Now two of Marden’s journals have been exquisitely printed by the New York–based publishing imprint Karma, in whose gallery space the drawings, the journals, and a monochrome painting—Portrait (1964–65)—are on display….
Throughout the notebooks, intensity of method combines with a mix of quotidian marginalia and endless detail of a life engaged with social and street activity. Addresses and lists creep across the pages; one scrap of paper has Richard Serra’s phone number on it; Carl Andre’s is on another. There are newspaper clippings; business cards; pulpy glamour photos; a vehicle removal ticket from the City of New York Police Department; ticket stubs from concerts such as Wilson Pickett at Village Theatre on October 7, 1967, and Johnny Cash at Carnegie Hall on October 23, 1968. The ticket stubs stand in, almost, as color swatches or samples for his paintings. On another page of his notebooks, Marden has repeatedly written—like a child practicing a cursive signature—the name Zurbarán, with a single word standing tall among the four attempts: “ART.â€
Moleskine continues to mix up their product selection with unexpected departures from their standard styles. The latest is the “Blend Collection,” which feature woven cloth covers and contrasting elastics:
The Moleskine logo on the back can’t be debossed as usual, so they’ve put it on a little patch:
Here’s an interesting concept– the Paper Saver notebook
“The Paper Saver turns your printed paper into a stylish faux leather notebook. Once the paper is inserted into the Paper Saver, it will become an elegant, professional notebook.”
It’s a nice idea– I always seem to have a mountain of paper to recycle in my office and like the idea of finding other ways to use it. With this notebook, you save a stack of paper, align it so all the blank sides are facing down, slide it into the pocket in one side of the cover, and then fold the pages over so the blank sides face up as pages for you to write on, all inside a nice professional-looking cover. It’s a bit weird that half your stack of paper is not accessible while it’s in the pocket, but I guess after you’ve gone through the pages on one side, you can slide them back out and turn the stack around. The only problem with that is if you need to refer to the notes you’ve written on the other side, now they are tucked away in the pocket. Actually, for me there would be one other problem, which is that the Paper Saver cover is made for A4 paper, so standard 8.5 x 11″ North American paper doesn’t fit inside. But if you are in a country where A4 is standard, it may be worth a try!
This week’s addict hails from Malta, where he’s amassed quite a collection! Here’s his photos:
I love seeing them laid out so neatly in rows, and beyond the obvious Field Notes and Rhodia and a few other brands I recognize, I think there are some European brands here that are less common. I’d love to know more about them!
This is one of my weirder online finds: a $13 two-pack of notebooks, pages “specially scented with chupa chups flavors.” I guess if you really like those lollipops, these notebooks are for you!
Source: Paladone | Chupa Chups Scented Notebooks – Set of 2 at ASOS
Every so often, I’ll see a new brand of notebook that interests me, but I don’t feel like spending money on it. I usually snap a photo or write down the brand name, and then look it up online to find out more. Below is a photo I took of a notebook found several months ago in Brooklyn’s Book Court (a great independent bookstore):
Despite having the brand name (HOM, as far as I can tell), the name of the artist whose painting is on the cover (William Witenberg), and a SKU number, I haven’t been able to find out anything about this notebook! Nothing relevant seems to pop up in Google searches.
“I’m obsessed with pocket notebooks and have found that the perfect one for me is the soft cover Leuchtturm notebook. Your blog inspired me to test these Leuchtturms and I’m really glad I had! I’m afraid the obsession has moved to a whole new level. I like these so much I collected quite a few to make sure I never run out of my favorite notebook.”
Time once again to try to help each other out by crowd-sourcing some notebook questions!
Toby writes: The enclosed picture is of my favorite notebook, well the notebook is a few weeks old but the cover I have carried since I was fifteen, everyday it goes in my left pocket and more of my most cherished ideas are inscribed into it. I have taken it everywhere everyday, even overseas…but alas it is falling apart. Rather than carry it to complete ruin I am looking to replace it so that I may have what remains as a memento. Please tell me if you know where I may find a cover that is similar.
I haven’t seen notebook covers for sale in this particular format, where a top-opening pad fits into a side-opening leather cover. But maybe Etsy would be a good place to search for someone who could make one? I did a quick search and spotted a seller called CLWorkshop who offers handmade leather journals and says “If you wanna special size journal cover, pls let us know your book’s size, length, width, thickness, we will give you the best price.” Anyone else have any ideas?
Armelle, who lives in the south of France, is looking for advice on a business idea: I always loved note books, and recently I thought of making my own.. and even to make some for others. I would like to find out how to make spiral bound note books, with hard cover (so that one can easily write on it, even if on one’s knees when one doesn’t have a table). I’m ready to invest a bit in the business by buying some binding machine. But as my financial situation is pretty difficult these days, I can not take much risk. I would like to hear others experience.
It looks like you can buy such machines online for as little as a few hundred dollars but I’m not sure how sturdy they’d be for a business. Can these machines punch through thick covers as well as sheets of paper? Has anyone tried this and do you have any advice for Armelle?
TonyB is looking for a journal with tabs that stick out to divide it into different subjects:
I’m tired of juggling three or four journals all the time. It’s a pain to keep up with and the cat keeps knocking them off my desk. I’m looking for one journal that I can use for all subjects. Something with good-quality lined paper and tabs (the kind that stick out), under $15 hopefully. Ideally, something like this, but maybe with a better binding and not so expensive.
A good old-fashioned refillable binder like a Filofax or Franklin Planner is one idea to consider. The paper they come with might not be ideal, but they sell hole-punchers that match their rings so you could insert your own favorite paper. My other idea would be to find a notebook whose paper you like and then add your own removable tabs (such as these to divide it into sections. This would work best if the notebook has a wider cover overhang, so the tabs are somewhat protected. Otherwise, I can’t think of any good-quality notebooks that have divider tabs. Any reader suggestions for Tony?
Iñigo wrote to share a couple of notebook-related tips, including one about Jackie Collins, who has since died, sadly:
I’m writing from Spain. I live in the border with France, so I get to buy Spanish AND French notebook brands…
1. Apparently, author Jackie Collins writes EVERY book by hand and has a secretary that types it the next day. I couldn’t find the interview where she tells it but, I found a picture of her with her hand written books. Here:
2. In the teenage tv series Gossip Girl, there is an episode where one characters diaries leak to the internet.
The notebook apparently is from Tiffany’s, and in a scene you can see that she has used the exact same notebook (which is great for symmetry lovers like me) and how she stores them. I’m sure I would like to do it if I had space and money.
to divide it into sections. This would work best if the notebook has a wider cover overhang, so the tabs are somewhat protected. Otherwise, I can’t think of any good-quality notebooks that have divider tabs. Any reader suggestions for Tony?