Product Description

Ruled Noteboook li 240 lined pages li Dimensions 13 x 21cm li Acid-free paper li Expandable inner pocket li Black

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2259 in Books
• Size: BLACK
• Colour: LARGE RULED
• Brand: Ryman
• Published on: 2007-11-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Binding: Journal
• 240 pages

Customer Reviews

Best of the bunch
I was looking for a journal/notebook and arrived at a shortlist of two: this one and the Ciak large black notebook, so bought one of each. This is a comparative review of the two, which I hope you will find useful.

The notebooks are very similar, both black, both the same height, but with the Ciak being about 15mm wider. They have about the same number of pages, but the paper in the Ciak is thicker and heavier, so the book is thicker, and weighs in at 481g compared to the Moleskine's 346g (on my kitchen scales). I have written in both of them with a fountain pen (fine nib) and found that, even with the thinner paper of the Moleskine, the writing surface is good and the ink does not bleed through to the other side of the paper. Both notebooks are lined, the lines being of a similar colour and thickness. However, the lines in the Moleskine extend to the edge of the paper so that they are visible down the edge of the book when it is shut, whereas the lines in the Ciak do not. The space between the lines is virtually identical, with the Moleskine squeezing in 31 lines per page to the Ciak's 30. The Moleskine has a stiff cover, whereas the Ciak's is soft and felxible. The Moleskine has its famous pocket at the back, which the Ciak does not. The Moleskine has a vertical elastic closure, whereas the Ciak has a horizontal one. Both have sturdy bindings, but I found the Moleskine easier to use because it opens wider and stays flat under my hand as I write. The Ciak resists being opened to the full 180 degrees, so is more of a struggle to use. Last but not least, on current prices the Moleskine is a fair bit cheaper, worth considering if you're going to get through a lot of them.

Which is best? Depends on what you want. If you want something that is beautiful and sensuous, then the Ciak wins. The more practical among us would probably prefer the Moleskine. I've now got two notebooks with only a page used in each, so it will be a while before I need to buy another. I may change my mind in the meantime, but for now I think it will be Moleskine for me. So you may also wish to consider the Moleskine's pedigree as the notebook of choice of van Gogh, Hemingway, Picasso, Chatwin and Williams.

Beautiful books to collect your thoughts.
When I first bought a Moleskine notebook I was more than a little hesitant due to the price, which was at least twice as much as I would normally spend on a notebook. However, as soon as I started using it I fell well and truly in love and have been recommending them to friends ever since.

These notebooks are made from quality materials and the paper is a joy to write on. I always write with liquid ink pens, including dipped nib pens on occasion and, even though the paper is fairly thin, I have never had the ink seep through. The hardcover opens fully and stays open easily without cracking or bending, allowing for easy writing without obstuction and without damaging the book. The pocket of my notebook is always in constant use, I'm not sure how I ever survived without it. The lines in the ruled notebooks are the perfect size for my writing, small but not too tiny, and they go all the way from one side of the paper to the other without annoying margins to try and control where you write.

I now have a growing collection of various Moleskine notebooks but my original is still in frequent use and, despite being carried around in my bag almost daily for just over a year, it still looks in almost as perfect condition as the day I bought it, with only the tiniest bit of cracking at the top of the spine that has appeared in the last month or so. The rest of my (scarily large) collection of beautiful notebooks is now a backup to my trusty Moleskines. I will be using these books for many many years to come.

I have to admit that the price still makes me wince a little, but now I look at it as an investment and a treat to myself. Some people buy DVDs, I buy notebooks, it's all a matter of perspective, and in my view this is worth the money by far.

moleskines and fountain pens :-)
In re what Matthew Bodycombe said - that's rather strange. I know where he's coming from re having specific paper needs due to liking fountain pens, but I haven't had this problem with moleskine paper - in fact it's the only kind of paper I'm consistently sure will be pleasing to use (with other papers, it's not that fountain pens won't work at all; it's more that you don't get the same sensual enjoyment out of it than you get using proper paper). It helps that it is cream-colored, rather than blinding white - much easier on the eyes and looks much neater than harsh, too-white copier-style paper, which had become the standard for most notebooks and diaries alike until moleskines hit the market. I mean, it is still to be found in the majority although about the time the moleskine arrived (because of it?) the whole journalling craze took a new boost, and you finally got some other manufacturers introducing cream, soft paper - paperblanks for instance, the ciak brand he mentions also does that I believe (not sure tho')

In fact, it's the only kind of paper I can easily recommend to someone needing to use it with a fountain pen - obviously in my time I've come across lots of other brands and styles, but they're the sort of thing I can only get at one store, or I have to order it specially or something like that. Until I hit on moleskines, which are available pretty widely and consistently over the entire western world, there was no simple answer a longer-standing pen geek like me could give newbies when they asked me where to get some paper that was more pleasing to use with their new pen ;-) Now I can just tell them to get a moleskine, and there's enough of a range to get them started whatever their needs (a notable exception being loose leaf sheets for correspondence or to use in a binder). I don't think it's the best (I'd vote for Kokuyo Campus in that category), but it's really bluidy good, and most of all, unlike Kokuyo, you don't have to have like relatives in Japan or something to get your hands on it!

Tbh I think moleskines aren't too good to use with ballpoints or gels or rollerballs, unless you got a really light touch to your writing. The paper's pretty skinny (deliberately, to keep the thing lightweight), so if you press down hard, as you're much more likely to do with a ballpoint etc than with a fountain pen, you might be marking the next two pages with today's entry :-) (and hey, it's fine if it's a profound quote on the meaning of life, but what if it's something lame like 'BUY MILK!!! DO NOT FORGET THIS TIME!!' - sure I'm not the only one who has these!)

The only way I can imagine Matthew is having trouble with a moleskine and an FP is if the pen(s) he tried it with is really 'juicy' - ie, it dumps great big wads of ink on the paper as it writes (either through design, especially with broader nibs, or because it's just wonky :-)). Similarly, the ink being used could be pretty heavy and viscous, too. I've used the moleskine with up to a size medium nib with no hassle whatsoever - and that was a european-style medium, which would be a Broad for asian/japanese pens where the nibs tend to be finer and crisper. I have also used it with Montblanc ink, which I have noticed is heavier, with more pigment than other inks, such as J Herbin if you wanna go higher end, or your basic standard pelikan in schoolroom blue ;-). Again, that wasn't a problem.

All in all, it might be worth playing around with the possibilities, because the experience outlined in Matthew's reveiw isn't very common - most FP users I know get along pretty well with moleskine paper, even if it's not their favorite (we're also fussier than the average ballpoint or gel pen user, bear in mind, because FP writing comes closer to artistic-type uses than handwriting with any other kind of tool, so things like how nice and smooth the writing feels play a part in paper selection in ways that don't even register when using ballpoints or gels). So Matthew I think you should have a go, try a few things differently and you might get a nice surprise - there's hardly anything to lose now since you already have the diary, might as well try and make the most of it!

Oh, and everyone, if you're worried about not liking it, try the moleskine cahiers first - cheaper and smaller than the rest, so less of a commitment if you find you really don't get along! And you can split the pack with a friend too; either someone who wants to try it out just like you or someone who already likes the stuff and knows they'll find a spot for another cahier or two somewhere :-)

Good luck!