Since this website began a year ago, finding black notebooks has become an increasingly difficult task. We’ve covered everything from the common to those of the no-longer-available variety, and very rare is it that someone brings to our attention to one we haven’t heard of. So needless to say, I was thrilled when a package showed up at my door with a fantastic little black notebook made in Italy and sent via a UK’s The Journal Shop.
Before we review the notebook, I’d like to highly recommend The Journal Shop, an amazing notebook retailer based in the UK. They sell everything, from Moleskines to Ciaks, but here’s what makes them extra special: they offer a 3-for-2 deal on all their products. Seriously, you can grab two Ciaks and get one free. Definitely worth a look if you haven’t heard of it before.
OK, now to the product at hand: the Cartesio. Hailing from Florence, Italy and named after the Latinized name of French philosopher Rene Descartes (”I think, so why am I obsessed with black notebooks?”), these leather bound soft cover journals have a very distinct feel from the numerous others we’ve previously reviewed.
The notebook measures in at 9cm x 14cm, or 3.5″x5.5″ – exactly the same as a standard Moleksine.
The notebook is also about as thick, with 96 leaves or 192 pages. The cover is made from recycled leather, and definitely has a far more “wrinkled leather” feel to it than any other journal we’ve reviewed, which is very cool. It also is available in an orange a bit more dull than the standard Rhodia color. You can make out the patterns in this picture:
Yes, embossed on the front is a small, raised “C”, which is disappointing for those of us who would like our notebooks free from product names; but after reviewing notebooks that are far more egregious in their cover choices, I’m just glad it’s subtle. The notebook is a soft cover, but it’s the firmest we’ve reviewed – definitely not as much flexibility as the soft cover Moleskine or the Miqeulrius, but this is a good thing. It’ll fit in a pocket, but it’ll also stand up to frequent bending, and what’s more, feels like it has some weight to it.
The cover is bound by a rounded elastic band, nearly identical to the Ciak’s. I used to be a purist about elastics being of the flat Moleskine variety until I used the Ciak for my vacation journal recently – without question, it does the job just as well and quite possibly better.
The pages are section sewn, but not attached directly to the binding. I really wish more notebook would follow the Alwych with this – it really cuts down on broken spines. However, the pages are very closely attached, and I really like the square spine, as opposed to the rounded one found on most soft cover journals.
Open it up, and you find an inner cover TOTALLY different from every notebook we’ve reviewed. As you can see, it features a great world map, the product name, and three simple lines for your indentifying information (seriously, in this day in age, what else do you need to write other than your email address and “Reward”?). I really don’t think this picture does it justice. The picture really lends itself to the company’s philosophy: “a world of your thoughts in a notebook.”
The pages are a creamy white, slightly brighter than the Moleskine. The lines are also slightly wider apart, but not enough to make much of a difference. They’re also of a thicker paper stock. As you can see, the notebook also comes with a bookmark.
Finally, in the back is a little pocket similar to the Moleskine. This is the only area where the notebook disappoints – I swear this pocket was a last minute addition. Not only does it not feel like the rest of the notebook, it’s attached in what I consider the wrong direction, has no cover flap, and is very poorly attached to the notebook.
Update: Ruth from The Journal Shop has informed me that we may have been accidentally sent a prototype of the final notebook, as the final version does have a cover flap and is much more firmly attached to the notebook.
It’s definitely not a deal breaker – I put a little glue on it, and it’s perfect now. And I continue to maintain that, as cool as a notebook’s back pocket is in philosophy, I’ve never actually used it for holding anything. But I would highly suggest to Cartesio not to skimp on this detail when they’ve clearly worked very, very hard on the design of rest of the notebook.
Overall, the Cartesio is an excellent little black notebook, and one highly worth checking out if you’re looking for a Moleskine replacement. It’s a soft cover, but it feels as sturdy as a hard cover, and the wrinkled leather cover gives it a great air of quality.
Currently, it seems that the Cartesio is only available at The Journal Shop, for the price of £8.50 each plus £3 shipping to the US (cheaper, of course, in the UK) – all totaling about $20. It’s a little pricey, but keep in mind the 3 for 2 deal, which brings down the price significantly.
Company: InTempo
Where to buy: The Journal Shop – £8.50 each (£3 shipping to the US)
22 responses so far ↓
1 The Super Cool Uni-Ball Signo 207 « Pen And Paper // Jul 11, 2008 at 7:36 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
2 Martin // Jul 12, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I’ll be getting one of these on payday, following this great review. I’ll also be buying an “Allan’s Journal”, sold for a whopping fifteen quid by http://www.bibles-direct.com, and lauded in a great review with pics at: http://www.bibledesignblog.com/2008/02/the-allans-jour.html.
Thought you might be interested.
3 Andreas // Jul 18, 2008 at 4:28 am
Hello! I found my CIAK notebook in a hotel in when travelling to Kiev this summer and just fell in love with it! I googled the name to find out where I could buy some more and found your site (which is totally insane, but really good!).
I’m placing an order on 20 or so CIAKs from the journalshop when I’ve decided excactly which ones to get and will mention your site as I place my order.
Keep up the good work!
Andreas
Stockholm, Sweden
4 Stanley Kubrick’s Notebooks « Pen And Paper // Jul 22, 2008 at 3:09 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
5 Circa Workshop? « Pen And Paper // Jul 31, 2008 at 5:19 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
6 Great Note Taking… « Pen And Paper // Aug 1, 2008 at 6:53 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
7 Papoutsi Pen Cases « Pen And Paper // Aug 5, 2008 at 3:51 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
8 Daniel // Aug 6, 2008 at 10:44 am
I’m looking for a soft Moleskine alternative to go in my back pocket and this thing looks great. I can’t tell how flexible it is though as you didn’t take a picture of that. Is it not flexible enough to bend in your hand like you’ve done in other pictures?
9 Lanzman // Aug 28, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Been a while since the last post . . . any cool new notebooks to review? Durability reports on items already reviewed?
10 Rob // Sep 8, 2008 at 7:39 am
“As cool as a notebook’s back pocket is in philosophy, I’ve never actually used it for holding anything.”
Now you mention it, that’s a very good point.
11 Travels and Old Notebooks Revisited // Sep 10, 2008 at 1:46 am
[...] RSS ← The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
12 jesse // Oct 23, 2008 at 4:25 am
you guys are talking about notebooks right?
i thought you were talking about some girl with terms like
“creamy white”
“I was thrilled”
“am I obsessed”
“but it’s the firmest”
I thought it was some italian girl or woman…
13 i.noizze — цифровые записки и бумажные заметки » Blog Archive » Bruno Visconti Vincent // Oct 31, 2008 at 5:01 pm
[...] наткнулся на конкурента Cartesio Notebook — Bruno Visconti Vincent. О нем и поговорим [...]
14 it-shoppingmall.com » TechFuel DC Adapter for HP Compaq Business Notebook nx5000 Laptop // Nov 5, 2008 at 6:00 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence Saved By: Thomas Gagnon | View Details | Give Thanks Tags: moleskine, notebooks, writing, journals [...]
15 Renee // Dec 2, 2008 at 7:20 pm
How does it stand up to fountain pen ink though? I use a fountain pen and most notebook paper allows the ink to bleed through. Even the Moleskines aren’t that great for ink.
16 The Bentley Of Notebooks? « Geeks Guide To Productivity // Dec 12, 2008 at 10:54 am
[...] The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence [...]
17 Bookmarks about Notebook // Dec 14, 2008 at 9:15 am
[...] – bookmarked by 6 members originally found by cancerus on 2008-11-08 The Cartesio: A Notebook From Florence http://www.blackcover.net/?p=26 – bookmarked by 5 members originally found by smirnova on [...]
18 Kishor Krishnamoorthi’s Website » Blog Archive » Going home for a couple of hours // Jan 21, 2009 at 4:18 am
[...] on notebooks and stumbled upon this great site which was very helpful. I really wanted to get a Cartesio but it was out of stock everywhere and I ended up buying a Guildhall. I do like it a lot, one for [...]
19 dvorak // May 5, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Based on this review, and some other research, I ordered a few of these… and they are pretty good. I did want to share that I share the author’s disdain for prominent branding, good news is that these are very easy to “debadge”… just hook a fingernail under the “C” and give it a tug – it comes right off. It does leave a small embossed square in it’s place, which is fine with me.
20 Cynthia // Jun 17, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I can confirm that these are great notebooks and that they perform well with a variety of mediums. You can order them online from a US source: http://www.journalingarts.com/manufacturer/cartesio.
21 Mariel // Jan 14, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I just want to say thank you for this website! I was just getting ready to order a bunch of Moleskines for school, and the thought struck me that I hadn’t heard of any viable competitors.
After reading *every* review and comparing the notebooks for my needs (design student with some lecture courses) I’ve decided to buy some Cartesio (large) notebooks. Placing my order momentarily!
One thing: why do you reference artists as more likeley to want the more “delicate” notebooks? I walk around/take public transport/abuse my books as much as the next person! For me, “pretty” isn’t so important — durability and function far outweigh all that. Besides, we artists can *make* them pretty!
Once again, thanks! I really enjoyed these reviews (useful info and an interesting read)!
22 Notizbuchblog.de » Blog Archive » Leserrezension: Ciak und Cartesio // Apr 13, 2010 at 3:09 am
[...] biffybeans.com Wasserbad: Fotos eines Ciak, das 15 min in Wasser gebadet wurde. Cartesio: blackcover.net [...]
Leave a Comment