My Notebook Recommendations

“Sophie!” you cry. “You know a lot about notebooks. What should I buy?”

 

Well, friend, I have been running a notebook tumblr (and, may I say, one of the earliest notebook tumblrs) for a few years now, and I have gathered a few things and acquired a few favourites. But before I start, I really have to encourage you to check out Notebook Stories, which reviews a huge number of notebooks. That’s your go-to website for notebook information. There are a lot of notebooks too that I haven’t been able to try out for myself, but here are a few of my recommendations:

 

Leuchtturm1917

So you like the classic look of the moleskine, but you hate the paper quality? Look no further than the Leuchtturm1917. While it’s not the absolute best quality paper out there, it’s a long ways better than the moleskine, and the Leuchtturm comes with a few extra points in its favour as well. It’s more of a proper A5 than the moleskine, with a wider page. Each page is numbered and there is an index, so it makes a very solid bullet journal. The Leuchtturm also does a dotted page as an alternative to the lined or squared, and it comes with stickers for the front and spine so you can file your notebook away when you’ve finished using it. A very solid notebook.

 

Paperblanks

These are more of your journal type notebooks, with beautifully decorated covers. Seriously, check this shit out. Gorgeous stuff. Some even come with little metal latches.  They come in a variety of styles, an impressive number of sizes, and they do gorgeous planners as well. The paper seems to vary in thickness depending on the type of notebook you get – I just pulled out an old pocket planner and a large journal to check and the journal definitely has thicker paper. But thick or not, it’s very absorbent and inks have a tendency to feather, so caveat emptor, fountain pen users.

 

Midori

Midori’s traveller’s notebooks are a big favourite of mine at the moment. I love the way the leather covers acquire such character as you use them. The paper is great quality, with minimal shadowing and no feathering. The main drawback with a Midori is price. The covers are expensive. On top of that they are an awkward size; the regular is as tall as an A5 but much narrower, and a passport is very small indeed. You’re not limited to Midori’s own inserts (although they are very good), as there are many people on etsy who make Midori refills, but if you go that route the paper you get will be variable.

 

Rhodia and Clairefontaine

I lump these two together as Rhodia is a part of Clairefontaine, and uses their paper. Clairefontaine is famous for its quality paper. Smooth and beautiful. Holds ink like a dream – although inks do dry slow on Clairefontaine. The trouble is that they aren’t all that pretty. Rhodia pads and notebooks look very simple, many of them staple-bound, frequently in their traditional orange-and-black. Their “webnotebook” comes in more colours, with a leatherette cover, but the brand is stamped into it which may be a turn-off for some. Clairefontaine’s own notebooks look like exercise or composition books: perfectly serviceable, but not very photo-friendly. While they’re always in my recommended list because of the paper quality, they may not be your cup of tea, and there’s a long drying time if you’re a fountain pen user without a lot of patience.

 

Those are my big favourites. Oh, and a special mention for Tomoe River Paper, which is spectacular, but which I have not yet seen in notebook form. That may just be because it isn’t very big outside Japan yet, so we’ll see. Happy writing, everyone.