; meet with key clients and understand new markets and business opportunities.

Forecast Alignment and Reporting: incorporate in forecasts special initiative updates, new orders and qualitative information coming from distributors and clients; partner with logistics department to consider inventory position; collaborate with general management to decide methodology of forecasts; compare forecasts with distributors inputs and feedback from clients. Support sales analysis and reporting with qualitative information regarding distribution and business.

Additional requirements:

Ability to conduct detailed research on new clients
Detail-oriented, well organized and ability to multi-task
Strong verbal and written communications skills
Problem-solving attitude
Ability to manage a team, perform under pressure and prioritize the workload
Interest and affinity for European culture

Education and work experience:

Bachelor or Graduate degree with humanistic background, business or marketing
8+ years experience in sales and marketing
Legal right to work in the United States
Knowledge of the Italian language is a plus but not required

Please send your resume with cover letter, indicating why you would like to interview for this position along with your salary requirements.

The position will be within the office of Moleskine America, Inc. in New York City.

Notebooks at Design Within Reach

I often enjoy browsing through the Design Within Reach catalog. Unfortunately, I think that most of their merchandise is only “within reach” if you happen to be standing on a very large pile of thousand-dollar bills… but this holiday season, they have some nifty gift items at relatively low prices, including some notebooks!

I kind of liked this set of notebooks, one for each month of the year.

The set is $46.75, marked down from $55.00. For 12 notebooks of 80 pages each, it’s actually not a bad price at all!

Check out their other offerings in the stationery section of the website, under “workspace.”

Finishing a Notebook

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 to move on to whatever nice new notebook is waiting for me. I’ve also had many notebooks that I abandoned fairly early in their lives, just because I was feeling fickle, I suppose. But this time I really finished a notebook.

I think this is actually a great testament to the quality of the notebook itself, a softcover pocket Moleskine with squared pages. I fell in love with the softcover Moleskines the first time I saw them. Actually, I think buying this notebook kind of triggered a renewed intensity of my notebook lust, which led to my starting this blog. I love the softness of the soft cover, how easy it is to flip through, and how it just broke in so nicely. The edges got dingy, the corners started to bend slightly, and you can just tell the whole thing has been written in. This wasn’t ever a notebook I tried to keep pretty– I told myself I was allowed to doodle in it and use it for boring to-do lists, as well as any other little jottings that came to mind. I used blue ink and black ink and red and pink and turquoise. I stuck post-it flags in it. The whole thing is just a pleasant mess. I’m going to miss it.

I’m also going to miss using squared paper– I’m moving on to a plain paper pocket Moleskine and the pages look oddly bright and glaringly empty. My lists look a bit less organized without the lines to space them out. The squared paper was also just more fun for doodling– I wasted lots of ink coloring in blocks, filling them with dots and lines and faces, etc. I have a few more blank page notebooks to use up first, but I think I’ll be going back to squared pages at some point. Most of my notebook stash is also hardcover, and I’m thinking I may go back to a softcover at some point. I know many people have had issues with the durability of softcover Moles, and I did have to tape a page at the front to keep that signature from being too loose and falling off the binding, but overall, the notebook held up pretty well to my level of use.

I’m amazed that it took me 6 months to go through this notebook– in some ways the time flew by, but in others, this notebook feels like an old friend I’ve known forever…

Elements of a Perfect Notebook

Here’s an interesting post from Patrick Ng, contemplating all his needs for what would embody the perfect notebook. He’s actually looking into having it manufactured!

I’ve spent lots of time thinking about what a perfect notebook would be. The concept has evolved over time: I used to prefer a Filofax-type binder with lots of varied pages within. This still appeals to me, but I abandoned Filofaxes once I started using electronic PDAs. Now I’m more into the permanence of Moleskine-type notebooks… and I do love them… but are they perfect? Perhaps I can never quite call any single one of them perfect because I like so many different elements of different notebooks– I like hard covers and soft covers, graph paper and plain paper, thick paper and thin paper, smooth paper and rough paper… it’s just too hard to decide!

What are the elements of YOUR perfect notebook? Have you ever thought about having one made to your specifications?

StartHere Linkable Notebooks

Here’s a neat concept: a sort of modular notebook system in which you can combine various paper types into one big notebook by slotting their covers together, made by StartHere.

Here’s a description of the starter set you can order:

We’ve put together our favorite items, chosen to give you a complete system that allows for functionality, personalization, and flexibility for your ideal organization. Set includes: grid, lined w/ 5 tabs, and 3-level linkable notebooks + one self-adhesive pocket, one self-adhesive color tabs, and one decorative spine adhesive. Interior pages are all 100% recycled paper. Covers are 50% to 100% recycled paper. Biodegradable laminate provides a layer of protection and durability. Patented front cover pocket linking system. One interior pocket.
Size 5×7

You can also choose your own combination of the individual components. You can mix lined paper, graph paper, tabbed sections, planner pages, etc, into one big uber-notebook of your own design.

Pretty cool! But I wish they had size options other than 5×7.

Notebook Addict of the Week

Here’s what Belinda has to say for herself:

If I ever had to stand up in a meeting and confess an addiction, I know what I’d say.

“My name is Belinda and I am addicted to notebooks.”

I have a stationery problem, no doubt about it. But the truth is, I’d never want to ask for help in overcoming this. I have no wish to give up my addiction. I’m completely enthralled by it.

Notebooks as a Sleep Aid

Notebooks can be therapeutic in so many ways. This post at Dumb Little Man lists some tips for preventing insomnia, and one of them involves writing in a notebook:

Write Down Your Thoughts
Another great way to get rid of all the daily ballast is to keep pen and paper next to your bed and write down anything that comes to mind before you go to sleep. Don’t focus on the quality of your writing, just let it flow and empty your mind of all thoughts, regardless how unrelated they seem.

Some people prefer to write into a diary, while others use a normal notepad. Whatever works for you is perfectly fine. Others yet use a gratitude journal. I love this, because it helps me to focus on the positive things in my life, rather than the negatives.

This is something I often do. I don’t keep a special notebook by the bed for this purpose, but I usually bring my current favorite into the bedroom and keep it on my nighttable in case I want to write anything down. (I also keep a notebook in the nighttable that I use only for recording interesting dreams after I wake up.)

Do you write in a notebook or journal before bed?

Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page…