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Moleskine:
or the art of
taking notice

There is nothing wrong with old technology. On the contrary, argues

guest editor rik maes
“Losing my passport was the least of my worries; its prime? The laptop, PDA and smart-phone with their
losing my notebook was a catastrophe.” multi-functionality and their virtually infinite storage
Bruce Chatwin capacity are gradually becoming portable offices which
can be used anyplace, anytime. Their users have no time
1
oleskine , the small paper notebook, is hot and left to be wasted and becoming bored for them seems to

M cool. Of course, the Italian company Modo &

Modo is cleverly exploiting the reputation of the
original Moleskine, pretendedly used by artists and
writers such as Van Gogh, Céline, Picasso, Hemingway
and Chatwin. Its original design was created by a small
stationer in France, who discontinued production in the
1980s. Chatwin’s desperate words “Le vrai Moleskine
n’est plus” became famous after the passing away of the
last French producer.
Nonetheless, what on earth explains Moleskine’s
popularity in situations where paper is allegedly beyond
belong to another era. Hence, what is fascinating about an
old-fashioned notebook, held together with an elastic
band and with a folded paper pocket inside the back cover
as its only luxury?
Of course, part of the explanation is in its
practicalities: a Moleskine notebook is small, mobile and
easy to handle, making full use of paper’s extreme
versatility as a recording technology. Contrary to
electronic devices2, it allows for free format entries and
for the application of a multitude of writing or
sketching/sticking instruments. In addition, there is

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emotional value attached to the use of paper, pens and
Moleskines themselves; all have their aficionados,
contributing to the image of Moleskine as a precious
companion along the path of life and a symbol of
contemporary nomadism: “Moleskine is not my obsession
– it’s an attitude” (website of a Moleskine addict). As a
consequence, the very act of using a Moleskine (and
writing, in general) in public is encoded in such a way that
anyone – at least, any fellow devotee – can directly
interpret it as an act of originality and even an attest of
artistry. Thanks to the manufacturer’s advertisements,
the sensation of participating in a legendary stream of
early 20th century creativity is evoked. The symbolic
value of drawing on a Moleskine increasingly transcends
its practical usefulness.
And yet, there is more to say about the use of a
notebook... It goes back to a centuries-old praxis,
including notorious notebook adepts such as Francis
Bacon and John Locke, where noteworthy phenomena are
recorded for the benefit of science, or simply of one’s own
3
curiosity. Etymological investigation makes clear that “to
note” not only means “to write down” (from the Latin
notare), but – equally well – “to get to know, to recognise”
(from the Latin gnoscere).
Apart from the concrete act of writing, noting also
refers to “taking notice of”, ie “becoming aware of” and
“paying attention to”4. Etymologically, the formation of a
person through attentive observation and writing go hand
in hand!
This etymological detour brings us back to the very
essence of the use of a notebook: a discipline to sharpen
our observation, to show undivided attention for and to
nourish inspiring memories of events, subjects, ideas and
emotions of enduring personal and general interest. A
notebook is not a passive collecting point, yet is an active
invitation to live consciously. Nothing looks odd in a
notebook.
Fast-forwarding this situation to the Internet Age,
isn’t the weblog (or blog) a modern version of the
handwritten notebook? It can undoubtedly be seen as a
reaction to the standardised, reductionistic and
impersonal way of dealing with information in present-
day organisational information systems. However, blogs,
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in the first place being tools of communication, on
average suffer from a double drawback: (1) most of them
are restricted to broadcasting without any noticeable
audience, or for a small handful of like-minded friends
only; and (2) the very act of instant publishing on the Web
instead of deliberate writing contributes to the production
of particularly uninteresting musings, if not pipe-dreams.
Therefore, a quite common feature of extraordinary blogs
is that they are prepared using (you bet!) written
notebooks, viz Moleskines.
The symbolic value of drawing on or
writing in a Moleskine increasingly
transcends its practical usefulness
I don’t believe Moleskine means just a short revival of
an old medium doomed to die, or a fad only brought into
being through a cunning ad campaign. Neither do I believe
that Moleskine is in itself an instrument of understanding,
not to mention wisdom. I do, however, believe that
Moleskine underscores the eternal need for personal
reflection and contemplation in a world full of data, but
poor in inspiration. It arouses notice beyond curiosity.
Isn’t that enough for such a small notebook?
References:
1. For a history of a this legendary notebook, see www.moleskine.it or
www.moleskine.co.uk . Numerous blogs (eg www.moleskinerie.com) and websites (eg
www.moleskineart.com) are dedicated to the notes and sketches jotted down in and
legends and myths associated with this small, oilcloth-covered notebook.
2. These PDA-like devices are more and more encountering resistance and even dislike
– witness the advent of alternatives like “Hipster PDAs” (in essence, just a stack of
coloured cards) and others.
3. Online Etymology Dictionary (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php): note (v): c 1225,
“observe, mark carefully,” from O Fr noter, from L notare, from nota “letter, note,”
originally “a mark, sign”, possibly an alteration of Old L *gnata, infl by gnoscere – “to
recognise”, meaning “to set in writing”, from c 1400. The noun is first attested c 1300, in
the musical sense, meaning “brief writing”, from 1548. “Notebook” is first attested 1579;
“noteworthy” is from 1552.
4. Ironically, the Dutch, not specifically known for their generosity, offer (“schenken”)
attention, as opposed to the English, who have to pay for it. In Spanish, for example,
people loan (“prestar”) attention.
vol 7 no 2