Category Archives: books

Agatha Christie’s Notebook

This is from a couple of months ago, a notebook that belonged to Agatha Christie was being auctioned: Crime novelist Agatha Christie’s handwritten notebook in which she plotted ideas for one of her detective novels is up for auction. The 1948, “regular, off-the-shelf” bound notebook, which features a hand-drawn ink sketch Christie made to illustrate … Continue reading Agatha Christie’s Notebook

Review and Giveaway: Manuscript Notebooks

I am a book lover, so these Manuscript Notebooks totally caught my eye. They’ve taken beautiful retro book cover art and used it for the covers of these softcover notebooks: The notebooks are a single signature of pages, with stitched spine. The 3.5 x 5.5″ sizing is comparable to Field Notes, Moleskine Cahier and other … Continue reading Review and Giveaway: Manuscript Notebooks

German Publisher’s Book-Notebooks

I came across these on Instagram and shared the image there, but thought it was worth reposting here! A German book publisher sells blank books that mimic the format and design of their book series. I love the idea that you could camouflage your journals in a bookshelf among other authors’ books! It would be … Continue reading German Publisher’s Book-Notebooks

Notable Science Notebooks

This book would be a great gift for any child, parent or teacher: Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings brings to life the many ways in which everyone from Galileo to Jane Goodall has used a science notebook, including to sketch their observations, imagine experiments, record data or just write down their thoughts. You also … Continue reading Notable Science Notebooks

A Translator’s Notebook

The notebook below shows Emily Wilson’s work. She’s the first woman to translate The Odyssey into English. The classicist Emily Wilson has given Homer’s epic a radically contemporary voice. Read more at: The First Woman to Translate the ‘Odyssey’ Into English – NYTimes.com

Exhibition Featuring Henry David Thoreau’s Journals

This sounds like an interesting exhibit, at the Concord Museum in Massachusetts: This Ever New Self: Thoreau and His Journal. “The show centers on the journal Thoreau kept throughout his life and its importance in understanding the essential Thoreau. More than twenty of Thoreau’s journal notebooks are shown along with letters and manuscripts, books from … Continue reading Exhibition Featuring Henry David Thoreau’s Journals

Grace Coddington’s Smythson Notebooks

Grace Coddington is well known in the fashion world as an editor, former model, and author. Now she’s also a spokesperson for Smythson. Most of the linked article is promoting their various leather bags and accessories, but I loved getting a glimpse of this well-worn address book! I bought a Smythson address book a long … Continue reading Grace Coddington’s Smythson Notebooks

Bradford Morrow’s Boorum & Pease Ledger

An excellent article at LitHub by Bradford Morrow, author of the just-published Prague Sonata, among other books. Really interesting look at a writer’s process and why he prefers physical note-taking to digital methods. Big thanks to reader Raymond for sending me the tip! “My memory is good, but capricious at times. My scraps of paper … Continue reading Bradford Morrow’s Boorum & Pease Ledger

Writers on Keeping Diaries and Journals

Some great quotes about journal-keeping, from a variety of writers, including the ones below: “People who keep journals have life twice.” – Jessamyn West   “The diary taught me that it is in the moments of emotional crisis that human beings reveal themselves most accurately. I learned to choose the heightened moments because they are … Continue reading Writers on Keeping Diaries and Journals

Gary Panter’s Sketchbook

This photo of artist Gary Panter caught my eye– I wish I could get a better look at that little sketchbook! Panter creates art in various media, but the New York Times article this photo accompanies focuses on his new graphic novel, Songy of Paradise. The article notes that he does not use digital tools … Continue reading Gary Panter’s Sketchbook