Tag Archives: diaries

What I Want for Christmas!

Here’s a few things I discovered over the past few weeks, at least one of which I think might be under my Christmas tree already. The rest will be purchased with a gift card I just received! J.M.W. Turner: The Wilson Sketchbook This looks like a lovely facsimile sketchbook to add to my collection. Turner … Continue reading What I Want for Christmas!

Gage & Tollner Notebooks from the 1960s and 1970s

I lived in Brooklyn for years, but never went to Gage and Tollner, an old-fashioned steakhouse that was an institution there for over 100 years until it closed in 2004. They’re working on reopening soon, and in the process, came across some amazing artifacts. From an article in the New York Times: For an individual, … Continue reading Gage & Tollner Notebooks from the 1960s and 1970s

Techorui Toshoshitsu: A Library of Notebooks

Yet another reason I’m dying to go to Japan! This library in central Tokyo is like no other. Instead of offering volumes ranging from the usual, it displays the decidedly unusual. How about a bittersweet story of unrequited love between two high school students, a man’s passion for job-hunting or someone’s fixation on a pop … Continue reading Techorui Toshoshitsu: A Library of Notebooks

Scanned Notebooks From Yang Zhichao’s Chinese Bible

There is currently an art exhibition on view in Australia featuring a work called “Chinese Bible” by Yang Zhichao. It is a “monumental installation of 3000 notebooks and diaries inscribed between 1949 and 1999. These small books were collected by the artist from Beijing markets from 2005 to 2008 and ritually washed before presentation. Once … Continue reading Scanned Notebooks From Yang Zhichao’s Chinese Bible

Notebooks from Europe

I’m very fortunate to have friends in Paris and Amsterdam that I’ve been able to visit a few times. I went in 2014 and bought quite a few notebooks. This past year, I went again, and also included Belgium on my itinerary. I wasn’t expecting to buy as many notebooks this time, but I ended … Continue reading Notebooks from Europe

Ten Years of Notebook Stories!

September 12, 2008: 25 people died in a train collision in Los Angeles. Top Wall Street bankers and US government officials met in a panic to try to save Lehman Brothers, as the country began to tumble into the biggest financial crisis since the depression. David Foster Wallace committed suicide. But on the brighter side of things, … Continue reading Ten Years of Notebook Stories!

David Sedaris’ Diaries

David Sedaris has a new book out called Theft By Finding, which contains entries from diaries he’s kept from 40 years, including while he was a student at the Art Institute of Chicago. The diaries themselves are quite interesting– he made many of them himself and decorated the covers: Read more at: David Sedaris: The … Continue reading David Sedaris’ Diaries

Notebook Stories on Pinterest

I’ve been posting less frequently here lately, due to some time constraints, but I’m still always searching for interesting notebooks! If you are hungry for notebook eye candy in between blog posts, please make sure you also follow me on Pinterest. Lots of beautiful notebook pages and other good stuff.

The Mystery of 148 Lost Notebooks

This is an extraordinary story. But I hope it doesn’t happen to me someday! The 148 diaries below were found in a dumpster. Many years later, a biographer named Alexander Masters tries to decipher the writer’s identity from their contents… to say any more would be a spoiler. It’s a must read! Read more at: … Continue reading The Mystery of 148 Lost Notebooks

Photographers’ Sketchbooks

Here’s another book I’ve been thinking about adding to my collection: Photographers’ Sketchbooks. Since it’s photography, not all of the “sketchbooks” are traditional paper ones, though a couple are shown below. From the review linked below: “This book is comprised of over 500 illustrated pages featuring the tangible objects that help these photographers realize their … Continue reading Photographers’ Sketchbooks