Perfect and vintage. Bought for $1 in a parking lot in New Jersey (Meadowlands Flea). Even a man from Burkina Faso can afford this one.
Acquired | Vintage American Notebook
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Perfect and vintage. Bought for $1 in a parking lot in New Jersey (Meadowlands Flea). Even a man from Burkina Faso can afford this one.
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An excellent find. Is there a maker or brand printed anywhere?
“Printed and bound in United States of America”……can’t find that too often anymore.
With this quality find of true Americana, I think you’re on the road to redemption.
Awesome. Let’s just hope that trade embargos don’t prevent people from Burkina Faso from buying one, otherwise that will really piss Derek off
Bam. This should save a couple babies…
Hey, great buy thats clear. A urban man has to have a decent notebook. Mine is leather, but no vintage, unfortunatelly.
Is yours leather? Cant really tell from the picture, but it doesnt seem like it.
Great blog!!
you do realize that is a POOR person’s notebook, right? I hope you don’t actually carry that thing around…
Kidding. In Portland, Maine we have a UNION printshop that leaves the union seal on the back of all the business cards they print, which is pretty cool.
I have one quite similar to this, but on the back of mine is printed 7530-222-0078 FEDERAL SUPPLY SERVICE, so I’ve always assumed it’s military issue.
I got mine for .99 at Goodwill; pretty much the going price, I guess.
You know the oddest thing about this blog? It’s a bunch of nancys fetishizing things like Army boxes.
You know the other odd thing about this blog? It makes me realize what a complete douche I am…
Hey Michael, remember when you interviewed that guy who made those jeans you really liked, and he basically said people like you are a bunch of internet nancys? Basically said “I don’t get people who just post pictures on the internet.” Dissed you right in your interview? That shit was hilarious.
Have fun being a 30 year old Urban Outfitters shopper.
Derek — if you were homeless I would walk over you to wipe my ass with toilet paper fashioned from gold.
Good day sir.
no wait, I have another comment, let me write a new entry
no wait, I have another comment, I’ll add that one to a new entry as well
oh shit, I just thought of something else, let me go back and write another entry
Don’t get it, if you are unhappy with what a blog like this puts out don’t read it. The rest of us adults will be here having civilized conversations.
Derek, Sorry about the self-loathing but it seems to be a waste of your time and ours.
Michael, it’s a great find.
Hey, Can I just send you cash and then you send me cool things you’ve found at these fleas and estate sales. I never get as lucky as you , must be that whole ‘right place, right time’ adage.
-rF
This is the type of thing Jack Spade et al should be issuing. Makes Field Notes look like the free notebooks they used to give at auto supply stores – which I’m pretty sure is what they are based on.
Wow, great find.
This whole notebook debate has been amusing to say the least, but I think it raises some key questions on “value” and how it’s perceived. A Smythson notebook may be worth every penny put into its top-quality production, but it’s still just a notebook. Granted, Churchill used these bad boys (as does the Queen currently I presume), which can only add to the mystique of the Smythson pedigree as best on the planet (and that is certainly worth something). But generally, this sentiment is eschewed by this whole Americana fascination, owing to the functional and utilitarian roots of all things U.S. that we admire. As a result, a $100 notebook seems patently ridiculous when the $1 notebook would suffice. But just the same, the $1 notebook seems insignificant against a product that meets the standards of a cigar-chomping heroic badass. So which to value more? That’s a tough question.
I’m with the $1 notebook, mainly because it’s free from any legacy or “heritage”, though I can still appreciate the storied quality of a Smythson (the ideal would be to find a lightly used Smythson at the flea, but that’s stating the obvious).
Michael you’ve got a great point-counterpoint: old world and proper British notebook excellence (at $100) paired with a delightful American smackdown for $1. Best of both worlds in my book.
MW, now that you have shown us the $1 beauty with all it’s historic charm, I think Smythson ripped you off.
Love the notebook, a gem. I’ve always had trouble finding decent notebooks, I usually settle for for an artists notebook.
Despite my love for George Orwell’s writing, I also admire Sir Winston.
BTW, this is a fantastic site!
I love a good debate and though this pricey notebook is such a microcosmic issue in the big scheme of things it does bring us back to what makes America great.
1) Freedom to buy what the hell you want
2) Freedom to say what the hell you want
I will say that while Derek most likely has good intintions I would love to see his receipts over the last year.
Where is the Meadowlands Flea Market (other than NJ, obviously) and when are the hours??
http://www.newmeadowlandsmarket.com/?gclid=CIjYwujPkKICFR_E3Aod_SrBcg
The thing about a notebook, (maybe also like good jeans), is the point is to use the hell out of it and really mess it up. If you had a single beautiful irreplacable vintage notebook (even bought so reasonably at one dollar), but only one of them, would you be hesitant to fill it up? Because then what? Or to put your notes and sketches on that fifty year old paper? The dream would be to find 100 of those things and then go through them; I think the appeal of the smythson is that, at a price, they never run out and they always stay the same…
Inspiring blog, thanks.
What a great little find, especially for only $1.
If it were mine I’d use it without hesitation, after all that’s what it’s made for isn’t it?
Congrats on the mention in Fast Company.
I wonder… do you actually write in these notebooks? If so, what do you write other than a list of notebooks you plan on buying? A notebook’s aesthetics are irrelevant; it’s the content of the pages that truly matter.
Geez…what can I add to this craziness? Nothing much, but I have to say something. At Smythson, Barbour, Savile Row, etc, people try to keep alive high standards of quality and workmanship. If people with means (or without but buy the stuff anyway) don’t buy the goods, that quality and the jobs that go with the products will disappear. All you nattering nabobs of negativism would be griping that people should have bought the stuff. You would lament another lost trade, company, skill, way of life, etc. Let people buy what is good and attempt to keep a traditional skill in business or it will be one more loss to China, Vietnam, etc.
The nice people at Field Notes often show examples of antique notebooks on their website. I’m often worried that the uniqueness of these finds prevent them from being used.
I have nothing to add other than I sat next to a person on the plane who thought Burkina Faso was a famous architect. (She probably meant Zaha Hadid)
Absolute bargain!
When I was in the Army you could get these notebooks from Supply. They currently run for $10.00 for a dozen (US Government only) if you have a GSA Purchase Card at the link below:
http://stores.comunion.com/clients/Servmart/index.cfm?action=cat.productOptions&productID=64770&categoryid=1316
I like the Mead Composition books. .75 during back to school sales.
http://sportinglifemag.blogspot.com/2009/08/on-cheap-your-thoughts-on-paper.html