Thick Black Bonded Italian Leather Journal (9'x7")

Simple, spacious, well constructed. Excellent value.

This is an impressive journal. At 9 3/4 inches x 6 7/8 inches x 1 3/8 inches, it weighs in at a hefty 2 pounds 6 ounces. It has 400 lined pages, each 9.5 in x 6.75 in. It has a narrow black satin ribbon attached as a bookmark.

The pages are smooth, cream-colored, and fairly thick. Each page has 28 solid grey lines that are very thin and not too dark, so they make nice guides without being too distracting. There is also a pale grey fleur de lys watermark at the bottom center of each page.

The lines are 6 inches long and 8 millimeters apart, leaving a 1/2 inch margin at the top and bottom of the page, a 1/4 inch margin from the edge of the book, and a 3/8 inch margin from the center of the book. The fleur de lys is roughly 3/4 inches squared in size.

The endpapers are heavy stock in a French vanilla color. The front one has "This journal belongs to _________________" written on it, and the back one says, "Fiorentina, Product of Italy, Fiorentina LLC North Merrick, New York 11566". A fleur de lys also appears on both of these pages.

The front cover is embossed with "JOURNAL", and a fleur de lys is embossed at the bottom center of the back cover.

I purchased this book at a Barnes & Noble store in February 2008, and it came wrapped in clear plastic with a sticker that said, "writing journal, Handmade in Florence, Italy, using centuries old techniques."

I am exceptionally pleased with this journal. It is well made and has held up beautifully. I looked it up today to make sure they were still available, and now that I know they are, I intend to purchase another.

9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Simple, Beautiful, Durable - perfect

I wrote in this journal over a span of 3 years. It went all over the country with me. Nothing weathered it. It is the absolute best journal I have owned and I've been journaling since 1995. Thank goodness for this book, and thank goodness I've found another!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Make it even better -

I buy this journal at the beginning of each year. I divide the pages by month with tabs. It helps to find entries later and easier to gauge my entries for the year. I glue a clear glassine flat sack at the first page of the month for something I want to keep, but keep loosely. I cut 6x9 watercolor paper that I insert inside the journal - to reduce thickness and not stress the spine, I cut out unused pages with an exacto knife - and glue in the page that I've drawn or painted on. That's how I solved making it a writing & illustrated journal. At the back, I often index my topics with dates so when I want to share some sweet memory with a friend, I can easily locate his or her name by index.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent quality, but somewhat impractical

I like the quality of my new journal. But, frankly, it is too thick and inflexible, which makes it somewhat impractical. When I get down toward the bottom of the page, it's awkward to write on the lowest lines. A thinner and more flexible leather journal (like I have generally used for years now) is more practical.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Thick Bonded Leather Journal (Italian)

This is the fifth one of these I've purchased and I'm delighted. Couldn't find a better desk-mate

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Love it

I have lived abroad, as well as traveled and written in many journals. Some journals were cheap, some were ridiculously expensive. I currently live in Japan and have this shipped to me when I am running out of room. I realize some say it is bulky, but for avid writers, it is important to that you don't waste money on a journal with a few pages. This journal is bulky because there is writing room. It is sturdy, lasting. The only thing I wish is that I could order it in brown, but so far I only find the brown ones in the store. Best journal I ever had, simple and elegant.

Lovely

I've gone through five of these and am now on my sixth. I'm thinking of buying several at a time in case they ever discontinue this product. Lots of pages, lined, very well bound. I've traveled the world with these things and couldn't recommend them more highly.

Please Help! Are the pages lined, and how many actual pages are there?

Thanks!

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