From the Curated Shop: Favorite Pens for Reading

Whenever I go on vacation in the summer, or even when I’m just lounging around here at home, I like to read outside (weather permitting). If I’m reading nonfiction, I tend to be a relatively “active” reader, meaning that I enjoy highlighting/underlining passages, entering marginalia and jotting down notecards that I sometimes store in a library pocket before I transcribe them to a commonplace book. I generally have a specific set of pens that I use as “reading companions,” mainly lightweight ballpoints and/or pencils that I can clip to the cover or tuck between the pages unobtrusively. It’s a major category that I’ve elected to stock in the shop, and since I know so many of you are avid readers, I thought I’d share my favorites here. If there are any “bookmark-style” or other annotation-appropriate pens that you enjoy and think that we should consider stocking, please drop us a line or leave a comment below!

[UPDATE: I’ve been reviewing my stock and it’s time to do a summer clearance! Take 10% off almost everything in the store using the coupon code SUMMER - automatically applied at checkout - and some items have been placed on deep discount already. Excludes TWSBI and Lochby! Sale Ends at 11:59pm on July 5.]

The Gentleman Stationer Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands shown here.

1. Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint Pen. My favorite pen for reading and annotation went with me to the beach this month and added to it’s patina. Lightweight and featuring a needle-tip hybrid ballpoint/gel refill, I consider this the perfect pen for marginalia and annotation. (We also sell the refills.)

2. Pokka Pens. While the tip isn’t as small as the needle-point on the Traveler’s Company Brass Ballpoint Pen, the Pokka Pen is extraordinarily light, and when paired with the optional clip, makes for an awesome pen to clip to the cover.

3. CW&T Pen-Type C. Fans of the Hi-Tec-C gel pen will want to consider this flat titanium “bookmark pen,” which gives you the CW&T writing experience at the $50 price point. Personally, I clip the pen to the front cover as opposed to using it as a true bookmark. (It’s also a useful pen to slip into the PVC pouch on a Traveler’s Notebook.)

4. Caran d’Ache Bicolor Annotation Pencils. The perfect companion for those of us who like to highlight or annotate in colored pencil. The standard graphite is relatively firm, so you don’t need to sharpen often, and it’s still dark enough to remain legible.

5. Mazzuoli Nobile ITALIA. A unique writing instrument that I haven’t written about in a whlle, this ergonomic ballpoint from Mazzuoli ships with three different ballpoint refills and a .7mm mechanical pencil insert. I have the “Aviation Blue” version with the mechanical pencil, and it makes for a great portable writing companion.

Thursday Drops: Fountain Pen Friendly Paper and Landscape-Style Notebooks

One of my favorite developments in the pen community over the past several years has been the proliferation of the “landscape-style” notebook and notepads, particularly since this design allows you to work with a notebook below your keyboard. We carry fountain pen friendly, landscape-style notebooks in a variety of formats, including lined, grid, blank, and even a weekly undated planner. I’m currently using a combination of the WMS & Co. Planner Desk Pads and Midori MD Writing Pads for most of my own everyday writing!

For more on fountain pen friendly paper brands, and suggestions on high-quality paper in general, be sure to check out this page, which is periodically updated. The T.G.S. Curated Shop is an authorized retailer of all brands sold.

1. Write Notepads Landscape Notebook. The original landscape-style spiral notebook that we first started carrying three years ago. Available in a lined format, with six different color options. (Pro Tip: If you prefer a dot grid ruling, the standard Write Notepads Spiral Notebook can simply be turned sideways and used in landscape format.)

2. Write Notepads Weekly Planner. Track or plan out your week on two pages, with no dates so that you can use the “calendar” as often or as infrequently as you need. Featuring the same excellent fountain pen friendly paper as all Write Notepads products!

3. Maruman Mnemosyne Notebooks. We recently brought in more of Maruman’s excellent Mnemosyne line, and not only is the paper exceptionally fountain pen friendly, but the grid-ruled notebooks come in landscape format.

4. Midori MD Paper Pads. Both the A4 and A5 Midori MD writing pads can be used in landscape mode, and the pads even come bound on two sides for maximum durability.

5. Traveler’s Company Spiral Ring Notebooks. The B6 version of this notebook contains 100 sheets/200 pages of blank Midori MD paper in landscape format.

6. WMS & Co. Planner Desk Pads. Another exceptionally handy option for those of us who enjoy an undated planner or a scratch pad that’s organized in a weekly layout. The paper is quite good, and these desk pads come in both full-size and a slimmer format specifically intended for under-keyboard use.

7. WMS & Co. Standard Desk Pads. These larger blank desk pads and notepads contain up to 285 pages of thick writing paper, perfect for jotting notes or brainstorming. (Note that the colored paper is more appropriate for pencils and non-fountain pens, as it’s coated.)

8. Life “Noble Note” Writing Pads. While not a landscape-style writing pad, we don’t do enough to promote this excellent brand of Japanese paper, which comes in thick 100-page writing pads in three different rulings/formats.

9. Clairefontaine French-Ruled Looseleaf Sheets. We still have limited stock of French-ruled paper in these looseleaf booklets, which I find incredibly versatile for notetaking, drafting, and even letter-writing.

10. Soumkine “Oh My 307” Universal Planners. We still have stock of the Soumkine Hardcover Planners, which look like they may be discontinued (at least for now) as part of the brand’s redesign. If you’re a fan of long, skinny format planners or journals, give this one a try.

Just Landed: Maruman Mnemosyne Notepads, Notepad Covers, Label Stickers & More!

One of the more undersung fountain pen friendly paper lines, Maruman’s Mnemosyne notebooks and notepads are among the most versatile, and we’re happy to announce that we’ve expanded our selection of Mnemosyne products to include additional paper sizes and formats, as well as the Mnemosyne label stickers to help you further customize your notes! As of this morning, you can purchase the Mnemosyne spiral notebooks in sizes ranging from A4 to A6 to B5, and we have also added A5 Notepads, a handy A5 Notepad Cover that includes not just a classic padfolio but five pockets for organizing, and two different top-bound steno pads. Label stickers are available in “Tab,” “Task,” and “Flow” formats.

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You can view additional Mnemosyne photos and writing samples in the shop listings, or by visiting this past post. As I mentioned above, Maruman Mnemosyne paper unfortunately doesn’t get mentioned as often as brands such as Rhodia or Clairefontaine, though I find it handles fountain pen ink just as well. The perforated pages, durable covers, and attractive price point make this a paper worthy of your consideration.

If you’re interested in reading further on fountain pen friendly paper recommendations, we maintain a running list of fountain pen friendly brands, which also has an active comment section because we can’t test them all!

2022 Mid-Year Review, Part II: Favorite Shop Additions and A Huge Thank-You!

Thanks to you all, both the T.G.S. Curated Shop and the T.G.S. Patreon Program have grown significantly over the past year, which has allowed this site to shift from near-complete reliance on a third-party sponsorship/affiliate supported business model to one that’s self-sustaining. Not only do I believe that this is the healthiest approach in terms of keeping the site economically viable over the long term, but it’s been far more satisfying to me personally to select, vet, and choose my own curated set of recommended products, as opposed to relying on third-parties to deliver the writing experience readers ultimately expect after making a purchase following a review or other guidance I’ve offered.

For today’s mid-year recap post, I decided to focus on my five favorite products introduced in 2022, with a single selection from different product categories. I’ve got one pen, a paper product, a planning product, pen cases, and some washi tape (NSFW alert). I hope you enjoy using these products as much as I’ve enjoyed selecting and stocking them.

1. TWSBI Swipe Fountain Pen in Salmon. While the Swipe fountain pen is available in several other colors, for some reason this muted orange grabs me. I still haven’t picked one out for myself because I haven’t decided on the perfect matching ink (as one does).

2. Clairefontaine French-Ruled Looseleaf Sheets. My favorite stationery product of all time, and the one that started me down this personal rabbit hole of obsession, is now available in the shop! While the looseleaf sheets are a personal favorite, I love Clairefontaine’s French-ruled paper in general, and it’s available in notebook form.

3. Midori MD Diary Stickers. While they’re not huge sellers - probably because people are puzzled as to how, exactly, to use them - these simple and inexpensive planning products have revolutionized my own work notebooks because they easily allow me to set up a month-per-page calendar. The stickers come dated or undated.

4. Lochby Cases. I talked yesterday about the Quattro Four-Pen Case, and how it’s one of the best products I’ve reviewed this year. In general, the Lochby case lineup (and accompanying 68gsm Tomoe River paper products) have been a massive success, as I’m always on the lookout for quality waxed canvas products given their durability and aesthetics as they wear over time.

5. Grown-Person Washi Tape. Because sometimes you just need something that quickly describes the day in your journal without having to actually rehash it.

Please note that I am traveling the week of June 11 and orders placed during this time will ship out in five business days. I always include extras (stickers, notecards, ink samples, washi tapes, etc.) to orders placed during a travel period! Many thanks for your support.

Housekeeping Updates: Vacation Time!

Just a couple of housekeeping updates for the coming week (6/11/22-6/18/22):

• Curated Shop Order Shipments: I will be on vacation next week, so any orders placed starting tomorrow (Saturday) morning will ship out when I return. Thanks for your support and understanding, and I always include extras (stickers, notecards, ink samples, washi tapes, etc.) to orders placed during a travel period.

• Our Current Giveaway Ends Sunday! Things have been getting buried on Instagram, and I know lots of people are on vacation, etc., so I wanted to make one last push to let people know that this giveaway is still live! Win a T.G.S. Sunderland Prototype, a Penwell Traveller, or a Musgrave Pencil Assortment! Hit the link for details.