There is nothing quite as exciting as a fresh blank notebook full of possibilities, well except, perhaps a full worn notebook filled with new mathematics! I can admit that I'm addicted to notebooks. Whenever I see one, with a new kind of color or material I buy it. As such, a shelf in our house is totally devoted to blank notebooks.

The Notebook Shelf

It was only a few months ago when I put them all in one place that it hit me how many I'd accumulated. These are all blank. I go through about one or two notebooks per week (of the Moleskine Cahier size) So, I have almost a whole bookcase full of full notebooks as well. I use Rhodia, Moleskine, Whitelines, Writer's block and other big brands quite often, In this post I'll focus on the more rare and unique stuff, the notebooks that make my hand tremble with excitement as I get ready to make that first mark on the unblemished page! The notebooks that I cherish, they are almost too good to write in, yet, I await the day that I mark them with such pent-up desire!

Okay, maybe I'm getting a little too excited here, on with the notebooks!

I like large notebooks best, they are best suited for lesson plans and proofs.

Although I like large notebooks best I do have a few small ones that I could not resist. Here we have: Quattero, a generic red notebook, an antique 1950s notebook, Writer's block "Dots" mini notebook and "Tidbit" Free Cut memo.

Quattero notebooks come in all sizes, they are a little pricy, but the paper is so smooth and thick it's worth it, the only thing I don't like about them is that the backs of the papers are blank, you only get the grid on one side, considering that the paper is bleed-proof this seems like a missed opportunity.

Here's what they look like inside: Writerblock "dots", Quattro, and the little red one.

Writersblok is one of the most underrated notebooks around. They are a less expensive version of the "Moleskine Cahier" but, even if they cost more than Moleskine I'd still take them over the Moleskine any day! Why? DOTS. Dots are the ideal method of ruling the blank page, grid paper is too distracting, lined paper looks awful if you stop to make drawings and graphs as often as I do. So dotted paper is one of the main things I look for in a notebook. The dots in the Writersblok notebooks are the best, they are whisper light, so that you'll almost forget they are there. Yet when you look at your pages you'll see that the lines are straighter, graphs are more accurate and the text is evenly spaced. I've been seeing more and more kinds of dot paper, I really hope it catches on!

Antique notebooks fascinate me. Especially those that have survived totally blank and untouched like this one for decades. I love that this little memo book has an even smaller notebook (not an address book!) tucked inside. If I ever think of the perfect use for it I will use it, but for now it remains untouched, it is one of my most cherished notebooks. (*sniff*)

Notebook within a notebook...

Ever since I started loving blank books and shopping for them I have starting HATING address books, planners and photo albums. Why? Often I'll see a notebook on the shelf, the perfect size! The perfect color! I reach for it and.... it's a PHOTO ALBUM! ugh. So annoying. I end up wondering who are all of the people who like photo albums and address books so much, have they not heard of Flikr and gmail? I suppose they must be wondering what's with all of the blank books... who needs paper? I have an iPad.

(I will continue sharing my collection in the next post.)