Paw Prints — new product

We talk a lot about writing around these parts, but here's another thing which has been analogue for umpteen centuries before there was a digital alternative: the art of drawing circles. For a long time, the basic equipment was two pointy sticks and a length of string, which worked well for mediaeval stonemasons; in Wells cathedral, for instance, one can still view the loft where the ornate window tracery was laid out. As engineers applied their own discipline to the tools of their trade, the more familiar pair of compasses emerged. Most of us used one with a stubby HB...

Top marks for presentation here before the notebook is even visible! What could lie within that mysterious black box? The Calepino logo is admittedly a bit of a give-away for those who know their stationery, but the contents are still impressive. There is a ring-bound book, with a vertical band which looks like it was printed seventy years ago then travelled here in a time machine. Actually, that's not far off given that, as the information slip in the rear pocket confirms, this is a hand-made product. Seriously - I mean, who even does that any more? The wow factor...

As we've covered elsewhere on this blog, the choice of writing utensil has a direct bearing on the ideal of choice of paper, and with pencils you want a bit of texture on the surface so that the graphite rubs off evenly without too much effort, although not so much texture that it feels like attempting mindfulness on sandpaper.