Category Archives: Nostalgia

EBay Find: Scottsbluff Typewriter Company Notepad from 1949

Here’s another neat-o EBay purchase, a promotional notepad from a typewriter company! Actually, I guess they must have started out as a typewriter company but expanded into general office supplies, given the motto on the cover “Everything for the Office.” Inside it’s pretty simple: just plain perforated pages. There aren’t many pages left in the … Continue reading EBay Find: Scottsbluff Typewriter Company Notepad from 1949

Preserve Your Happy Memories in a Notebook

Here’s a nice way to use notebooks, from Gretchen Rubin at The Happiness Project: Studies show that thinking back on happy times elevates mood, and observing and preserving memories is one of the most satisfying ways of bringing order to life. My mother started a memory-keeping tradition a few years ago that has proved to … Continue reading Preserve Your Happy Memories in a Notebook

EBay Find: Westinghouse Diary, 1945

Here’s another neat little item purchased on EBay: This is a sub-category of notebooks that I could happily collect: small promotional diaries given out to the employees or business partners of various corporations. I have ones in my collection from Sandoz, GE, and the Harvard Coop, and this Westinghouse one was a great addition. First … Continue reading EBay Find: Westinghouse Diary, 1945

Engineer’s Field Notebook, late 1980s

A couple months ago I posted about the artist David Fullarton and wondered where I could get a notebook like the one he used for his work. Well, it turns out I had only to look in my own collection! The unusual gridded pages appearing in Fullarton’s artwork come from an engineer’s field book like … Continue reading Engineer’s Field Notebook, late 1980s

Review and Contest: Old Style School Quaderno from Vickerey

I think I stumbled across Vickerey’s website while looking for retailers that stocked Cavallini journals– but all else was forgotten when I caught a glimpse of these: Here’s Vickerey’s description: Old Style School Quaderno Notebooks (set of 3) These old-school Italian journals are reminiscent of classic academic exercise notebooks (quaderno in Italian). Replete with European … Continue reading Review and Contest: Old Style School Quaderno from Vickerey

Starting Early: Kids Who Love Notebooks

I think this photo is adorable: It’s from a blog called The Lily Pad, where the child’s mother writes: Her favorite thing is notebooks. Big notebooks, tiny notebooks, spiral notebooks, journals, blank pages, lined pages; she loves them all. I hope the love of art and writing and her imagination and creativity stay with her … Continue reading Starting Early: Kids Who Love Notebooks

Modified Notebook, 1980s

This is a strange example of my notebook obsession. I took two spiral notebooks, removed the spirals, and then combined the pages into one thicker notebook with a taped spine. I probably coated the edges of the pages with rubber cement under the tape, and they are still held in quite well. The lines of … Continue reading Modified Notebook, 1980s

1980s Roaring Spring Spiral Notebook

Here’s a pretty basic notebook from the mid-1980s. I used it for a while in high school to keep track of school assignments and such– I dated each page, and noted each day’s assignments and deadlines. It’s got a nice clean design, but is otherwise quite boring! I’m not sure why I favored it at … Continue reading 1980s Roaring Spring Spiral Notebook