Inspired by Arjun’s post on taking notes, I was wondering (with everyone carrying around a sleek black Moleskine these days) what other quality notebooks can get you noticed. Here are my personal favourites.
The classic notebook said to be used by Chatwin and Hemingway, was revived in 1998 by Italian company Modo & Modo. These days, the small black pads are everywhere. So, if you want to stand out, get the special edition red one. Unfortunately, they’re sold out now, but you know what to do next year.
Famous adopters: everyone, including myself
Clairefontaine was founded in France in 1858, but traces its roots to a 16th century Vosges paper miller. The company is known for the exceptionally white and smooth paper it produces, said to be the result of their refined paper brushing techniques. Their products now come in tonnes of different colours, shapes and bindings.
Famous adopters: me and Carrie Bradshaw
The notebook with the cult following. The brand, now part of Clairefontaine, was founded in Lyon in 1932 and is best know for the almost square, staple-bound orange notepads. These days, however, plenty of wire-bound and colourful versions are available.
Famous adopters: me and Jay McInerney
A Belgian brand, Atoma is the preferred choice of geeks and techies all round the world. Founded in 1923, the company’s current signature notebook was first produced in 1948. Its unique binding system makes it easy to remove and replace pages. The product line now also includes diaries, address books and filing systems.
Famous adopters: well, just not-so-famous me, it seems. But now that’ll change for sure.
Header image under CC by Iris Rigby, other images from company sites
26 March 2007 at 4:58 pm
They’re all gross, I’d rather have a 12″ PowerBook under my arm.
26 March 2007 at 5:03 pm
Great. Great comment Smarr. Shows you got style I guess?
26 March 2007 at 5:16 pm
They day shall come when harddrives fail and a simple pen and piece of paper shall prevail…
I don’t know, but I like making rough notes by hand, then segregate the gist using a computer or again, using nicer pen. That way I get the good side effect of going through my notes again anyway.
26 March 2007 at 5:59 pm
You make it sound very biblical all of a sudden there, Arjun ;-) But yes, the laptop may be cool, but there are times when you don’t want to carry a couple of kilos of expensive electronics with you.
26 March 2007 at 6:33 pm
I’ve only tried the Moleskine brand, but after having tried them, I see no point in looking elsewhere. I love them. I’ve got two pocket notebooks floating around, one large notebook, and a pack of the Cahiers ready to be put into use.
26 March 2007 at 6:40 pm
No need to dilute your likings indeed. If you’re happy with your paper, stick with it by all means. This is just a suggestion of some alternatives. But boy, you do have a lot of Moleskines ;-) Cool!
26 March 2007 at 7:14 pm
I must admit that I’m a notebook snob, and I like to be seen scribbling in my Moleskine. However, I noticed the sealing wax on the Exaclair site, and I think we should bring back wax seals. The Ultimate in Coolness! I have one somewhere…
26 March 2007 at 7:16 pm
Oh, yes! Daniel that is brilliant. I’ve long wanted to do that too. There was a time, in fact, when I did write with nothing but nib and bottle. Adding wax to that would certainly freak people out, though.
26 March 2007 at 8:35 pm
I have a couple of Clairefontaine notebooks on my desk that I scribble top info like usernames and stuff in…:)
26 March 2007 at 8:40 pm
Cool, Damien. I love the Clairefontaine paper. And they look every bit as neat as the fancier ones. Happy scribbling!
26 March 2007 at 9:57 pm
I very rarely use notebooks however with that fact that I could do with making lots of little notes I could probably do with one.
I think I am going to have to look into getting a Moleskine, I have heard so many good reports about them! I could probably do with a pocket sized one.
26 March 2007 at 10:00 pm
The small ones are brilliant. Make sure you get a fast-drying gel pen to go with it. The experience will blow you away ;-)
27 March 2007 at 12:23 am
I want one.
27 March 2007 at 2:36 pm
Yes! Go for it! :-D
6 April 2007 at 9:03 am
isn’t the atoma brand also popular amongst belgian politicians?
7 April 2007 at 10:14 am
Ha die Hans! Where have you been hiding, old chap? I’ll be in touch over the weekend or so. As for Atoma and politicians, I haven’t got the foggiest. Where’d you pick that up?
7 April 2007 at 10:31 pm
Moleskines are over rated. I bought them in the days when you actually had to go to a specialty paper store instead of a mass chain to buy them. (geez, I sound old. I’m only 21.) But don’t you find the paper less quality than, say, Clairefontaine? What I like about them is they’re black with a sturdy cover and they have a back pocket As for its romanticized past, yeah, maybe Hemingway, Van Gogh, and Matisse did use a black oilskin-covered journal (because that is all Moleskine is, a black oilskin-covered journal plus some brilliant marketing hype) Was it specifically a Moleskin? Like the number of a licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop, the world will never know.
I love clairefontaines, specifically the large A4 comp books with the Seyes ruling, for their paper!! No matter what kind of pen you use, it’s not going to bleed through or crinkle the page. (not so with Moleskines unless you get the sketchbook specifically made for multiple media) The downside is that their covers are kind of tacky. but you can buy ones with UNICEF covers (at least in Genève) to donate some of the proceeds. i like their quirky, punchy kitsch of Rhodia, but their paper is only 80 lb.
THe Japanese MUJI have much sleeker packaging.
But I’m glad you wrote about Atoma notebooks. I LOVE them. When I’m in Bruxelles, I stock up because I can’t find them in the US. The closest substitutes are Rollabind and Myndology in the US.
8 April 2007 at 3:24 pm
Thanks, Ashely, for your great comment. You obviously are an avid user. I agree about the Moleskines. They have become commonplace and are not that good anymore. I like to have one as a diary because I do still like the floppy pocket sized ones and I like the elastic band and the bookmark. Other than that I do love trying out other brands too. I just bought a small cloth-bound Clairefontaine for my desk, in which I can keep lists of items people recommend (books, films, whatever) and which also doesn’t overload my carry bag. I will also check out that Japanese brand of which I hadn’t heard before. If you browse the Atoma website, I do believe they have a list of suppliers in the US there. But nothing beats an Atoma actually purchased in Belgium of course!
8 April 2007 at 9:15 pm
“Great. Great comment Smarr. Shows you got style I guess?”
I’m not sure if you’re being sarcastic or what, so I’m going to do what I would in person, smile. :-)
9 April 2007 at 10:31 am
Oh, I can’t even remember, to be honest. But now I’m smiling too actually. That’s always the best, isn’t it? People should just let go and smile more. Cheers!
:-D
10 April 2007 at 7:58 pm
I could ask the same of you, I’ll send you my digits. As for atoma notebooks and politicians: Leo Delcroix, need I say more?
16 April 2007 at 12:32 am
[...] been doing a bit of home redesign and redevelopment. Aside from carrying my notebook around to look cool, I’m also getting an enormous amount of use out of it due to the extensive planning involved [...]
22 July 2007 at 12:34 am
Reading the first comment reminds me of what my father keeps telling me:
“People today don’t know how to push a pen on the paper anymore.”
I love my Moleskines.
22 July 2007 at 3:56 pm
Thanks Jose for dropping by and commenting. Hope you enjoyed the post. I love pens and paper.
17 September 2008 at 3:21 pm
I love to use my clairefontaine paper with my fountain pens. I do agree that laptops are useful but nothing beats the sensation of putting pen to paper.