Want to Feel Rich and Hip? Scribble Your Journal in a Moleskine

-------------------------------------

If you haven't heard of Moleskine notebooks yet, you just aren't keeping up. The correct pronounciation, which you hardly ever hear, is Mol-a-skeen-a, and it refers to a little pocket notebook originally produced by bookbinders in France and peddled to the artsy Parisian crowd.

They say Vincent Van Gogh used one and you can see the purported real thing in the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam. Henri Matisse was a user too, along with Pablo Picasso.

On the literary side, Ernest Hemingway was said to have one always in his pocket as he wandered the streets of Paris and writer-traveler Bruce Chatwin kept many on hand as he travelled the world. On hearing the company might be going out of business, Chatwin panicked and ordered 100 of them.

A Legend Returns

Eventually, the company actually did succumb to financial woes and went bankrupt in 1986. It was bought out by an Italian company in Milan called Modo & Modo. With an updated look and an upscaled price tag, Moleskines were re-introduced to the world stage in 1998.

This time, with some clever marketing and an understated elegance, the little notebooks caught on and now they are becoming a true necessity among those who care about such things.

Billed as "The Legendary Notebook Used By European Artists and Thinkers for the Past Two Centuries", the books have been selling like hotcakes for the past couple of years. Originally hard to find, other than on the web, huge demand has vastly increased the distribution channels so you can now pick them up easily. Most big box book stores like Barnes & Noble or Borders have them permanently in stock now.

So Who Are These Moleskiners?

Oddly enough, some of the most rabid users of Moleskines are computer geeks who are setting aside their PDA's for the moment and reverting to analog means to keep track of their complex lives or record their innermost thoughts. In true geek fashion, they are coming up with Moleskine "hacks", retrofitting or re-purposing or cleverly improving on what is really nothing more than a simple little notebook.

To keep the movement alive, there are countless blogs that discuss the pros and cons of the Moleskine and they can, on occasion, get a bit vitriolic when various factions clash. Most notable are the times when a mouthy non-user stumbles in and says something like "Hey...it's only a notebook". There is a lot of conversation of the "you show me yours..." variety and tons of photos of the little notebooks decked out with quirky little indicators of their owners' personalities or professions.

Lots of Choices

The original Moleskine, and still the most popular, was just a little black book measuring 3.5" x 5.5". It is very sturdy, well-made and with a smooth, oilcloth type binding. There is a built in elastic to hold your place or to add odds and ends. There is usually a handy little pocket at the end and the whole thing makes a neat and useful package you can stick in your pocket or purse.

The new line of Moleskines has far more variety than the old one and there are some interesting new designs.

A sampling:

• Traditional Pocket Notebook
• Story Board Notebook
• Music Notebook
• Sketchbook - pocket or desk
• Address Book
• Japanese Pocket Book - Unique folded design made from one sheet and very hard to describe
• Memo Pocket Book - Accordian File
• Reporter Notebooks - several sizes, flip-top
• Watercolor Notebooks
• Calendars and Planners

Prices range from $10 for pocket-sized to $18 or so for larger ones.

---------------------