Striking the right notes

Before Brad Pitt was snapped by the paps toting it about town on the way to business meetings, before it became the base for many movie star scribblings on film (see: Da Vinci Code, Amelie), before it became fodder for prose by tortured poetry majors, Hemingway and his cohorts had been using Moleskine way before it became a staple for prepsters and aspiring novelists with a taste for fine paper.

Note: When a friend first informed me of the existence of Moleskine, I was horrified at the thought of those poor moles (those small, burrowing insectivores that live underground) that died just to bind luxury notebooks. I later discovered that the brand name was derived from the feel of an actual mole’s skin, how it’s soft and fuzzy to the touch — although its current incarnation feels far smoother and looks much sturdier.

Van Gogh, Neil Gaiman and Dave Eggers (who patterned a book cover after his Moleskine journal) are some of the famed folk who’ve made these legendary notebooks even more famous. The pocket-sized, waterproof, oilcloth-bound book with its signature elastic band currently comes in numerous styles. A ruled notebook for journalists, plain paper done horizontally for painters on the go, diaries and address books are just a few of the styles available to the avid writer with a penchant for putting pen to paper.

What’s so special about these notebooks? Aside from its ideal size, the papers are sewn — not glued — so when the pages are laid open, they lie flat. And the notebooks are renowned for their durability.

Tech fans might scoff at the notion of something so analog as a notebook, but unlike most computers, these don’t crash or corrupt files, they don’t require electricity, and, unlike any gadget on the market, these babies never go out of style.

Moleskine is available at Fully Booked, Powerbooks and Rustan’s men’s floor.  — BL