Almost everyone has probably heard about Moleskine's by now. They're famous for being used by Hemingway and Picasso, amongst others - and as such are sold at a rather premium price! Doing some research for this review though I found out that in fact this claim is false! The original moleskine has nothing to do with the modern manufacturer of the moleskin notebooks. In fact the modern day firm was only established in the 1990s! The notebooks available for sale these days though are based on the design of the old notebooks, so I guess it's more a case of stretching the truth than actually lying.

Either way the notebooks are great. They have a very classy appearance, mostly being available in a slightly glossy black finish although there are no versions available in red, green, and other colours. The books mostly have hard-covers, with a finish that looks like leather. If you're ethically aware though you needn't worry as the covers are made from cardboard wrapped in oiled canvas and no leather is used.

The inside covers are a luxurious buttery cream colour and the quality of the paper is excellent. The pages of the notebook themselves are also slightly off-white, which is a refreshing change after all the over-bleached, blinding white pages that we usually get faced with in cheap notebooks.

Obviously within the Moleskine range there are blank, lined, and squared page options. I personally prefer either the blank or the squared notebooks. The squared one is perfect for just about anything as it has the horizontal lines to help you write straight if you want to make notes, but I find that the vertical lines help to break the dominance of the horizontal lines so that the pages can also be used for sketching or non-linear notations, like blank pages.

These small notebook versions are made to be handbag-sized, being 9 x 14cm. They contain 192 pages, and also have a ribbon for marking the page that you're using. The notebook then has an elastic strap that fits around the outer edge to keep the pages together.. In this way the books are very hardy and even after a few years of use (ok, not every day, but I use mine in conjunction with my normal diary and keep it with me to write in when inspiration strikes) it still looks unscathed. The hard cover does not scratch easily and only has a few slight indentations to show for the years of knocking around in various bags etc.

The pages open easily and are quite sturdy. Having a hard cover also means they're easier to write in on the go - on the train, or somewhere you don't have a table. The only thing to remember is that the books are bound together in the traditional book style with pages interlocking, so if you rip out one page the partner page will also fall out eventually. Better not to rip pages out - if you want to do that you're better off getting a cheap spiral notebook. At around 10 pounds, these books are not for ripping up. Do keep in mind though that these are often available cheaper on mainland Europe, so if you go on holiday you might want to pick one up while you're away.

These books are for recording your moments of inspiration on the go and keeping them together for re-reading later. Some models now also have a little pocket at the back for you to slip loose papers or cards into. These are great too but they do make the book bulkier. I like to keep mine purely for writing, scribbling, and drawing in. Perfect!