On my “to-do” list for this blog has been a comparison of various notebooks in similar styles. I thought I’d do a post about softcover notebooks, and one about single-signature notebooks, similar to Field Notes and Moleskine Cahiers. So I went rooting around in my collection to find various examples of these styles, but the … Continue reading Softcover and Single-Signature Notebooks from My Collection →
I spotted this photo in the newspaper not long ago and immediately recognized one of the spots where I’d seen some blank journals being sold in Istanbul, near the entrance to a book bazaar. Nice to know that guy still has his spot!
I previously posted some snapshots of notebook sightings during my travels around Istanbul, but now let’s get into the details of the 5 notebooks I actually purchased there. Below is the first notebook I purchased, the Elastic Notebook/ Bloknot by Le Color. From doing a little online searching, this seems to be a Turkish brand, … Continue reading Notebooks Bought in Istanbul →
Not long ago, I traveled to Istanbul for a vacation. I was of course excited to see what kinds of notebooks I might find there! The only Turkish brand of notebooks I’d ever heard of was Arwey, but oddly enough, I didn’t spot a single Arwey notebook on my trip. I did see some other … Continue reading Notebooks in Istanbul →
I’ve been reading Orhan Pamuk’s fascinating book Istanbul: Memories and the City. It’s an interesting mix of city history and personal memoir, and here’s a passage I had to share: “My grandmother always kept with her a slim leather-bound notebook in which she wrote something every day. This notebook, in which she recorded bills, memories, … Continue reading A Turkish Grandmother’s Notebook →
Notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, diaries: in search of the perfect page…