It’s funny how NPR-casters have token phrases that you can instantly hear in your head:

“Sylvia Poggioli, NPR News, The Vatican.”

or

“Steveinskeep”

Actually, I remember on This American Life they had a great bit about why is it that listeners think that the ‘mystical handoff’ of going to a source near the news makes the news more legitimate.

…uh…it’s just a voice on a tape, Joe Public ;)

Good counterspin on the one hand. One the other hand, there are a lot of us who use moleskines because they are so… erm… usable. I really, really don’t care whether or not Bruce Chatwin used the same brand of notebook as me, let alone Van Gogh. However, I do care that I get the elastic band so that I can cram it full of stuff, the pocket-size proportions, the high-quality paper, the back pocket and the hard binding all in one package. I haven’t found an equivalent notebook that so perfectly meets this functionality spec.

I think the moleskine is like the G5 . . Pretty seamless usability and nice looks.. and you pay for it..

If you want to get by on less (or different) you can.

Like Macs it does need some de-fanboying now and then. ;-)

Why not use the Moleskin Memo Pockets to put your cards in.

As a native speaker of French I would rather say it as in mol-a-skin

Stupid moleskine hack (Yeah. probably not the right place to post this, but it’s so simple that i felt intimidated to post it on the google group)

For a project that I’m working on, I’m putting the occasional map and other bits of information into my moleskine. The first few maps, I just used a glue stick and glued the map to the page. While this certianly works, it also leaves a lot to be desired - especially when you don’t have a glue stick handy.

There’s the double-side tape that Scotch makes that’s also acid-free and literally is the thickness of the adhesive. It comes in a roll and there’s a wax paper backing.

I put this tape on the ‘back’ page on about 10 pages, leaving the wax paper on, so i could remove it later. I then used a sharp razor blade to just cut through the wax paper so that there would be easy removal when I need.

The nice thing is that now I can write on both sides of the map as well as the page behind it. This would probably be a good way to keep other things, as well. The downside is that it adds thickness to the moleskine, and I’m not sure how much abuse it can handle without falling apart.

Trying to figure out a ‘writing implement holder’ hack - e.g. a way to keep a pen/pencil with the moleskine. Sure, you could use the clip on a pen, or mechanical pencil. But, I really prefer to use an old-fashioned wooden pencil.

Alas! My cherished moleskine was in a jacket pocket and was a partial casualty of the recent rains here. The first inch of the pages (opposite from the binding) was moistened, but they were protected by being held closed by the elastic band. It has been drying for a day, and now has character.

Tim,

I too wanted to carry a pencil with my Moleskine Notebook. My solution was to lace up a leather flip-top case just big enough to slip a pencil in beside the notebook. On the back is a place to slip in a few cards or bank deposit etc. There’s a belt loop on the back too but I find I seldom use it. At lunch I often sit in a cafe with a book; the case is just right to act as a book weight so I can attack lunch with both hands and not loose my place :-)

I have recently started using the GTD strategy. Aside from the aesthetic value and simplicity, is there any huge selling point on this notebook? Yeah, I know it has a little elastic band on it, great for carrying notecards - but what else is there to this moleskine phenomenon?

Donnie, I felt the same way you do. What’s the big hoopla? I looked and looked for a Moleskine, but couldn’t find a shop local to me.

Yesterday, I happened to walk into a Utrecht art supply store, and there they were at the front counter—on sale, even! The minute I saw it and picked it up and felt it, I understood what everyone was talking about. It just feels nice. I picked up a regular size one and a mini one.

My problem now is that I don’t feel like I have writing instrument that respects the notebook enough. How silly is that?

But, seriously, go find one and take a look at it. I think that’s the only way to determine if you’re going to be bitten by the bug. You can certainly get by with any other notebook (I know I have until this point), but there’s something about these that speaks to me….and, obviously, a lot of other people, too. :)

I agree with R wellor, who said a Moleskine is like a G5. It looks nice and works well and is more expensive, but it does require some de-fanboying once in awhile.

Any $.99 notebook will accomplish the same thing, but some people just want to do it in style.

Don’t get me wrong, I have held the moleskine, and I agree it’s a great notebook. I guess I just didn’t understand all the talk about it - I guess we all just like hyping this notebook. Regardless, I will be picking up one tomorrow from my Barnes and Noble book store. Thanks for pushing me into buying one. Great analogy with the G5.

Any $.99 notebook will accomplish the same thing, but some people just want to do it in style.Posted by: Jason | January 14, 2005 06:29 AM

You’re missing the point Jason. It’s not about style…at least in the superficial ‘brand’ way. People use and love Moleskines because their forms follows their function. They’re more than stylish. They’re well-designed.

They’re more than stylish. They’re well-designed. Posted by: Joy | January 14, 2005 01:58 PM

Aren’t we splitting hairs here? Sure, the elastic band and cloth bookmark are nice touches, as is the pocket, and I’m sure the binding is stitched more firmly than a cheaper notebook, but all of those features could be accomplished in other ways with that same cheaper notebook. The Moleskine just happens to do all of those things well, but not so incredibly well than a cheap substitute could never live up to.

I’m in full agreement with Jason, a cheap notebook does do the same thing. Let’s not dig around for something that’s not there, it’s only a notebook. Joy, your comment made no sense to me at all - “their form follows their function?” It’s a notebook, well designed indeed, but still just a notebook. People buy these because they do (whether admitted or not) look better than regular notebooks - I don’t know about the whole form/function. Mind explaining?

Sorry if I was unclear. Moleskines are more than ‘stylish’. Stylish is something that’s on the surface. Stylish is paying $50 for a cotton t-shirt because it has a designer logo.

Moleskines well-designed. The paper is acid-free and smooth and a pleasure to write on. [If you’re using your notebook for a grocery list, that’s probably not important, but if you plan to keep your notebooks, it is.]

The pocket notebooks fit comfortably in one’s hand, and are small enough to easily carry in a pocket or purse.

The notebooks lay flat, making them easy to write in.

The elastic band and back pocket make it possible to carry notes and other emphemera safely.

I know that the Chatwin, et al. tale is more sales pitch than fact. Fine with me. I use Moleskines because they work so well.

~Joy

I read about some similar stuff at fixingyou.com. Possibly because I wrote it there. Conceivably of use to fans of this site, methinks.

Moleskines well-designed. The paper is acid-free and smooth and a pleasure to write on.

Unless you use a fountain pen, of course, in which case it feathers and bleeds like crazy on all versions except the sketchbook.

Unless you use a fountain pen, of course, in which case it feathers and bleeds like crazy on all versions except the sketchbook.

Posted by: nick | January 22, 2005 06:28 PM

Maybe your problem has to do with the ink and/or the pen; in my experience this isn’t automatically the case with moleskines. I use the small notebooks; I write in ‘em with black or blue Sheaffer ink and a couple of fine-nib fountain pens (an old Sheaffer Targa and a Namiki Falcon) and I’ve had no problem with feathering or bleeding with either pen so far. I tried a G2 at first, and DID have a serious problem with both feathering and bleeding - plus the ink takes forever to dry. I’m not writing deathless prose for posterity, I’m writing pretty mundane stuff for my own use, so the “archival” thing isn’t a concern for me. I do enjoy the flow of fountain pen ink on a moleskine’s paper.

Donnie mentioned something that makes the sketchbooks almost perfect. They lie flat. For artists, designers, architects and others who want a reasonably sized sketchbook for compositions on either one or two pages, Moleskins are perfect. They are the only sketchbooks I’ve found that open flat for drawing across the seam. The only drawback that I’ve found is that the paper really has no character.

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