apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

So i take it it's not something akin to NFT guides.

www.notfortourists.com

i bought a couple of these for a recent trip to europe, and loved them. their size makes them nice and discreet; you don't feel like a touristy geek unfolding a gigantic map on the street corner. the books easily fit into my purse, and sometimes even my jacket pocket.

oh, and the translucent sheets are genius! i used them to mark out my route for various neighborhoods. and little things, like the ribbon bookmarks, really do come in handy as well.

No. First of all it's completely blank.

I have a general question about Moleskins--not these city guides, but blank books and notepads. A lot of people swear by these and I've looked at them a number of times but have always thought them pricey. I know, I know, nice paper, feels good to write on them, well-made so they don't fall apart. I'd like to hear from any aficionadoes on why it's worth the expense to you.

I'm more of a miguel rius fan, but the moleskines I've been given have been both wonderful to carry and to write on.

Pixie, I always thought that people fell for the Moleskins because supposedly Hemingway used one. That is, they think they'll be better writers (or at least look like serious writers) if they use a very expensive notebook. Everybody's who's anybody used it! Am I wrong?

Here's an interesting artiicle on how the Moleskine brand didn't exist at the time of Hemingway or others the company says used their notebooks. It's just that famous people used "notebooks of the same size, shape and color" as the current Moleskine line.

Ha, that's funny, Wende!

Thank you wende for that link. I always suspected there was something fishy about that claim.

Wende, that explains alot...when I first started seeing Moleskines around in the 90's I kept thinking, if they were in business all this time, how come I've only just started seeing them?

That said, they ARE really nice quality. I think of them as gift notebooks...hard to justify spending that much on a notebook for myself, but really nice to give as presents.

I think it was bruce chatwin who actually popularized them, but I could be wrong.

I have the Paris one and it's somewhat underwhelming. I think the idea is great, but to keep it visually seductive, they've often gone with a pale gray ink on cream paper; the contrast isn't enough for easy readibility in anything less than the best of light.

Still, it's a pretty thing. So pretty I don't want to write in it.

I have to say i LOVE moleskines, and all of the similar ones/knockoffs but i can't get into this version (these versions?)

THe maps are uncomfortable to use, the city info is very basic (a stop at any tourist information stand or Internet search will get you MUCH better info, at least in European cities) and its twice the size and cost of a regular blank moleskine.
IMHO, its just better to buy a blank one and fill with your own notes before leaving.


Pixie, to answer your question, I love the compact notebook for its convenience and quality; i can stash it anywhere, and i usually carry one with me in my handbag and don't have to worry about it getting trashed (you should always have paper and pen handy IMO).

THat said, I also use the similar ones by other brands, when i need a change of pattern (variety is the spice of life), and find that they work just as well, as long as they aren't mini spiral notebooks (those ALWAYS get destroyed, even if they have a reinforced cover).

My other standbys include the Muji craft books (although i use them more for info i tear out). Muji has also recently come out with another one of my faves, the passport book...

Sorry, i have to link from the UK site, but here they are:

Craft notebook
http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?V=1&Sec=1&Sub=4&PID=299 (same is also available in charchoal version)

Passport: http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?V=1&Sec=1&Sub=4&PID=1471

I can't wait till Muji starts selling stuff on their US website and I hope they don't jack up the prices for us suckers.

i've used moleskins for awhile. they are expensive but i find that my journals last a couple months to a year - so it better be high enough quality to get jostled around in my bag for a long while. i've been very happy with mine.

then again, i'm a sucker for lovely papers.

i'm a huge fan of moleskines. i don't use the bookmarks, but the size, the rounded corners, the pocket, it all works for me. i don't have problems with the cover bending or ripping or pages falling out. i use pocket plain for day-to-day, because i can write in my own calender, soduko games, lists, and paperclip in fabric samples, and i use lined cahiers for class. the extra-large cahiers mimic a composition notebook, without the weight and size (which i need as a commuter), with the added benefit of slimmer ruled lines.

but the city guides. SUCK. london, specifically: the maps, which i needed, veered off onto separate pages so going on a walking tour wasn't the best thing without a different map, and the tube map would be better to reference if i could fold back the whole book. and for a blank book, there were actually too many blank pages considering that i wasn't stopping to write down stuff all the time. i just needed room for addresses and keeping track of my finances, i wasn't stopping to reflect everyday.

I am a long-time lover of Moleskines - I started with their (pocket) diaries which are just the right size to pop in a bag and take with you everywhere - and now have all types of their notebooks for various different purposes - my favourite thing about them is the rounded corners

But I have to echo the sentiment that the city notebooks SUCK - I have the Paris, New York, and London ones and the maps are rubbish - they have two different scales and the closer zoom maps are simply the further away zoom but printed larger!!! - they don't show any more detail at all - pointless!!!

and I get so annoyed with the London one not showing the entire tube map - I have an old moleskine notebook where I grabbed one of the free tube maps and stuck it in the front of the notebook - with a bit of trimming it fits perfectly, every station showing - I don't understand why they couldn't fit the whole tube map into the city notebook

They are a great idea - they are perfect for flipping open on a street corner to check the map and not look like a tourist - and they are perfect for recording all the addresses you want for a particular city - I love that I can grab the one I need as I head off to a particular city - but the information section in the front could have been a million times better

I use the calendar - I love it. They even have a music-ruled !