I sometimes shudder at the idea of old notebooks being altered in any way, but I came across a book that captures what I think is an interesting and beautiful use of old books and journals. Photographer Francesca Woodman bought various old books, notebooks and exercise books at flea markets in Italy in the 1970s. … Continue reading Francesca Woodman’s Artist’s Books
I forget how I came across this Leitz notebook on Amazon— I might have seen the brand mentioned somewhere else, or maybe it was just some algorithmic recommendation. Whatever it was, it intrigued me enough to spend $19.30 plus tax to try one out! This notebook is made in China but Leitz is a German … Continue reading Leitz Premium Notebook Review
Here’s another question from a reader who needs help finding a specific type of notebook: I’m looking for a pocket-sized daily planner (that’s NOT Moleskine). Something that has a full page for each day, not a planner that has a week layout on two pages. There are a thousand of those and I use them … Continue reading Reader Question: Seeking A Pocket Sized Daily Planner That Isn’t a Moleskine
There’s a fabulous retrospective of the artist Ruth Asawa on view now at MoMA in NYC, through February 7, 2026. Asawa is best known for her hanging sculptures made of woven wire (the header photo of this post is the shadow of one of them), but this exhibition really opened my eyes to the breadth … Continue reading Ruth Asawa’s Sketchbooks
I recently read the book The Catcher Was a Spy, a fascinating account of the life of Morris “Moe” Berg. Berg was a catcher for several major league baseball teams from the late 1920s to the early 1940s. While his record as a player wasn’t that great, he was one of the most quirky and … Continue reading Moe Berg’s Notebooks
I’ve been seeing Moglea notebooks in upscale gift stores and museum shops for a while. The hand painted covers are colorful and striking. But I was also struck by the prices, which are rather high! So I was pleased to receive one of these notebooks as part of a family Secret Santa holiday gift exchange. … Continue reading Moglea Notebook Review
I’ve had my eye on MeePlus for a while, after seeing lots of positive mentions of them on Instagram and Reddit. So when they contacted me to offer a sample of one of their MeePlus SlimPad notebooks for review, I jumped at the chance! MeePlus is a Hong Kong-based small business run by husband and … Continue reading MeePlus SlimPad Notebook Review
Sometimes it seems like there are so many systems and methods for using notebooks– Bullet Journaling is the most famous, I suppose. And then there is GTD, though that doesn’t have to be notebook-based. I also saw a link recently to the “Life at a Glance System” of journaling (via The Pen Addict). Some of … Continue reading Zero-Effort Journaling©
What are the rules around selling and collecting old notebooks that belonged to other people? I’ve recently been wondering about this after seeing certain items for sale on various sites, including a diary with very intimate thoughts and full names included. Nothing was blurred out in the listing, so I was able to google the … Continue reading Vintage Journal Ethics
Today we’ll take a look at another item from my collection of vintage notebooks, a Master-Craft loose leaf binder. At first glance, it looks quite similar to some of the other pocket size loose leaf notebooks I own but there are a couple of interesting differences. This Master-Craft notebook was quite well-used. The exterior is … Continue reading Vintage Master-Craft Loose Leaf Notebook
