Moleskine

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Inside view of a Moleskine ruled notebook; the elastic band is visible on the right, as is the bookmark in the center.

Although the name may be used as a generic term, the Moleskine (pronounced /mɔleˈskine/) is a brand of notebook manufactured by Moleskine srl, an Italian company. The Moleskine is bound in oilcloth-covered cardboard (Moleskin), with an elastic band to hold the notebook closed and a sewn spine that allows it to lie flat when opened.

Moleskine's most famous endorsement comes from Bruce Chatwin, who used similar notebooks constantly throughout his travels, and wrote about them glowingly. Chatwin's original source of notebooks dried up in 1986, when his Paris stationer informed him that the last moleskine manufacturer, a small family-run firm of Tours, had discontinued production in 1986 after the death of the owner. The modern moleskine is fashioned after Chatwin's descriptions of the notebooks he used and is not a direct descendant.

Moleskine books often use a method called hedgehog binding.

1 Moleskine srl and the Moleskine
2 Modo & Modo's product line
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Moleskine srl and the Moleskine

Although Moleskine srl claims their notebook has been used by well-known artists and writers, such as Picasso, Matisse, and Hemingway, it is not clear that they used this type of notebooks, though there is evidence that they used some kind of "pocket notebook."^[1] A writer who has confirmed using them is Neil Gaiman, who wrote about his love of moleskine notebooks on his blog.^[2]

In 2006, Modo & Modo, the old Italian publisher, began looking to sell the company or partner with someone to help it expand. According to a 2006 article in the Telegraph, the company reports that its small staff was unable to keep up with demand.^[3] In August of 2006, the French investment fund Société Générale purchased Modo & Modo for 60 million euros.^[4] Strips of cardboard are now often inserted into the binding, a practice which did not occur prior to August 2006.

[edit] Modo & Modo's product line

Most or all of Modo & Modo's Moleskine product line

Modo & Modo sells Moleskine notebooks in many varieties, and frequently introduce new variations on the basic notebook (such as a storyboard and reporter versions).

[edit] Current Products

The "standard" notebooks come in two sizes, pocket 3.5 by 5.5 inches (9 x 14 cm) and large 5.25 by 8.25 inches (13 x 21 cm).

Pocket notebooks are available in many varieties: ruled, squared, plain, address book, info book, and music (192 pages each); sketchbook and storyboard (80 pages of heavier paper); Japanese pocket album (60 zig-zag folded pages); and memo pockets (six pockets instead of paper).
Large notebooks are available in ruled, squared, plain, and address book (240 pages); sketchbook, with 100 pages; and memo pockets (six pockets).
Diaries come in large and pocket sizes, as above, and in "diary" and "weekly diary" versions. Weekly Notebooks are also available. These feature a new layout, with the week at a glance on the left and plain notepaper on the right. The 18 month version runs from July to December. They have soft covers (like the Cahier range) and are available in pocket (9×14 cm) and large (13×21 cm) sizes. In addition they have a thinner paper than the traditional notebook to allow the lines from the notepaper to be viewed through the page. They have an interior back pocket.
Cahier (Fr. for "notebook", pronounced kah-yay, /ka'je/) notebooks are thinner, and come in sets of three. They are also available in two different colors, black or buff(kraft). They have a thin, flexible cardboard cover and also lack the bookmark and elastic closure present on the other notebooks, and have a visible stitched spine. The three sizes are pocket (64 pages), large (80 pages), and extra large (7.5 by 9.75 inches (19 x 25 cm); 120 pages); each size comes in ruled, squared, or plain varieties.
Reporter notebooks are similar to the standard notebooks, except that they are bound at the top instead of on the side. They come in pocket and large sizes, and in ruled, squared, and plain styles.

[edit] Upcoming

In May 2006, Modo & Modo announced the production of the new City Notebooks line of Moleskines.

These notebooks will each be based around one major world city, and will serve as a self-written guidebook to that city. The books will be in the 3.5 by 5.5 inches (9×14 cm) size, with 228 pages and three different-colored ribbon placemarkers. They will include an overall map of the city, as well as large-scale maps of areas within the city, and an index of streets. There will be blank pages for notes, as well as removable sheets for exchanging messages and transparent sticky sheets to use as map overlays.

A tabbed section, in addition to six blank tabs, includes tabs and icons for: "Food: Places, legends, recipes", "Drinks: Bars, wineries, stories", "Sleep: Places, dreams, adventures", "People: Names, faces, encounters", "Places: Info, shopping, art", and "Books, movies, music."

[edit] Discontinued

Volant notebooks were like the Cahiers, but without the back pocket. They had soft covers which unlike the Cahiers were coated with the same oilskin material as the standard Moleskines. They came in ruled, squared, plain, and address book varieties, and in pocket (64 pages) and large (80 pages) sizes.