on keeping a notebook

[nibot]

So, I like to keep a notebook, you know, in addition to a lab notebook. A smaller notebook for doodles and people's addresses and my shoppings lists and recipes and maps and receipts and to-do lists and airplane itineraries and to serve as a generalized permanent scratch paper and whatever else catches my fancy.

You would think that finding a substrate for such scribblings would be easy, but it turns out that I am very picky. The default size of a 'Composition Book' is 9 ¾" × 7 ½". This is too small. I much prefer the 10 ¼ × 7 ⅞" format. And then there are the matters of: college ruled, quadrille, or unmarked? Pencil or pen?

Roaring Spring catalog #77479 looks good - but where to buy?

Comments

[indomitable-one.livejournal.com]

I'm a huge Moleskine fan, but they're smaller than you prefer. I also go for unlined paper--I haven't voluntarily written on lines since my sophomore year in HS, when I started using blank copy paper for everything. In college, I'd use blank sketch books, which, if you decide to go for blank, might work nicely for you.

Also, www.sortfloorbooks.com is where I get my Moleskines from--they sell remainder ones, so I generally find them for about 75% off. Good deal--might be worth checking into for other journal-type books. :-)

[shamster.livejournal.com]

speaking of which - just last night I said to myself "self, you need a scratchpad/notebook to carry around!". I took a stack of letter-sized pages, cut them to 3/4 size, folded them in half, and stitched along the half-way crease using an awl, then taped over the stitching. It turned a stack of scratch paper into a scratch-paper pad that fits in my bag/pocket. I do this once in a while when the old one fills up, and it doesn't cost anything but some heavy-duty thread or twine. I had initially planned to make something like the composition book but a different size by adding two stiff cardboard sheets for the outer layer. You can get creative with the binding to make it look industrially made.

Anyway, I suppose the message is: try to make your own custom book and see how it goes.

[eightoclock.livejournal.com]

Clairfontaine blank 8.25 x 6 clothbound forever.

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikegoldstein/94805359/)

[riemann-sphere.livejournal.com]

I'm with shamster, make your own. My favorite notebook right now is one my friend Ryan made using an old record sleeve for the cover. I tend to prefer small sizes I can fit in my pocket or purse for everyday carry-around, but for sketching, I like the dimensions of your average composition book, although I never use those. I prefer unlined, or sometimes graph paper. If you're not down with making your own, why not buy something from etsy (http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=handmade&search_query=notebook&order=date_desc&ship_to=)?

[evan.livejournal.com]

I recall http://www.muji.us/ having great, nonstandard notebooks.

DIY project

[shamster.livejournal.com]

http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-and-Easy-Moleskine---sort-of/

If you create a "free" account you can see better photos of what they've done. It's a really easy-looking project.

Re: DIY project

[nibot.livejournal.com]

wow, that looks great!

Seeing them use a drill to make the holes to sew together the binding was kind of an "aha!" moment.

Re: DIY project

[shamster.livejournal.com]

I've made a couple now. The drill was kinda screwy to use by hand, but it worked in the end. Having an awl handy for the lock-stitching came in really handy. Also, duct tape works really well in place of gaffer's tape for the spine binding.

Be sure to take a photo of it when you're done!

Re: DIY project

[nibot.livejournal.com]

Be sure to take a photo of it when you're done!

you first!

Re: DIY project

[shamster.livejournal.com]

hah, I just got back from a week-long trip to Montana... and I lost my home-made journal somewhere over there!! I'll try to make another and photo it soon.