I am really liking the small squared Piccadilly I’ve switched to as my current daily notebook.
The quality is much improved from the first Piccadilly notebooks I bought— the elastic is tight, the back pocket works, and everything just seems solid. I like the paper, which is nice and smooth and seems to resist more bleed-through than others. It opens nice and flat. And the thickness and square spine are very appealing. And it only cost me $3.99 at Borders! $3.99!!!
When I bought this notebook, I almost grabbed two more, but I held off, thinking that A) I hadn’t used it yet and might not like it, and B) I had about a dozen other notebooks ready for future use, including 4 squared Moleskines that I managed to snag for about 50 cents each, and C) who knows what other exciting new notebooks the future holds? The minute I stock up on one thing, I might fall in love with something else!
I can be fickle with notebooks– though I generally know what I like, some notebooks’ charm can fade a bit after a short period of use. I loved my Markings notebook when I first started it, but then the back cover started tearing (below is how it ended up, way too soon after I started using it), and I never felt like the semi-leather cover broke in the way I wanted it to. I might have bought 5 of those based on first impressions, but now I’m glad I didn’t.
I will be buying a few more Piccadillies soon– if Borders has them, that is. I think they buy large lots of them periodically rather than re-ordering in small batches, so the stock levels seem like they can be unreliable. And Borders as a company is reputed to be a little shaky, so what if they stop carrying them or their stores close? I could order directly from Piccadilly but that gets a bit more expensive. And if they lose Borders as a major customer, will they still produce these notebooks? There is always that paranoia that the perfect notebook will cease to exist, a fear that Moleskine has exploited nicely with the story of Bruce Chatwin’s Paris stationer ceasing to carry the type of notebook Moleskine later resurrected under their own brand.
How about you? Do you buy multiple notebooks when you find a type you like? Does it make you nervous not to have a few spares ready to be written in? How many unused notebooks do you have stockpiled?
I definitely stock up — in fact I stocked up on Piccadilly notebooks from Borders last week! I find near where I live, they go fast and sometimes don’t show up again for weeks. One Borders had a special rack just inside the front door featuring them, and that makes me nervous. Who knows if they’ll be there when I need them?!
It may just be because of the awesome colors, but I have like 9 extra Field Notes notebooks laying around.
Do I have a stockpile? LOL….. Though I’ve moved on from Moleskine to books that are more suited for fountain pen use, I still have a single red Mole… along with several Paperblanks, Webnotebooks, Apica Exist, Cachet linen covered watercolor books…. Yes. I have a small stockpile.
Piccadilly simply can’t be beat. I’ve used both the lined pocket size and the large size. The quality is excellent and about half of what I’d spend on a Moleskine. I order directly from them in batches; if you order 5 or notebooks at a time, the shipping only adds about $1 to the cost of each notebook, which means they’re still economical.
Since I started doing most of my writing in longhand, I tend not to use the large notebooks as much, but only because scanning the pages for transcription is such a pain; I’d much rather write on nice sheets of lined paper which can then be fed through my scanner. For longer writing sessions it’s also more comfortable that way.
Anyone looking to save a few bucks on a moleskine-like notebook simply can’t go wrong with Piccadilly.
I have a stockpile of all sorts of makers.. but I do find myself grabbing a Piccadilly or two every time I’m in Borders because they’re so cheap and out of fear of them disappearing. They’re great notebooks for the price!
Yes I definitely stock up on journals. When the new softcover Piccadillys arrived I bought three or four of them. But I did go to Borders yesterday and I am proud to say I resisted the urge to buy the new red Piccadilly Primo journals! Small victory! Still… ya gotta love Piccadilly. They’ve improved quite a bit. Much better elastic. Very reasonable pricing.
-V.D.
Yep, many notebook and journals seem to come and go, and so when I come across one I like, I tend to stockpile a little. I love the Picadilly Primo — the paper is heavier than in the other Picadilly journals and it has more pages. Since they come and go from Borders, and since Borders may go some day as well, it’s hard not to stock up when a batch lands on the shelves.
The quality of the new Piccadilly notebooks are definitely improved. I found the elastic on the softcover Piccadilly I bought to be tighter than moleskines, which is a feature I liked very much.
I’ve definitely stockpiled. For a while, I couldn’t find Piccadilly notebooks at any Borders I went to, so I ordered a bunch from Piccadilly directly. There’s two things I especially like about Piccadilly over Moleskine: The first is the price. The second is that the large Piccadilly is that their medium notebook is the size of a Moleskine large, and their large is 7.5″ x 10″, which is just about the perfect size for some of the ways I use a notebook.
At any rate, since my earlier Piccadilly splurge, I’ve noticed that Borders has them in stock, including the new soft-cover and the primo journals, and I tend to have to remind myself that I’ve got a bunch of unopened notebooks in my office at home. It’s tough.
On Piccadillyinc.com, if you order at least 25 qty you get 60% the suggested retail and shipping is free is its domestic/US orders.
I stumble upon them this weekend and been using the large ruled, so far they’re great. I’m only worried about the binding cause the only thing holding the binding on the soft cover is that first cardstock pg. Will have to check out the hardcover bindng before making any future purchases. Maybe I’ll just gluegun it.
I missed this post when it was first published. I do have a stockpile of notebooks, because I never know what I am going to be in the mood for…
I have a set of 5 hardcover notebooks that I found at Target on clearance with squared rule on the bottom and a “Cornell”-like large rectangle at the top. Still sitting on these – they deserve a BIG project. I have a few Picadillys, 2 Moleskines, and a fresh set of Fieldnotes Colors that I just ordered 2 weeks ago.
It feels to good to know that there are plenty of people out there with the same, ah, “condition”. ;-)
I found this post whilst browsing the website.
Do I have a stockpile of notebooks? Do I?
I have over a 100 unused notebooks, as I have a tendency to act like a magpie in stationery shops and buy up all the ones with the pretty covers. I’m especially guilty when it comes to buying TeNeues A5 Coolnotes. I have at least three. I’ve not delved into Moleskines much, nor Rhodia, Fieldnotes or Picadilly. I probably should try out the more quality notebooks but I always find myself disappointed unless it has a bright/patterned cover or something to catch my eye.
I’m writing more simply just so I can start getting through that stockpile before it takes over my house.
I always buy the composition notebooks from target during the school season they have them for .50¢ so it’s hard not to stock up. But I still like my markings notebook!! Fits all my notes ,snippets of ideas quotes and whatever else really a few sketches in pen..glad to know I’m not alone with my obsession…*stands up* hi guys I’m Michael and I’m obsessed with notebooks.
Unsolicited update: Piccadilly no longer sells directly to retail customers, wholesale only. Bummer.
http://www.piccadillyinc.com/products/notebooks
The product lines have been expanded dramatically sice the olden days.
Your only hope of stockpiling Piccies is to buy them in bulk off the clearance shelf at a bookstore. IN the USA, at Barnes and Noble, you can join their buyer’s club and get additional discounts even on clearance items. At xmas 2014, I got 15 Piccies and Ecosytems for about $4.00ea at B&N. Some were unwrapped, corners bent, unpopular colors, soft and hard covers. Power shopping.