Black Cover

I’ve said in a number of our reviews that the notebooks that impress me most are those that show ingenuity in simplicity.  I’m pretty utilitarian in my notebook usage - I don’t write with a special pen, or generally treat them with any sort of respect. I don’t need a fancy cover or classy paper. I like something simple, durable, and effective, but that still shows some originality.

Over the past two years, a number of fantastic notebooks have been recommended to us that fit nearly every single criteria we have for a great little black notebook except for one thing: they’re not black. I’ve resisted going down this road for quite a while - I mean, we’re Black Cover, right? We only review little black notebooks? The more I think about, the more I realize we’re cutting off a huge amount of great notebooks simply because of the color. Our focus will always be on black notebooks when we can find them, but so long as the notebooks generally fit our “perfection in simplicity” mantra, we’re going to broaden our horizons a little.

And I’m extremely happy with this decision, as the Rite in the Rain All-Weather Memo Book is probably one of my favorite notebooks of all time.

Yep, green and beige. They don’t offer black (though a banana yellow is also an option). Rite in the Rain, as many of you know, are manufacturers of a patented paper coating technology that renders their products impervious to rain. Yes, you can literally “write in the rain.” According to the brochure, their goal is to produce products that serve professionals “from the top of Mt. Everest to the deepest caves on the planet,” and judging from the letters sent in to their Cool Stories page, it looks like users are finding such uses all across the world.

Rite in the Rain was started in the 1920s when Jerry Siller developed a water-proof paper for the Pacific Northwest logging industry.  Today, they make about a million different products in all shapes and sizes, and sell some pretty cool weather-proof notebook pouches and covers to boot, so I’d recommend spending some time on their site to find the one you like most. As always, we’re focusing on their pocket version, the Tactical Memo Book, which comes in green and tan. A slightly different version comes in yellow.

On the cover is the company logo and writing. Though I can be iffy on cover writing, I don’t mind this at all. Rather than detract from the notebooks, I think it gives them a sense of character like the Alwych, and I think they’d actually lose something if it were taken away (sadly, it sort of renders the Alwych’s claim to All-Weather status a bit outdated).

Size-wise, these measure in at approximately 3.4″x5″ - a hair skinnier and a full half inch shorter than a standard Moleskine.

I love this size. I’m so bored by 3.5″x5.5″ notebooks, which are apparently the world standard for pocket notebooks as set by Moleskine. I’m always thrilled when someone does something totally new with it, and the size here is perfect for writing handheld.

The notebook is a soft cover and is very flexible. But there’s some body to it, and while it will certainly bend in your back pocket, it still has a necessary firmness.

The tan and green notebooks have a military theme, and the back cover and inner front cover have some helpful reference material, including a 5″ ruler, an English System of Measurements Chart, a Metric to English conversion table, and map scaling tables and rulers.

I didn’t order the Yellow “Universal” option, so I’m not sure if this is included, as it seems more general-purpose.

Now for the pages.

As you can see, the pages of these notebooks reflect a lighter version of their cover colors. The Yellow Universal notebook offers basic white, with blue lines. The pages all feature solid horizontal lines with dotted vertical lines for gridding purposes.

I absolutely love this concept. While I agree with many of you that gridded paper is fantastic to write on, there are times when I wish the vertical lines weren’t so prominent. Rite in the Rain has found a perfect solution to this problem. And yes, I hate the “Rite in the Rain” logo on the bottom of each page. But I can overlook it.

Yep, this is me “riting in the rain.” It absolutely, 100% works (I wrote through the water), and when it dries, the pages show zero signs of ever having been wet. Incredible. The pages are thick and show no visible ink through. The reverse:

In terms of flexibility these notebooks do not open totally flat.

Frankly, I don’t think you could if you tried - the binding is intentionally firm, and I think it would extremely difficult to forcibly break the spine, let alone do so in every day wear and tear. The notebook opens plenty wide for my purposes, though, and I love how durable this makes them.

No pocket, no elastic band, and no bookmark, but this notebook needs none of those amenities. In what it is aiming to achieve, it succeeds to the fullest. They’re certainly not for those of you looking for a fine stationery product, but for those that enjoy utilitarian notebooks, you cannot - I REPEAT! - cannot go wrong.

Among other things, these little notebooks cost only $3.45 each. OK, it’s not that perfect - my bill broke down as follows: ordering two notebooks came to $6.90. Then there was a mysterious $4.00 “miscellaneous charge” (a handling fee, probably for buying too few notebooks), and $8 for shipping to New York from Washington state. All told, I paid $19 for the two notebooks. Still cheaper than a Moleskine, but I now wish I had purchased a few more to get the overall price per notebook down, knowing that I’m definitely going to be using these quite frequently. Black Cover reader WyldWoods points out that you can get them at a discount for only $3.20 each with significantly cheaper shipping at Trail Explorers. Finally, you can avoid the whole  online thing entirely by going to the Rite in the Rain site and using the Dealer Finder to the right of the page to find a local vendor.

If this review interests you, I’d definitely spend some time on their site to find the notebook that suits your purposes. Click here for the Green Memo 954, the Tan Memo 954T, or the Universal Yellow 974. They offer some of their larger notebooks in poydura, made from 100% consumer waste and are “virtually indestructible.”

For some reason, I put off trying this company out for a long time, and am kicking myself for checking them out earlier. Highly recommended!

I meant to post the winners on Halloween, but got caught up in festivities.

Before we give the names, I want to thank all of you for entering. Special thanks goes out to those of you who either added us to your blog rolls, blogged about us, or both. We had thousands of new hits this month and tons of RSS adds, and we can only hope you like the site enough to keep those links up (no guilt if you want to take ‘em down now though!).

It took me a solid hour to type up the entries list in a name randomizer (which claims to base its results on atmospheric noise). But without further ado, the winners receiving three notebooks each (lined vs. blank selected at random) are:

Brian C., Brentwood, CA
Tasha C., Williamstown, MA
Ron G., Kansas City, MO
David G., Granite City, IL
Christian B., Phoenix, AZ

If you won, you don’t have to do anything - we’ll contact you.

As it happens, we have three additional notebooks to give away. The first goes to Brad over at The Pen Addict, whose site brought us the most amount of hits. The second goes to Chris at Amateur Econ, who came in second. The third goes to the very last name on our random name generator list (because being last is not always a bad thing!), which is:

Scott K., (address needed!).

If you’re looking for another contest to enter, Moleskine is having a rather silly one in which they’re asking for pictures of your notebook pages. This is the sort of thing where your pages should be brilliant, as if you planned every word, doodle, and scribble, only it should look very incidental, as if this brilliance just happened by accident. And irony helps too. I’ve always felt that Moleskine is promoting a dumb philosophy of notebooks, in that you’re using the tools once favored by Picasso, Hemingway, Van Gogh, Jesus, etc., and everything you write down had better be up to their level. Personally, my notebooks are a mess, with lots of crossing-outs, horrible penmanship, and often have spots and stains. And not in a pretty way.

However, if you’re the type who creates beatiful notebook pages, or can forge one quickly, I’ve been told that you should go here now. It’s funny, because the intern who sent us the email acknowledged that we probably wouldn’t post this info, because we hate Moleskines in part because they are “prohibitively expensive for some.” Haha, cute.

HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!

The Piccadilly Contest is closed as of Thursday at midnight. Winners to be posted soon…

Today’s R.L. Gibson Markings Notebook bookends a set of three moleskine-style notebook reviews we’ve done, following some fierce competition from the Piccadilly and the Guildhall. Both the Piccaddilly and the Guildhall are inexpensive little black notebooks that I initially feared were nothing more than Moleskine knock-offs, and was suprised to find that both had impressive features that made them each distinguishable in their own right (and in the case of the Piccadilly, with prices that should put Moleskine to shame).

Now for today’s review: Is the Markings Notebook a generic Moleskine knock-off, or something more?

The Markings Notebook is manufactured by C. R. Gibson, a company that makes infinite numbers of stationery products, and is sold at discount prices at massive retailers like Staples and Target everywhere. I picked mine up for $6.99 in the Staples journal section.

Size-wise, it comes in at the standard pocket Moleskine dimensions: 3.5″x5.5″.

The first strike: the notebook has a massive cover lip, something I dislike. There’s really no reason not to have the pages go all the way to the edges.

The cover is not oilcloth - it’s “genunine bonded leather,” according to the packaging, which consists of “80% genuine cowhide leather fibers and 20% non-leather materials.”

Personally, I’m not a fan - we’ve reviewed plenty of leather/synthetic leather cover notebooks, and this one seems the most plastic/vinyl-like to the touch - in other words, it feels cheap. There’s a thread sewn around the edges for aesthetic value.

There’s extremely little bend in this notebook, though again, the pocket Moleskine continues to dominate as the rock hard champion in terms of rigid notebooks.

First page, and you get a “This journal belongs to:” and three lines.

Then, the pages:

Strike 2: The Markings journal not only earns our distaste by having a massive, two-line header, but also a two-line footer! We’ve seen page space wasted on headers before, but never on footers, and it’s pretty disappointing. Most people are quite happy to write over lines if they want a header, and to assume we’d want one on every page means that 10-15% percent is wasted. The line spacing is slightly thinner than the Moleskine, something that would normally be a positive if not for the header/footer issue.

The color of the pages is a creamy yellowish white, akin to the Moleskine. The thickness seems to be about the same as well (I swear those fountain pen trials are coming soon!).

The notebook opens basically flat, but you have to really push it, and even then, there’s often a page curve that prevents you from using the whole page.

Finally, you get the standards: a rear pocket folder, a black satin bookmark, and a somewhat loose elastic band.

As you can probably tell, we were pretty disappointed by the Markings journal. It takes the Moleskine concept and, besides a different (and not so great) cover material, does absolutely nothing new with it (and actually takes it back a few steps with the cover overhang, the header/footer problem, etc.). It’d be one thing if this were the cheapest thing on the market, but $6.99 (Strike 3!) is without question about $3-$4 too much. And now, with such low-priced options on the market as the Piccadilly, a fantastic notebook you don’t have to make excuses for, there’s no place for this type of sloppy imitation. The Markings Notebook looks and feels uncreative and cheap, a second-rate knock off.

You can buy this at Staples and (I’m told) Target stores everywhere for $6.99 or so. I can’t find a vendor online, so give me a heads up if you happen across one.

Coming next week: Away with the black!

When we first began this site, one of the biggest problems we had was finding out about new little black notebooks. Luckily, as we’ve grown, you readers have become our prime source for learning of the latest brands on the market, to the point where our biggest problem has become actually obtaining copies for review. Often, this is due to communication problems. Currently, there’s a Japanese notebook I’d kill to review, as well as a very interesting German notebook - but repeated queries to the respective companies have gone unanswered, and finding foreign retailers is often difficult.

Other times, the problem comes from the fact that a little black notebook is just one of MANY products made by a huge manufacturer, and tracking down an individual item becomes a chore. When I reviewed the Colored Edge Notebook, for example, it was pretty clear that the company never dreamed anyone would care enough to review the product, and I had to go store hopping to dig one up.

The Guildhall Pocket Notebook has been a similar situation for me. A number of readers have recommended it over the past few months, but tracking down a copy has been tricky. The company, founded in the late 1800’s, is based in the UK, and I have yet to find an online American vendor. I found mine as per a reader suggestion in a stationery store in New York, but I hate reviewing a notebook that’s difficult for Black Cover readers to purchase. Then again, maybe that’s some of the fun in all this. Anyway, the Guildhall:

The Guildhall Pocket Notebook is a moleskine-style (note lowercase - that’s right, we’re reclaiming the word from its branding!) notebook that is similar to a standard pocket Moleskine, but with a few exceptional key differences that make it stand out.

Size-wise, it measures 90mm x 140mm, or just about 3.5″ x 5.5″ - exactly the same as a Moleskine. There’s a slight cover lip, which always disappoints me, but it’s pretty negligible.

It’s a hard cover, but there’s some give in terms of flexibility.

The more I review hard cover notebooks, the more it amazes me just how annoyingly rigid a Pocket Moleskine is. The thing is basically a rock, which might suit some people, but I find it limiting.

A big difference in the Guildhall comes in the faux-leather cover - it’s softer than a Moleskine’s and has a sewn edge.

I’m not sure what this does in terms of durability, but for the visual aesthetic, it definitely gives this a serious, elegant look.

Now for the biggest feature on this notebook: the binding. You can bend this notebook all the way around with minimal to no resistance:

A number of people reject any type of hard cover moleskine notebook in favor of flip-tops, for the understandable reason that it’s very hard to hold it one hand when writing. For these people, the Guildhall is the notebook you’ve been looking for. It’s can be opened in half at any page, from the first page to the last, and doesn’t seem like there’s ANY danger of ripping. With a Moleskine, on the other hand, this is literally as far as it wants to go before I feel like I’m starting to warp it:

The Guildhall is the first hard cover we’ve reviewed with this level of flexibility.

The first page has three lines for writing your contact info, reward, etc.

Now for the pages.

The pages are a creamy yellowish white. The lines are perfectly spaced - just slightly thinner than the Moleskine. Also, the Guildhall is the first notebook we’ve reviewed that has a header and footer I actually appreciate. If you look, you’ll see that the top and bottom lines are just slightly larger than the rest, which makes writing in those spaces easier (a blessing compared to the Moleskine, where the first line is lopped in half making it totally unusable). Yet they didn’t waste anymore space than was needed. Though the lines don’t completely go all the way across, it won’t stop you making use of the space.

The pages feel thicker than the Moleskine. I don’t think there’s any danger of a fountain pen going through.

As expected, this notebook lies perfectly flat on the table - another function of its excellent binding.

Finally, the notebook comes with the usual: a closure elastic, a black satin bookmark, and a back cover pocket folder.

Again, I reiterate: the perfection I’m looking for is a notebook’s innovative simplicity. When I first saw this notebook in its package, I frankly thought it’d be nothing more than a boring Moleskine knock-off. After actually using it, however, I see the subtle differences that make this far superior. With its excellent flexibility, loose binding, and unique cover design, a Moleskine seems boring and rigid in comparison. I would buy this notebook in a heartbeat over a Moleskine, and hope that we start seeing available from more US retailers.

I purchased the notebook at Paper Access in New York City for the maybe-$2-too-much price of $11.95. You can find them at 23 W 18th Street btw. 5th & 6th, or call them at 212-463-7035. I have a feeling this is the type of thing that you’ll find randomly at stationery shops. Keep me posted if you find any other US retailers, especially online.

For UK readers or those willing to purchase internationally, you can buy them online very cheaply from, oddly enough, The United Kingdom Geologists Equipment Ltd. Weird, right? One notebook will run you  £4.21 / US$7.24 / €5.39, all of which seems extremely reasonable to me.

CONTEST

CLOSED!!

Something neat came in the mail yesterday:

Before we get to the contest, just a note: we finally put together a full picture guide to the notebooks we’ve reviewed. We’ll hope to add helpful features such as arranging by price, hardest cover to softest cover, etc.

For those of you who are new to Black Cover, this blog is dedicated to the search for the perfect little black notebook. The folks at Piccadilly, manufacturers of a fantastic, low-priced moleskine-style notebook we recently reviewed, were extremely generous in donating a ton of notebooks for our second Black Cover contest, and we’re going to give them away to you - FREE!

Piccadilly makes three different size notebooks, which come lined (orange) or unlined (green). You can buy them in Borders stores everywhere (usually found in the discount section, NOT the stationery area), or online here. They have generously offered our readers a 15% discount on online orders with the sales code blackcover. Borders prices below are based on reader input, and seem to vary a bit. The sizes are:

Small (3.5″x5.5″) - $3.99 @ Borders / $4.99 Online

Medium (5″x8.25″) - $4.99 @ Borders / $6.99 Online

Big (7.5″x10″) - $7.99 @ Borders / $8.99 Online

We’re going to be giving away FIVE sets of notebooks to FIVE lucky readers. Each prize set will contain (1) small notebook, (1) medium notebook, and (1) large notebook! Lined vs. unlined will be decided by random.

Last time we had a contest, you could only enter by posting about us on your blog. In retrospect, this wasn’t entirely fair to the numerous readers we have without blogs. So we’re going to make things a bit different this time.

The contest is only open to residents of the USA. The deadline to enter is on or by Thursday, October 30, 2008.

There are four ways to enter. You can only enter ONCE under one of the following four options.

1) No blog or website? No problem! Just send an email with your name and mailing address to (contest closed). This counts as one entry.

2) Got a blog? Post an entry about our site with something concerning our search for “Moleskine alternatives” in the link text. You are welcome to state that the only reason you are doing this is for a contest. For example: “Check out this site which is dedicated to finding Moleskine alternatives. I’m shilling to win a contest, so please check them out!” The entry HAS to be dated today (October 14, 2008) or after. Send an email with your name, mailing address, and a  link to the blog entry to (contest closed). This counts as two entrys.

3) Got a blog or website? Put a permanent link to Black Cover on your Links page or blog roll. Send your name, mailing address, and a link to your site to (contest closed). This counts as two entries.

4) Do #2 & #3 - Make an entry about Black Cover AND put a link to us on your blog roll/links page, and send us your name, mailing address, and a link to both at (contest closed). This gets you the maximum of three entries. Don’t feel dirty! If you really hate us that much, you can just delete it all after this contest is over!

SPECIAL REWARD! When we go to tally votes, the person whose website or blog has generated the MOST number of hits to our site will be rewarded with one additional entry.

THE DEADLINE IS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3O. We will announce the winners on Halloween day. Your personal information will NOT be given out to anyone, and you will not wind up on any mailing list including our own, in part because we do not have one.

Questions

But BC, I posted an entry about Black Cover a few days/weeks/months ago. Can I submit this as a blog entry?

Unfortunately, we’re only counting blog entries from the date of this post on.

But BC, I already have a permanent link to your site on my links list/blogroll. Does this count?

Yes it does. Submit it now!

But BC, I don’t understand! These entry options seem complicated! What do you mean, one entry or two entries or…

It’s really quite simple. Joe Everyman doesn’t have a blog or website, so he simply sends an email with his name and address. We put ONE Joe Everyman ticket into our enormous top hat from which we will pull the winners.

Sarah Drog has a blog, and writes an entry about us. She sends us the link, and we put TWO Sarah Drog entries into our enormous top hat.

Billy Blight has a website, and puts up a permanent link to Black Cover in his Links section. We put TWO Billy Blight entries into our big hat.

Finally, John Q Public has a blog, and makes an entry about Black Cover AND puts a link to us in his permanent blog roll. We put THREE John Q Public entries in the hat.

When we go to tally the votes in the end, we see that Sarah Drog’s blog has generated more site hits than Billy Blight or John Q Public. Thus, we give her the SPECIAL REWARD, and she gets THREE ENTRIES instead of two.

Black Cover reserves the right to clarify rules as we see fit. This contest is JUST FOR FUN, so no legal mumbo jumbo. We reserve the right to call it off if things go horribly and devise a new, less-headache-inducing way to win the notebooks.

Finally, GOOD LUCK!!