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Unlike notebooks here in the States, Japanese notebooks have all standardized sizes that are all interconnected. A6 is the size of a postcard and half of an A5, which is half of a A4ā¦ and so on. so if you get a A5 notebook you can get a whole system of compatible stationary!
Feb 3, 2024
Related Recs
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iām still in my evaluation phase of a handful of different journals and paper typesā¦ in general, i think iām a fan of most notebooks that have tomoe river paper, because it works so nicely with my fountain pens, but some specifics:
- maruman mnemosyne spiral bound: i am using these in lined a4 or a5 format for my morning journals. good daily driver, bleeds a little if youāre overly aggressive.
- apica premium CD: i am currently using one in memo size to jot down notes, ideas, and first drafts for a writing project iām working on. i have a larger format that iām planning to use for practicing drawing with fineliner pens, but i havenāt actually done that yet, so iām not sure how well they go together. paper is SUPER silky and smooth, resistant to bleeding, but the smoothness makes it feels quite a bit different from most other kinds of paper.
(ed. note: the above two were taken from Wirecutterās article on the best notebooks and notepads)
- travelerās company: these are not really notebooks themselves, but sort of a system for customizing and evolving your own little custom notebook. you buy a leather cover, which comes with one notebook ārefill,ā and then you typically will either buy more to stuff in all at once, or to replace your refills as they fill up. itās a very neat little way to have a nice notebook with some flexible paper choices and cute accessories! these use Midori MD paper, which is very solid, but there are a lot of different varieties you can get, so itās worth exploring. i would argue the neatest thing about this choice is its modularity, which lets you e.g. explore Etsy listings for custom refills and accessories!
Oct 9, 2024
perfect size, perfect smoothness, perfect binding, perfect paper color, perfect for morning pages
Sep 2, 2024
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1x: large A4 dotted for longform notetaking
1x: small A5 blank for planning out ideas
1x: small A5 planner/calender
1x: tiny pocketbook for secrets
Jan 24, 2024
Top Recs from @martha_mydear
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As an artbook seller I often see people who come to the store to do research or get inspiration. Iām always happy to help whoever but why limit yourself to only what is available at a specialized book store?
It is easier than you might think to access an art library and art librarians are the best people I know.
Iām linking to worldcat, a tool that will help you identify what library holds the title you are interested in.
Hereās a list of libraries in NYC that have amazing collections and that are open to researchers (thatās you) just make sure you make an appointment and provide a list of books from their catalogue before arriving.
-Moma (appointments are limited to certain days, can take a couple weeks to get appointments, you need to provide list of books in advance using their own tool)
-Watson at the Met (you do not need an appointment but you do need to request books in advance)
-NYPL Library (their Art and achitecture branch is in the building with the lions, you need an appointment, but they are easy to get, they will help yo but always better to ask for book in advance)
-ICP library (photobooks only, appointments can take two weeks to get, you should request books in advance)
Feb 4, 2024
(Nagashima, Yurie. Not Six. Tokyo: Switch Publishing, 2004.)
I love Nagashima's work, particularly her self-portraits. This book is about her short-lived marriage. It is a beautiful, intense, loving, horny book. It's so good! Also, please note the amazing cover.
(Video of the whole book in link)
Feb 11, 2024
(Ćlvarez Bravo, Lola and Francisco Tairo. Acapulco en el SueƱo. Mexico City: Imprenta Nuevo Mundo, 1951.)
I recently saw a reel of ai pics of Acapulco in the 50s. people were eating it up, but you know what is better? This photobook from the '50s made to convince people to visit Acapulco. The pictures are out of control beautiful.
Feb 3, 2024