UPDATE: In the U.S., the Waverley line of tartan notebooks is now available directly from www.waverleywest.net and the dealers listed on the site.
It's unusual for me to stumble upon a new notebook line that is intriguing and compels me to buy it. Despite having so many notebooks that I'll likely never get around to using, I stumbled upon a line that touched my 1/8th Scottish heart in a big way: the Waverly Tartan Cloth Commonplace Notebook.
My recent foray back into Moleskines Blends with the fabric covers paved the way for my new Waverly. I've never been a fan of vinyl or plastic covered notebooks, preferring the feel of something more...real. Even though my sub-clan (Guthrie) is not represented in the wide range of tartans Waverly covers these pocket notebooks with (and larger sizes), it's still a high ooh-factor to feel and use this notebook covered in "genuine tartan cloth" as the extensive info sheet included with these states.
Here is the exhaustive list of features and extras with these little Moleskine Kilters* (Killers!):
- Edge-painted page block
- Ribbon marker, color-coordinated elastic band
- Back pocket
- Last eight pages perforated
- Blank on left side, lined on right side
- History of Tartan info sheet including Waverly's history of book printing in Scotland, and a clan map of Scotland
- Bookmark card on the notebook's specific tartan
- Back cover inside pocket (ala Moleskine) but with a horizontal slit for cards, bus token, etc.
- 80gsm cream paper
- 176 pages
- 3.5" x 5.5"
On graphite and fountain pen test the paper did well. It's not heavy, so there is some show through, but the ink laid down crisply with no feathering. There isn't a lot of finish to the paper, so the FP nibs have a lot of feedback, but not unpleasant. I'd call both FP and graphite use quite suitable for use.
I will definitely pick up some more of these after I use up my small supply of Moleskine Blends and this Waverly. These are available direct from Waverly Books, their store on eBay, or on Amazon in quiet the variety of tartans. (No Guthrie, alas! Bummer.)