I just can’t seem to resist a certain kind of vintage notebook on eBay. I have bought several over the years, from various brands, in varying conditions and with various contents.

This one is quite adorable. It’s also quite fragile– the cover material (some sort of faux-leather material) is not very flexible, and the edges of the spine where it bends seem like they may be wearing out. Every time I open it, I’m afraid I’ll tear the cover off. Inside, it came with a set of alphabetical index tabs and some paper, but unfortunately all the pages are blank. I’m sure someone used it as an address book or notebook for quite a while, though, as it shows lots of wear and tear.

On the inside back cover, you can see the Marquette brand name, and the model number 1-126.

Interestingly, this is the exact same model number as the other old Marquette looseleaf I wrote about in this post. But I didn’t remember having a notebook exactly like this one. I had to dig out the other Marquette notebook to figure out why: these notebooks have different ring sizes, one being about 11mm and the other being about 15mm. The other Marquette notebook is thicker, and slightly wider to accommodate paper sticking out a little further from the larger rings.

Another difference between the two versions is the inside cover material. On this thinner notebook, it has a beautiful textured pattern, but on the other one it’s just plain black. One one, the logo is red, on the other it’s green. The thin one says “patented.” That and the textured endpapers make me think it must be older. The thin notebook has tabs for opening the rings at both ends, but the thicker one only has one tab at the bottom. Both notebooks’ ring mechanisms still work!

I guess Marquette either changed the design of the notebook at some point, or they offered the same model number in two different ring sizes. It reminds me of the mystery of my two Filofax Chelsea organizers!

There’s not a whole lot else to say about this one. It’s a charming little notebook, even if it doesn’t have any fascinating contents.

If you’re interested, check out some of my posts about other Marquette brand notebooks and vintage looseleaf notebooks, including a decorator’s notebook, and a very tiny Wilson Jones notebook.

Diary, Nostalgia, Personal, Planner

Hallmark Diaries from the 1970s

October 29, 2024 Nifty Notebook 3 Comments

I have saved almost all the pocket size notebooks I’ve used in my life, except for the very earliest ones. I was drawn to small diaries and notebooks before I could even write, and the very first ones I remember using were Hallmark promotional diaries given away at the local drugstore– but I don’t have any of them anymore. It bothers me a bit that I don’t have any artifacts from this foundational part of my notebooking history!

I’d never thought to google “Hallmark Diaries” until recently, but sure enough, other people saved those diaries and some have ended up for sale on eBay and Etsy. I’m pretty sure I must have used a couple of these exact ones shown below (from an Etsy listing):

Here’s another one that would have been from around my era:

The one below (from eBay) also looked familiar, though by 1979, I would have been well into my usage of much more exciting diaries from the Harvard Coop!

These diaries, or date books, to use their terminology, had a pretty standard format: 4 inches high by 3 1/2 inches wide, staple bound, with space for some personal information, a spread for each month, and some information relating to gift giving. I remember mine having lists of gifts for different wedding anniversaries, and maybe lists of birth stones. (Images below are from these ebay listings: 1983 Hallmark Date Book, 1982 Hallmark Date Book, 1979 Hallmark Date Book.)

The back covers would say “With our compliments” and have space for the retailer’s information.

hallmark diary with our compliments back cover

As anyone who’s followed this site for a while might guess, the cutesy covers and squarish shape of these Hallmark diaries was not particularly to my liking. I know I cut at least one of mine down to a narrower rectangular shape, and I might have pasted something over the cover, or colored it with a marker. Trimming the diary down made the calendar unusable, but I wasn’t using them to record any actual appointments so I didn’t really care. I think I mainly scribbled in these date books, and maybe practiced writing my name. But I wish I still had them so I’d know for sure! Some of my childhood notebooks have rather amusing things in them, so I’m sorry my Hallmark diaries are long lost.

Colorverse, Maruman, My Collection, Organization, Pagem, Personal, Planner, productivity

Finishing a Work Notebook

October 22, 2024 Nifty Notebook 2 Comments

Back in July 2021, I wrote about how I’d just transitioned to a new work notebook, a Mnemosyne notebook from Maruman. When I wrote that post, I wasn’t happy with the size and dot grid and how those were working vs. my desktop space and the size of my handwriting. But I ended up sticking with the notebook for over 3 years, til the very last page!

What fixed it for me was turning the notebook 90 degrees and using it in landscape format. The page header became a blank space on the side where I could doodle (not that this kept me from doodling elsewhere), and I adjusted to (and sometimes ignored) the dot grid.

pagem diary and mnemosyne notebook on desk

Now that it’s finished, I kind of love it. I always seem to feel this way about my work notebooks when they’re finished– I use them over pretty long periods of time, so they’re crinkled, messy and full of doodles, and I sometimes have extra notes stapled or taped in. They’re not pretty, but they feel very lived-in, and they’re a memento of actual productivity.

My habits with these notebooks may be changing a little. This year, I started using a smaller paper planner (a Pagem diary I reviewed here) in addition to this larger notebook. The to-do lists moved to that planner, and the Mnemosyne notebook was used more for meeting notes and doodling. I liked having it as a handy scratchpad for my fast scrawls in larger handwriting, vs. my to-do lists, which I write in smaller, tidier handwriting.

Next year, I’m planning to use one of my pocket sized looseleaf notebooks, probably a Filofax, for my planner and to-do lists. The flexible format should allow me to also write meeting notes in it. But I think I’ll still want to keep a desktop notebook for scribbling. I’ve just started using the Nebula Casual Note I reviewed a while ago– it’s smaller than the Mnemosyne and fits really nicely on my desk. It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to get through it, and how my Filofax planner will work for… my work!

pagem diary and colorverse nebula notebook on desk

Moleskine, My Collection, Nostalgia, Organization, Sketchbook

More Than You Need to Know About Moleskine Sketchbook Packaging

October 14, 2024 Nifty Notebook 1 Comment

Do you think you can out-geek me? Ha! This post will be a shot across the bow…

I have a large stash of Moleskine pocket sketchbooks and squared notebooks, as well as a various other formats. In a post from several years ago, I used some of them to trace the evolution of Moleskine’s packaging design .

moleskine notebooks packaging — Moleskine notebooks front

But now I’ve gone further. I took out every single pocket Moleskine sketchbook I own, and sorted them by the design on the front of the paper wrapper. And then I subdivided them even further by the details on the back of the paper wrapper. I found 16 different variations:

history of moleskine sketchbook back label

history of moleskine sketchbook front label

These are organized in what I think would be chronological order, starting at top left and ending at bottom right. In some cases the variation may not be chronological but driven by labeling requirements for certain countries. You can see that they used different ISBNs, slogans, bar codes, etc. in addition to the major design changes. A couple of these are distinguished by an additional card within the shrinkwrap, as seen in the 2001 sketchbook second from top left, and the “Writing” promotion sketchbook with the stickers. The “Writing” promotion actually featured a few different extras, so let’s take this another step that adds 3 additional variations:

moleskine sketchbook with writing stickers and postcard

And there you have it. Have I made the world a better place today? No. But I’ve satisfied some deeply nerdy desire to analyze and taxonomize part of my notebook collection.

Bindewerk, Bindex, Diary, Filofax, Journal, Links, Moleskine, My Collection, Nolty, Organization, Pagem, Planner, Plotter, productivity, Sketchbook

Techo Kaigi

October 8, 2024 Nifty Notebook 1 Comment

I was reminded of this phrase by a marketing email from Plotter, linking to this post. Techo Kaigi means “notebook meeting,” and the idea is that you should have a meeting with yourself to contemplate your notebooking methods and make sure they are right for you. This is generally done in the fall, when planners for the coming year become available and you can decide whether to change what kind of diary or planner you will buy.

This will be a unique process for each person. For some, it may be a question of finding the one formatted diary or planner that meets their needs, while for others, it may involve reckoning with how you’ll use several different notebooks each for their own purpose. Here are a few examples:

For me, techo kaigi is pretty much a year-round activity! I’m always thinking about all the various notebooks and planners that are out there and how best to use them. But it does come to a head each fall when I’m ready to buy next year’s diary. For several years now, I’ve been very loyal and consistent in using a Nolty diary as my dated planner/logbook for the year. I also keep a pocket Moleskine sketchbook for drawings, and I keep a journal in (usually) a pocket squared Moleskine or a Bindewerk journal.

notebooks i am using now Moleskine Bindewerk Nolty Filofax

In the last year or so I have also added a pocket Filofax to my arsenal as a keeper of long term lists, but I’m not entirely sure this is really working for me. I’ve contemplated using it as a planner too, but I can’t give up the Nolty. I have various Filofax organizers and similar looseleaf notebooks that I really like, and I used to use them daily, but for the past 20+ years, I haven’t been able to find a solid place for them in my various routines.

But last year, I made one major change to my notebooking habits, and it’s going to evolve even further this coming year. This involves the notebook I keep for my job, which for decades has been totally separate from my personal notebooks.

When I placed my annual Nolty order for 2024, I threw in a dated Pagem diary. I kind of just wanted to check it out and review it for this site, but then I ended up liking it so much, I decided to start using it for my job. For years, I’d always used a larger notebook for work, just filling it with notes and to-do lists and moving to a new page when the old one was full. I always thought a pocket sized notebook would be too small for work notes, but my experiment with the Pagem diary this year proved that a small dated planner could work for me. But in other ways, I found the Pagem format constraining, and not adaptable enough to my odd schedule. The light bulb went off: my work notes could be the perfect opportunity to make use of a refillable looseleaf binder. So this time, when I placed my Nolty order, I added some items from their Petit Pagem and Bindex brands of “mini 6” inserts, which will be compatible with my pocket size Filofaxes and other binders. I also have various inserts from Filofax and Plotter that I can use.

So while my personal techo kaigi took me about 5 seconds to say, yep, I’ll do that again, I’m now looking forward to even more strategizing and testing on how I’ll set up a pocket sized looseleaf work planner. I have a couple of calendar formats to experiment with, various options for notes pages, and several appealing options for the binder itself. And what’s wonderful is that I can keep tinkering with it as I go along! Unlike with a bound notebook or planner, I won’t feel like I have to stick with it all year until it’s used up– I can adjust as I go along, and even if I find an insert system that works perfectly, I can change my mind about the exterior cover and move all the inserts into a different binder if I feel like it. This should be fun! Techo kaigi will continue, and I’ll keep you posted!

Miquelrius, Notebook Reviews

Notebook Review: Miquelrius Logbook

October 1, 2024 Nifty Notebook 2 Comments

My recent post about the damage to my Miquelrius “Boarding” notebook reminded me that I had another Miquelrius notebook in my review queue: the Miquelrius Logbook.

The Logbook is about the closest Miquelrius comes to a Moleskine clone: it’s a pocket sized 9x14cm hardcover notebook with an elastic closure, a ribbon marker and a back pocket. Various designs have been available in the past couple of years (including a linen-covered version and this version with a cool marbled cover ), though it looks like the most recent catalog on their website just has them in pretty basic plain pastels.

But I was fortunate enough to come across this very cool design, which looks like a vintage composition book. Having a composition book in my favorite size has always been a fantasy of mine, so this was quite exciting! Miquelrius still offers a line called “Vintage Notebooks” that have this kind of cover design, but in larger sizes. The ornate label on the front cover makes it look less like an American-style composition book and more like a traditional European notebook, such as Emilio Braga‘s notebooks, or these Italian notebooks.

The Miquelrius Logbook is a bit thicker than a Moleskine, giving it a pleasantly chunky feel. The outside is a smooth paper surface– the black spine is just printed on, but the red and white label is an actual pasted-on label. I haven’t tried to remove it, but from tentatively picking at one corner, I don’t think it’s mean to be removable.

The cover overhang is bigger than I’d like, but not totally out of proportion with the notebook’s dimensions. The spine is quite squared off, so the notebook doesn’t open quite as flat as I’d like. It will get pretty far open, but over time I could see that the corners of the spine might get stressed by this and start to tear.

Inside, there are plain black endpapers. The first page has a little blurb about the company’s history, which I didn’t realize went back 150 years.

Then you get 100 sheets of creamy, unlined 100 gsm paper– at least according to the label. By my count, it’s actually 96 sheets! Or 192 pages if you count both sides– just like a pocket Moleskine. But unlike a pocket Moleskine, the paper is sturdy and fountain pen friendly! There was only a tiny bit of bleed-through when I pressed down quite hard with a flexible nib (and of course with the dreaded Super Sharpie). The paper is smooth but gives a little feedback– it’s a really nice balance.

This charming Miquelrius Logbook is still listed on Amazon but not currently available. Too bad! It may not be perfect in every respect, but the retro exterior and fountain pen friendly paper make it a winner for me!

Filofax, Lefax

Guest Post at Philofaxy

September 30, 2024 Nifty Notebook Leave a comment

Head on over to Philofaxy to read my guest post about an oddity from my collection of Filofax inserts: pocket size Lefax cash tracking pages. I was hoping someone from the Philofaxy community would have more information, and sure enough, they did!

Notebook Reviews, Pen + Gear, Places to Buy Notebooks

Notebook Review: Pen + Gear Memo Book and Journal

September 24, 2024 Nifty Notebook Leave a comment

Sometime last year, I started seeing a lot of mentions of Walmart’s Pen + Gear notebooks on Instagram. It seemed a little odd to me that people would be getting all excited about a very basic spiral notebook, but supposedly they were fountain pen friendly! So the next time I was at a Walmart, of course I had to buy one. At 97 cents, this 4×6″ spiral memo book was not a big investment!

I haven’t bought a 4×6″ spiral notebook in years. Even when I used lots of spiral notebooks, I preferred 3×5″ ones. (You can see more about my childhood spiral notebook collection here and here.) The Pen + Gear memo book is no different from any other spiral memo book in terms of its appearance: smooth cardboard front cover, brown cardboard back cover, lined paper… it is what it is.

pen and gear memo book notebook back cover

But as for the paper inside being fountain pen friendly… yes, it is! It doesn’t feel thick or heavy, but it somehow manages to withstand bleed-through almost completely, and has better than average show-through. I’m impressed!

pen + gear memo book fountain pen tests back of page

I do find it a bit funny to use a notebook like this with fancy fountain pens and inks that cost many multiples of the notebook’s price. Most people who care enough about writing to use a fountain pen probably also care enough about paper products to want something more aesthetically pleasing than a basic spiral notebook. But for those who like to use fountain pens or markers for everyday jottings, the Pen + Gear memo book will be perfect!

If you do want something that feels a little more upscale or sturdy, Pen + Gear also offers bound journals like this one:

It’s a typical pocket size Moleskine clone with a ribbon marker, back pocket and elastic closure. The exterior is a smooth paper wrapped over the hard cover, and the design is quite pretty, with color-coordinated endpapers and elastic. The branding info is on a sticker on the back, which peels off easily with no residue.

pen gear pocket journal back cover removable sticker

The pages are lined, with lines that don’t go to the page edges. Every page is perforated, which is unusual in these kinds of notebooks. The paper seems pretty similar to the spiral memo book, maybe a wee bit thicker. It is pretty fountain pen friendly, but not quite as bleed-proof as the memo book when I pressed down hard with a flexible nib.

pen gear journal fountain pen tests back of page

The difference in the paper may be due to the journal being made in Vietnam, while the memo book is made in India. But at $2.68, the journal is still a great value! It’s nice to know there are some solid options out there for notebooking on a tight budget.

Miquelrius, My Collection, TWSBI

Notebook Deterioration

September 10, 2024 Nifty Notebook 7 Comments

When you build up a collection of notebooks over the years, it’s important to remember that sometimes the stash may not stay as well-preserved as you’d like if you aren’t using or at least handling them regularly! I was recently going through some of my boxes of notebooks, trying to decide what to use next as a daily journal. As I was fondling all my precious beauties, I felt that two of them were stuck together. When I pulled them out of the box, and then pulled them apart, I realized how bad it was!

The victims were a Miquelrius “Boarding” notebook that I reviewed in 2013 and a TWSBI notebook that I reviewed in 2015. I’m not sure which one is to blame, but I think it may have been the TWSBI that kind of melted or dissolved or something, becoming stuck to the Miquelrius book in the process. Or perhaps the Miquelrius cover broke down and developed a stickiness, and the TWSBI cover wasn’t strong enough to stay intact when I separated them. Either way, parts of the TWSBI cover peeled away and stuck to the back of the Miquelrius notebook.

damaged miquelrius notebook and twsbi notebook

detail of twsbi notebook cover falling apart

I was able to scrape most of the gunk off the Miquelrius, and it should still be useable, though it won’t look very pretty on the back. The TWSBI is also usable inside, but the front cover is a wreck. Its elastic is also a bit loose, but from re-reading my own review, that seems to have been an issue from day one. I do have a second TWSBI notebook in my collection (this one has plain paper, and the other one has squared pages), but it doesn’t show any signs of stickiness or deterioration. Either the Miquelrius notebook is to blame, or there was just some bad reaction between these two particular cover materials when they were left touching for a long time.

It’s unfortunate that this happened to notebooks I can’t easily replace… but I have plenty of other notebooks, so I’m not going to stress about it!

I do plan to go through my other boxes and keep an eye out for other sticky situations. Some of these faux leather cover materials don’t last forever– I had an old Dayrunner planner cover that I had to trash a couple of years ago because it had gotten flaky and sticky. I have a looseleaf notebook where the leather cover is stuck to a plastic insert. I have old Filofaxes where the plastic credit card holder inserts have become brittle with age. Basically, if it’s not leather or paper, it’s some sort of plastic or vinyl that can start to break down. I may start wrapping certain notebooks in some sort of paper to preserve them better, as contact between surfaces seems to make the problem worse. But paper itself can age badly if it’s not acid-free. Even leather can dry out or become sticky if it’s not cared for. Nothing lasts forever! But neither will I… I guess it’s just a race to see whether my notebooks outlast me… a few more decades, I hope!

Moleskine, Other People's Notebooks, Planner, Quo Vadis

Japanese Fashion Professionals’ Planners

September 3, 2024 Nifty Notebook Leave a comment

Not exactly recent news, but I came across a 2020 series of articles on a Japanese lifestyle website where various fashion industry professionals talk about their use of paper planners. The auto-translated text wasn’t that exciting, but I always love seeing pictures of other people’s notebooks!

See more at Begin, including part 2 here, part 3 here, and part 4 here.

Notebook Stories

Another Vintage Marquette Notebook