Traveler's Notebook, Regular Size, Brown 13715006

I can't recall ever being so anxious waiting for anything but i just couldn't wait to get my hands on my very own Midori. I've seen it price upward of $57! I could just buy another version or even be ambitious and make my own, but amazon had the lowest price I saw on the web, so I decided to save myself the time and heartache of having an imitation. The brown leather evokes a vintage past. Even though it's meant to be used and scratched, i can't help but be a little protective! The cover is smooth and mine is a rich coffee color! The inside is so soft and has the fibers fray which I like; add to the charm of its handmade quality. The edge is black; i'm not sure what covers it, but it's to keep the cover clean. Yes, there is a faint scent to the leather---doesn't all leather!? Have you been to a leather shop? expect it. like going into a bakery and not expect to smell the sugar and cream--not going to happen. I actually encounter the insert first, years ago when i was living in Taiwan and since then have even made my own booklets base on it. I LOVE the long slender size of it. It's not bulky. I also love the paper. it's very smooth (i find Japanese-made paper to always be better, so smooth and clean) and easy to write with. I bought an additional grid insert and wrote w/ .5 pen on both sides and it's fine. The paper is thin, BUT it shouldn't bleed through. I want to get the perforated sketch paper insert and weekly calendar w/memo insert for 2016 next. ^__^ I've always had a schedule diary planner but it's so complete once the year is over it's done. I love the idea that you can put in and take out whichever booklet (insert) you want, and mix and match line/grid/blank/calendar! It's non-committal to a complete bound (or spiral) notebook. I have 3 inserts in my cover, find that's plenty especially with accessories I plan on getting. I wish i ordered the pen clip but will soon. One of my goal is to do more scrapping/travel logging/recording... just keeping it creative. I have a romanticize version of what I want my notebook to be and that really is the purpose of the Midori, to inspire. I've already personalized mine with little charms and bead I had. Looking forward to more accessories.

This was my very first travelers notebook and it’s my favorite to this day. I now have every single standard and passport size color and this is my favorite. The leather feels like leather should. Other colors have a sort of velvety feel to them which is nice but the brown is smooth and feels like you’d expect leather to feel like. It will get scratched up as you use it and eventually it’ll take on a character of its own. After a year with this notebook being carried back and forth with me to work and around the house I have to say that it looks very distinct. It looks like MY notebook and bears the scars of being thrown in bags, carried in larger coat pockets and generally being used heavily by me. It’s a very wabi-sabi thing. After a year you’ll notice that the leather gets a little darker and shinier from being handled and the scratches are still visible but are smoothed over. I want to be clear about the scratches: they look good and give this notebook character. They definitely don’t look like defects and they will likely help you bond with the notebook as you’ll be the only person with a Travelers Notebook that looks exactly the way yours does. The notebook is also infinitely customizable. Of course you can add all sorts of inserts as you please but the real self expression comes when you realize that you can do things like change the color of the elastic bands, add additional bookmarks, and even cut more holes to run more elastics through the cover if you don’t like the idea of multiple notebooks sharing the same elastic. At first I was in love with this notebook because of how beautiful it was and wanted to keep it looking pristine. After a year I find the beauty of this notebook comes more from the functionality and it’s ability to allow to me to customize it so I can use it the way That works best for me than from any beauty that you see when it’s brand new. Both new and used, the Travelers notebooks have a certain charm to them that isn’t for everyone but if you’re looking at this flap of leather with an elastic enclosure and see a beautiful object then don’t hesitate and buy one. You won’t regret it.