All sewn up

Clairefontaine's product line is rather popular around here, as you'll have noticed from previous posts. The paper's very fountain-pen friendly, and the presentation always impresses too.

The 'tour of France' series has been featured here before in A5 format, and this A6 notebook range repeats the same trick in smaller form, which is perhaps more easily accommodated in hand luggage while travelling. So far, so splendid - but that's what you expected, right?

So if you already know that this has great paper and rather eye-catching design, perhaps we should linger for a while on an often-ignored aspect of the package: the binding. Part of what makes this notebook look and feel special is the sewn binding, and it's no small achievement. For a start, the manufacturer has to find people who know how to use big hefty industrial sewing machines, on this occasion in Morocco. Then they need to find an audience, which is where you come in, dear reader. Because when you're travelling, staples may well let you down; they pull at the paper as you're slipping the book in and out of pockets, and worse still they rust, all of which can lead to a horrible mess. The sewn binding allows your notebook to stand a better chance of surviving the journey intact. It really works too - and that makes it worth tracking down.