Markings By C. R. Gibson Notebook Review X 2

[Miz Black Crow]

Today I'm going to post reviews of not one, but TWO notebooks by Markings by C. R. Gibson! I'll do a compare-and-contrast, along with descriptions of pen-and-ink tests for each. (Sorry, I'm terrible at photos and would only serve to malign the notebooks with my photos).

Overview
First up, Notebook A, the Markings by C. R. Gibson Ruled Journal in Black Bonded Leather. This is a Moleskine-esque, 5"x8", 120-sheet (240-page) journal with a rear pocket, bookmark ribbon, and an elastic band. It was on sale at the Staples by me for $5, and I bought one to test, thinking "oh, it's a $5 Molkeskine knockoff, it'll probably do poorly." Spoiler alert: it didn't. I may now run back to that Staples and buy every last one I find.

Notebook B is Markings by C. R. Gibson's Jumbo Ruled Journal in Black Leatherette. This is a more classically-designed whopper of a 200-sheet / 400-page(!) journal in 7 3/8" x 9 1/2". For those of you keeping score, this is an almost identical size to the composition book form factor (which I am madly in love with), except that this journal measures about 1.5" thick rather than ~3/8" thick. Its only "special feature" is a solitary black bookmark ribbon, but that's all it needs. I paid $13.00 at Staples for this journal, which is MSRP.

Design and Construction
-A: This is your fairly standard Moleskine-type book. 5" x 8" form factor, elastic band, rear pocket, black ribbon bookmark. The cover is bonded leather (80% leather / 20% non-leather), and seems sturdy. Yes, the pages lay flat! They are advertised as Smyth-sewn, and they certainly behave so. Bonus points right there. The covers don't pick up fingerprints, and I think this will take a fair amount of abuse. (I am not gentle with my toys.)

-B: Sturdy construction, questionable cover. The cover is a leatherette, with 0% leather (as far as I can tell, anyway), and I almost wish it had been slightly more expensive and actually leatherbound. I have concerns about the leatherette: it picks up fingerprints very easily, for one, and for another, I'm worried it will damage easily. But it has some interesting stitching, and an homage to old-school bookbinding with 5 raised bars on the spine. Form factor is 7 3/8" x 9 1/2", and is also Smyth-sewn. To my surprise, even a book this thick can lay almost perfectly flat when it's open. It's kind of astonishing.

Paper
This is what we've all come here to talk about, because we :wub:s our fountain pens on FPN. So here's the short version: They're both great! They're different, but both quite excellent, and behave well with FPs. Both paper stocks are acid- and lignen-free, so they should archive well.

Notebook A has ivory-colored pages with 1/4" rulings, for 32 lines per page, while Notebook B's pages are bright white (a turn-off for some, but not me) and slightly larger ruled (college ruled?), containing 30 lines per page. Neither notebook offers a paper weight in their descriptions, and I'm not experienced enough with papers to guess.

Performance / Ink Tests
-Diamine Ancient Copper / Pilot Metropolitan (Asian M):
-A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely.
-B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Not much. Recto usable? Definitely.

-Noodler's 54th Massachusetts / Lamy Safari (Western XF):
-A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Not much. Recto usable? Definitely.
-B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Not much. Recto usable? Definitely.

-Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-Syogun / Lamy Safari (Western M):
-A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely.
-B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: None. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely.

-Noodler's Apache Sunset / Noodler's Ahab (semi-Flex):
-A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: None, except... Bleedthrough: only a few dots when fully flexed, but they bled through onto the next page. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely.

-B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: barely. Bleedthrough: Some. Shading? This is interesting. In Notebook A (Moleskine-esque), Apache Sunset had GORGEOUS red-peach-yellow shading; in this book it's only showing orange. Not sure why. Recto usable? Definitely, apart from bleedthrough areas.

-J. Herbin 1670 Stormy Grey / Noodler's Ahab (semi-Flex):
-A: Feathering: None. Showthrough: Minor. Bleedthrough: Minor. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely.
-B: Feathering: None. Showthrough: Minor. Bleedthrough: Minor. Shading? Fantastic! Recto usable? Definitely.
Both papers showed plenty of the glitter in the Stormy Gray, which cheaper papers do not.

Overall Impression
I would buy either of these again, assuming they hold up to use. They're priced lower than the more-renowned Moleskines, and provide what seems to be pretty great paper, durable construction, and quality craftsmanship for the price point. If you can't afford to drop $20 on a Rhodia webnotebook or similar, this is a good place to spend your dollars.

Edited December 15, 2014 by Miz Black Crow

[Miz Black Crow]

Apologies for the poor iPhone photos....

 

Notebook A Photos:

 

 

 

 

Notebook B

 

 

 

 

Edited December 16, 2014 by Miz Black Crow

[tendollarword]

Pretty neat. I've seen some of these in Walmart, Target, etc. and always wondered if they were any good.

 

I might try to get a hold of one after Christmas, though I wish the lines in the Moleskine-esque one were a bit wider.

Edited December 16, 2014 by tendollarword

[SockAddict]

Thank you for this! I believe I have versions of both of these notebooks. Actually, I'm certain I have 'A' in turquoise. My version of what might be 'B' is definitely a different run, the cover has a ridged pattern. I removed both labels when I bought them, so I didn't know what they were anymore.

 

I was testing my notebooks the last couple of days, and my performance results line up with yours. Also, notebook A not only lies flat, it folds all the way back on itself, if that's something you like. (I do.)

[inkstainedruth]

I have liked some of the Markings journals. But the last couple of times I went shopping for a journal, neither Staples nor Target seemed to have the 252 page ones I used to get (plain cardboard covers but with nice printed designs, and an elastic band like your example (A). I got, as a replacement, one of the thinner leatherette covered ones with the magnetic clasp, and was disappointed in the paper -- it's thinner and I am having more showthrough issues than I did with the older ones. And I have another one like it waiting in the wings....

I have not seen the 400 page ones anywhere around here, but then the page dimensions are a little larger than I want in a journal. Do you know if they come in the 5" x 8" size? I like the idea of more pages (when a daily journal entry is 3 pages, it's cost effective for me to buy journals with more pages).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Miz Black Crow]

SockAddict: *blinks* It does? Holy cow, it does! I hadn't even tried it, as I'd assumed I would damage the spine. That's definitely a bonus for portability, though I wonder whether it would damage the spine in the long term. It also produces a hump around the binding, but it's definitely a flexible book!

 

Thanks for the catch, SockAddict! Tell me.... do you ever mismatch your socks, just for fun?

Edited December 16, 2014 by Miz Black Crow

[Miz Black Crow]

Inkstained Ruth: It seems that the CR Gibson site lists wirebound journals with cloth covers and 192 pages in 6 x 8.25"; is this what you were looking for? I don't see anything cardbourd-bound or with 252 pages, but maybe their site doesn't list all of their items? Or they may have changed their product lineup....

 

On the plus, they do carry several journals in 6x8 and 5x8. On their site you can select by size; 5x8 brings up the bonded-leather journals in black, brown and teal, a couple sketchbooks, and a few "Genius Ideas" cardboard-covered books with 160 pages priced at $14, which seems ridiculous.

 

Hope this helped!

[da vinci]

Very helpful review, thanks

[inkstainedruth]

Inkstained Ruth: It seems that the CR Gibson site lists wirebound journals with cloth covers and 192 pages in 6 x 8.25"; is this what you were looking for? I don't see anything cardbourd-bound or with 252 pages, but maybe their site doesn't list all of their items? Or they may have changed their product lineup....

 

On the plus, they do carry several journals in 6x8 and 5x8. On their site you can select by size; 5x8 brings up the bonded-leather journals in black, brown and teal, a couple sketchbooks, and a few "Genius Ideas" cardboard-covered books with 160 pages priced at $14, which seems ridiculous.

 

Hope this helped!

No, these were definitely *not* wire bound. I looked at their website, too, awhile back and didn't see the ones I used to be able to get at Target. I'll try to look at an old one tomorrow and see what the size and page counts are.

I hate getting stuff I really like and suddenly it becomes "no longer available". Before I found the Markings journals I used to get some really nice hardbound ones with recycled paper from a company called Michael Roger Press. Possibly not the most FP friendly paper, but decent -- and cheap, and moderately attractive looking (and I liked that they were recycled paper). But the only place in the Pgh area that carried them was Joseph-Beth Booksellers. Which moved into the market, then moved diagonally across the street to a smaller storefront, then closed altogether (the company, according to Wikipedia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2010, and only a few stores remain). I actually contacted the Michael Rogers company to see if they had another retailer in the area. They didn't. And they seem to have dropped them from their website. Just like Gibson did with the size Markings Journals on theirs.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Miz Black Crow]

Ruth, yeah, I hear you on having nice things be no-longer-available. It's always so disappointing

 

I also agree with you about recycled paper. I really, really like recycling and ecofriendly stuff--hell, I wanted to stop throwing pens away when I was done with them, so I switched to FPs. But now it turns out that the good papers and things aren't recycled.

 

I asked some family members for an EcoSystem journal for Solstice; we'll see what happens.... Good luck on your quest for the perfect journal though!

Edited December 17, 2014 by Miz Black Crow

[SockAddict]

SockAddict: *blinks* It does? Holy cow, it does! I hadn't even tried it, as I'd assumed I would damage the spine. That's definitely a bonus for portability, though I wonder whether it would damage the spine in the long term. It also produces a hump around the binding, but it's definitely a flexible book!

 

Thanks for the catch, SockAddict! Tell me.... do you ever mismatch your socks, just for fun?

 

I never take two completely separate socks together, but when I'm knitting them, I sometimes make a "pair" that isn't really identical.

 

And yeah, I'd be worried about damage if I bent the book backwards all the time, so when I get to that one I'll plan on only doing it occasionally, but I really prefer journals that give me that option. Which is why I'm usually not into hardcover journals.

[inkstainedruth]

Well I looked at the previous journal this morning and it definitely had 252 pages (I counted). Printed cardboard cover, ribbon bookmark. They used to routinely carry these at Target with different designs on the cover. The leatherette one with the magnetic closure band has at least as many pages, while being thinner books -- but the paper is not as nice....

Wondering if I could plug the barcode number into the CR Gibson website and come up with them. Besides not liking the thinner paper in the current one, the closure strap means that it won't stack or fit on a shelf with other journals as easily. And sort of come across as being sort of "My Diary"-ish (even though they were in the section at Staples with other notebooks journals). And I just looked at the Staples website -- they don't have them listed at all (only Gibson leatherette ones with fewer pages).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[SockAddict]

Ruth, I have a notebook that I'm pretty sure is like you've described. I bought it at most six months ago at a store that I know isn't in your area. I could look and see if my store has any more? Also, I'd suggest trying any store you can think of that might have them -- if they aren't being made any more, some stores might still have the last ones on their shelves. You could try drugstores, Staples-types, or combo grocery/other items stores.

[inkstainedruth]

Thanks for the tip. I should check other chains, like Wallyworld (I've got a pretty good idea as to what the selection is in chain drugstores). And possibly some other Staples and Target locations (although I just checked Target's website, and they only have a few Gibson journals listed -- and none like what I want)....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

edited for typos

Edited December 19, 2014 by inkstainedruth

[SockAddict]

I happened to be in the store I mentioned this afternoon -- no dice. Good luck with your search!

[C-town]

I got one on sale at staples for only 5 dollars. I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it seems very nice.

[Miz Black Crow]

I just tried to flush my feed to increase flow in my Metropolitan and splattered Diamine Ancient Copper in a ~2cm diameter splatter on my notebook (Journal A). Blotted it with a paper towel after a minute, but the mark is still there.... oh, but only on the verso side of the page. It didn't bleed through to the back AT ALL (only a teeny tiny bit where, because the splatter was near the spine, it traveled to a couple pages by way of the stitching). Now THAT is a classy piece of paper!