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Moleskine

Sat., March 11, 2006

I enjoy writing and I have a porous memory, two sometimes related facts that necessitate I have a notebook and pen always at the ready. I’ve been through a huge number of notebook sizes, styles and brands and never been satisfied. About a year ago I bought my first Moleskine1 Pocket Notebook. (The first page of scribbling, dated Febrary 14, 2005, reminds me to check out Threadless and Digital Gravel for well-designed T-shirts, to “get keynote CHOF presentation for Jimi,“ and to give Tony Luke’s Old Philly Style Sandwiches on Ninth Avenue a try.)

Moleskine is a fashionable choice, but I was more concerned with the brand’s portability and sturdiness. I’ve had my share of dud notebooks: ones that were too thick or of an unwieldy size; flimsy cheapies that I had trouble holding open or laying flat when I attempted to write on-the-go; wire-bound models that unspiraled and nearly fishhooked me; perfect-bound types that contracted leprosy and shed pages; and varieties in which the ink ran at the first suggestion of rain.

I must admit, a year later and I’m impressed that my Moleskine has met the challenges I’ve thrown at it. It’s been dropped, stepped on, stuffed in all manner of bags and pockets, rained and snowed on, taken across the country and an ocean, even had pages unceremoniously ripped from it, and it’s made the grade.

The paper of the pages is thick enough to accommodate any manner of writing implement-not even a Sharpie will bleed through onto the next page. The oilcloth-covered cardboard covers haven’t warped despite being crammed in my back jeans pocket and sat upon. (It’s the perfect portable size.) The elastic band is a great feature to keep it closed and pages protected from the elements. The sewn spine holds the pages intact and allows the book to lie flat and mostly open when needed. The trademark secret pocket built into the inside back cover did get a small split, but I chalk it up to the constant removal and return of my indispensable Manhattan subway and bus map, a laminated 4-by-2.75-inch (when trifolded) Streetwise “Mini Metro.” (Available online and at some Metropolitan Museum of Art gift shops.) The end of the bookmark is frayed, but I can live with that; wear can be pleasant: the edges of the pages, like those of an oft-read book, have been worn smooth by fingertips. Great value, too: as I’ve mentioned before, New Yorkers can snag a standard 192-page Pocket Notebook for $9 at Pearl Paint.

My Moleskine Pocket Notebook, open.

My Moleskine is the Squared (graph paper) model, which I bought because I thought it would corral my spastic handwriting and save space. That didn’t happen. It wasn’t a deterrent, but I think I can stick with Plain or Ruled varieties now that the Squared one is pages away from reaching capacity. Thankfully, I have a backlog of Moleskines that I’ve received as gifts. On to more happy travels and fine writing with Moleskine notebook #2!

1A word on pronunciation: moleskin, lowercased and without the trailing “e,” is a sturdy cotton fabric, such as that which covered notebooks of the same non-trademarked name at one time. It’s pronounced as you’d expect: MOL-skin. Andie and Katie, who both work at bookstores that sell Moleskine notebooks, say that’s how everyone pronounces the brand name. But here and there you’ll find references to mol-a-SKEEN-a: on Moleskine’s Wikipedia page, on the front page of the brand’s American website and from the sort of jerks who will “correct” the pronunciation of words like Porche. A person billing himself as a Moleskine customer service rep cleared the confusion on a Moleskine message board in April 2005:

How do you pronounce Moleskine? Around here we say mol-a-SKEEN-a, as the books are currently manufactured in Italy. However, the books were originally manufactured in France, so we also say c’est la vie to any way you prefer, as there is no wrong answer.

Now that I know the rest of the story, I’m sticking with MOL-skin, thanks. [back]

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