I came across an article from The Economist about a new exhibition at the British Library, which sounds great: it’s all about the history of writing and note-taking. The article is behind a paywall, unfortunately, but here’s a taste: NEATLY HANDWRITTEN, with a simple diagram below a numbered list, the sheet looks like any fussy … Continue reading Writing Exhibition at the British Library
I picked up this vintage travel diary on eBay for about $7. I’m not sure exactly when it would have been manufactured, but it definitely dates from an era when travel was quite a different experience from what it is today! The diary begins with 17 pages of frontmatter, most of which consists of various … Continue reading Vintage Travel Diary
Spotted for sale at Lee-Jackson Militaria, a pretty cool looking old soldier’s notebook. I’m not sure if this is from World War II or earlier. See other military notebooks from the archives.
Every once in a while an antique diary catches my eye on eBay. Most of the time I don’t buy them because they are similar to things I already have in my collection. Sometimes they are more tempting but too expensive, usually because the contents might have some historical interest, such as a soldier’s memoirs … Continue reading 1940 Marquette Diary
Here’s a few interesting links you may enjoy: For Sale: A POW Journal Documenting World War II’s ‘Great Escape’ from Atlas Obscura (Thanks to Mark for the tip!) THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF WORLD War II’s most iconic prisoner-of-war escape is less than two weeks away, on March 24, 2019. Just in time, Hansons Auctioneers in England is offering … Continue reading Links I Liked, Late March Edition
Neat article about the original Bigelow pharmacy store in NYC. They have a collection of artifacts which includes old notebooks of recipes for medicines! Established in 1838 by Dr. Galen Hunter, the store was originally called the Village Apothecary Shoppe. In 1880, Clarence Otis Bigelow purchased it and renamed it after himself, moving it 22 … Continue reading A Notebook from the C.O. Bigelow Apothecary
A while ago, I wrote about Phil’s Stationery, one of the few remaining independent stores of its kind in NYC, selling new and vintage office supplies. When I stumbled across their midtown Manhattan store, I was in heaven. The sign alone is just so cool, and inside, there was a pleasantly dusty mess of notebooks, … Continue reading Vintage Office Supplies From Phil’s Stationery
Loyal readers may remember that last year, I did a cross-country road trip, during which I had hoped to stop at various local independent shops to look at notebooks, including those that were mentioned in your responses to my call for suggestions. The journey was fascinating and fun, and in the end I didn’t really … Continue reading Notebooks from My Cross-Country Road Trip
Thanks to a tip from reader Raymond, here’s another World War I diary story. What a treasure for a family to have. “The old cloth-covered book hardly shows its age — at 100, it betrays only the most modest of frayed edges. But to the family of the 24-year-old soldier who recorded history with a … Continue reading Joe Rodier’s World War I Diary
I first saw images of Jean Fick’s notebook on Pinterest and was fascinated. Such beautiful colors and patterns, accompanied by rather odd writings, densely filling a tiny notebook. It is mysterious in many ways– all I’ve been able to find out is that the notebook was part of an exhibition at the American Folk Art … Continue reading Jean Fick’s Notebook
