This is a really interesting sketchbook, now part of the collection of the National Museum of Australia. It belonged to a young Aboriginal man named Oscar. The article is a bit vague about the circumstances of Oscar’s life– it sounds like he could have been a slave, or indentured servant, or at best an orphan … Continue reading Oscar’s Sketchbook
Our latest notebook addict of the week is Vanessa Berry, an Australian writer and artist. In a 2012 blog post, she talks about her collection of 31 diaries, written starting in 1998. The photo of the whole collection is striking: The close-ups of the individual notebooks are also fascinating. She mostly uses old notebooks found … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: Vanessa Berry
Some fascinating historic notebooks recording the first contact between British settlers and Aboriginal people in Australia: A set of 1788 notebooks recording the first attempts at communication between British settlers and Indigenous Australians reveals language that is still in use in Sydney Aboriginal communities today. The Dawes notebooks, named for First Fleet officer William Dawes … Continue reading The Dawes Notebooks
There is currently an art exhibition on view in Australia featuring a work called “Chinese Bible” by Yang Zhichao. It is a “monumental installation of 3000 notebooks and diaries inscribed between 1949 and 1999. These small books were collected by the artist from Beijing markets from 2005 to 2008 and ritually washed before presentation. Once … Continue reading Scanned Notebooks From Yang Zhichao’s Chinese Bible
Several years ago, while browsing on eBay, I came across a series of very unusual Moleskine notebooks that I’d never seen: Moleskine Zoom. I purchased two batches of these over the last few years, both times from international sellers where shipping was fairly expensive. (I “solved” that problem by making offers for combined bulk purchases, … Continue reading Moleskine Zoom Notebooks
Papier Tigre is a super-cool French brand of office supplies, including recycled notebooks that I’d seen online but never encountered in person, so I was very excited when NoteMaker (now Milligram) in Australia gave me the opportunity to review a free sample. The notebook I received has a lovely composition book look to it, but … Continue reading Review: Papier Tigre Notebook
Cute notebooks from an Australian company called Eggpicnic: “Fusing design with conservation, Australian brand Eggpicnic looks to raise awareness of the continent’s endangered fauna through vibrant illustrations and characters. Their first ever stationary launch, ‘Endemic Series’ consists of a duo of limited-edition field notebooks featuring two of Australia’s most critically endangered animals. Helmeted Honeyeaters and … Continue reading Eggpicnic Notebooks
A lovely and mysterious sketchbook from an Australian archive: “One of the most intriguing items in the James Cook University Library Special Collections is a private sketchbook dating from the end of the 19th century. It is considered an anonymous work because its creator, and/or copyright owner, is unknown and so far cannot be traced. … Continue reading An Anonymous Victorian Sketchbook
Jes from Australia writes to say that her 4 year old son is a budding notebook addict! “About 18 months ago he asked for a notebook from my own (extensive collection, who said addiction doesn’t run in families? ). Since then he has filled a few. I love watching him create and record himself in … Continue reading Notebook Addict of the Week: A Four Year Old!
A really interesting find! There is a video at the link below– you can see the notebooks at about 1:30. Three rare handwritten notebooks from the first Indigenous activist to campaign overseas have been given a permanent home in Canberra. Anthony Martin Fernando left Sydney in the 1890s and travelled throughout Europe, publicising the plight … Continue reading An Aboriginal Activist’s Notebooks