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
Here’s a question from a reader: “I just took a job managing several employees. I’d like to keep a notebook that will have a section for each employee (roughly about 10). I have a travelers notebook and thought about several inserts for them but as much as I was addicted to travelers notebooks, I am … Continue reading Reader Question: A Notebook to Track Several Employees
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 bought these Logical Prime notebooks at Nota Bene in Montreal, a great destination for stationery shopping. These wire-o bound notebooks have a snazzy design that stands out from many of their competitors. I chose a B5 size notebook with a green cover, and an A5 size in grey. The covers are made of a … Continue reading Notebook Review: Logical Prime
Here’s the latest update on my daily carry notebooks, or at least frequently used notebooks. The COVID-19 pandemic means I’m not necessarily going somewhere everyday, other than for a walk around my neighborhood, so I’m not actually “carrying” my notebooks much. My most frequently used notebooks are: The 2021 Nolty Efficiency Notebook Gold, where I … Continue reading Notebooks I’m Using Now: February 2021
Here is a very cute eBay find: a 3 x 5″ Collegiate notebook that I would guess is maybe from the 1940s-1950s or maybe earlier given that the price is only 10 cents. Cool cover design and excellent brown pressboard cover. For sale on eBay as of this writing for $9.99 or best offer. After … Continue reading Vintage Collegiate Notebook
Some of my earliest notebook obsessions were spiral and wire-o binding notebooks. Back when I was a kid, other kinds of notebook were not as easy to find, or were prohibitively expensive for a kid to buy with her allowance. Nowadays, I rarely find myself using a wire bound notebook, but I thought I’d take … Continue reading Spiral and Wire-O Notebooks from My Collection, Part 1
I’m sure everyone’s seen the rather disturbing news about the arrival in the US of the “Murder Hornet.” These scary bugs, more formally known as the Asian Giant Hornet, have a nasty sting and a habit of decapitating bees. And they’re huge! How huge are they? Up to two inches long, as shown in the … Continue reading The Murder Hornet Notebook
I recently read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and was struck by this passage in the biographical note about the author, Muriel Spark: I had not heard of James Thin, but sadly, when I looked them up, it turns out that this long-standing bookseller, stationer and publisher no longer exists, and their Edinburgh shop … Continue reading Muriel Spark’s Notebooks
