Weekend Reading for July 19-20, 2025

1. “Efficiency, As I Have Discovered, Is the Enemy of Depth” (via Analog Office). If there were a mission statement/manifesto as to why I enjoy writing by hand and doing most things the long way around, this might be it.

2. Show Report: Pacific Northwest Pen Show (via Urban Adventure League). I love reading first pen show reports! The Pacific Northwest (Portland) Show is relatively new and growing.

3. 2025 Pacific Northwest Pen Show Recap and Report Card (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). Some of the behind-the-scenes stuff sounds not-so-great. An expensive show to attend, with other administrative challenges that likely make it economically nonviable for many vendors to attend.

4. 2025 St. Louis Pen Show FIRST TIME (via Feed Your Creativity). St. Louis is on the list of pen shows I’ve personally never attended, and maybe that should change next year?

5. Discover the Magic of the Leonardo Momento Zero Grande 2.0 Dark Hawaii (via dwrdnet). I’ve always been a huge fan of this material, and have one of the original Momento Zero rollerballs.

6. Stanford Pen Studio Haunted House (via Figboot on Pens). Ok, this one messed with me. Especially the thumbnail image.

7. Packing Pens and Inks for Long Term Travels (via UK Fountain Pens). I’ve never had to pack ink for a monthlong trip. Two weeks has been my max.

8. Archer & Olive Beneath the Willows Notebook Review (via Pen Addict - Sarah). Finally, someone is trying to bring back the tall/narrow hardcover notebook!

9. The Mad Scientist Method of Mixing Your Own Fountain Pen Ink Colors (via Well-Appointed Desk). I’m not a big ink mixer but I love reading about experiments!

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I spent most of the week digging into this. Highly recommended. I wish I’d kept a pack of the Field Notes.

In Case You Missed It…

Well, you didn’t miss all THAT much this week, since we were on a much-needed vacation. (It’s been quite the year.) I did publish a retrospective “From the Archives” post that looked at some of my favorite early/underalgorithmed TGS YouTube, and I also published an update on the Summer Pen Show Schedule and D.C. Pen Show details, since we are only two weeks out. Be sure to get D.C. Pickup orders in, and there’s more on that in the full post.

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - PLUS A VACATION Weekend PROMO!

We had a lot of new arrivals continue to pile in, and my helpers at home have been busy shipping orders! Roterfaden A5 Taschenbegleiters continue to go to new homes, and we’ve recently added Toyo Steel Boxes as well, which are a favorite stationery storage solution for many. In addition to the standard Yamamoto Ro-Biki notebooks, we now also have the Ro-Biki Passport size notebooks (yes, they fit the Traveler’s Notebook Passport Cover) in more than a dozen different designs.

This weekend (through 11:59pm on Sunday, July 20), we’re running an ink sale! Use the code “INKYVACAY” at checkout to get 10% off most bottled inks and cartridges. Some exclusions apply - see this week’s Thursday Drops post for details.

Original Brooks

Toyo Steel Boxes

Lochby

Roterfaden

curated stationery boxes are available!

We have a very small number of the Patreon curated stationery boxes that have been made available to the general readership. We plan to start shipping by the end of the month. If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions like this one, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Vacation Reading for July 14, 2025

1. Stationery Feed Interview with Matthew Chen (via dwrdnet). Derek has nib grinder Matthew Chen sit for an interview this week! Matthew has one of the best naginata-style grinds out there, the Kodachi.

2. Dominant Industry Ink Archiving Book: A Log of Elixir (via Olive Octopus Ink). After seeing Lisa’s Atlantis archiving book, I went ahead and picked up a Log of Elixir. While I didn’t take it on vacation (figured bottles of ink wouldn’t travel well), I’ve played around with it back at the shop and these are fun ways to explore the properties of all the inks in your collection.

3. The WORST Pen Montblanc Ever Made? (via Doodlebud). I’m not sure I necessarily agree with this one, but the Montblanc Model M continues to draw very strong opinions!

4. Fifty4T Titan Ultem (via Figboot on Pens). A look at another new pen brand (pronounced “fiftyforty”) that uses this draw-filler/syringe mechanism.

5. Endless Stationery Phantom Fountain Pen First Impressions (via Dapprman). Endless is iterating on their low-cost capless fountain pen. I missed this Kickstarter, though admittedly I’m not following the crowdfunding platforms as much as I used to.

6. Benu Tribute Fountain Pen: “Black Coffee” Edition. A Tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. (via Penquisition). Usually Benu designs don’t do much for me, but this one takes a different approach.

7. Kaweco Piston Sport: A Quick Review (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). I’m a fan of what Kaweco has done with the piston sport, retrofitting a piston into their standard classic sport format. I’m hoping for some new colors in the future!

8. You Have to Make a Mess to Make It Better (via From the Pen Cup). I owe my home office a couple weeks of cleaning/organizing. That looks like an awesome room!

9. Upcoming Pen Show Workshops (via Well-Appointed Desk). I panicked a bit when I looked at the Calendar and saw that the D.C. Pen Show is just over two weeks away. Ana and I will both be holding workshops in the Vanness Pen Lounge through the weekend. Stay tuned for details on the notebook systems workshops I did last year, and as with last year, I’ll have some of them available for purchase if you want to try and buy.

10. Is It Good: My First Asvine Pen: The C80 with a #8 Nib (via Inkdependence). Asvine makes some excellent low cost pens, and are following Jinhao into the lower-cost No. 8 nib territory, though Asvines cost a bit more. (Worth it, IMHO.)

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In Case You Missed It…

This past week on the blog was a bit light as I was prepping to get out of town for a week. (My real first week off in about a year.) The main post from the past week was a comparison of the Yamamoto Ro-Biki Note to the Traveler’s Notebook, and how the two systems differ. (They do not have exactly the same dimensions.) I also published a YouTube video walking through the Ro-Biki Setup. For more details on what I’m taking with me on vacation, and how things will work while I’m gone, there’s a short post from Saturday.

Fans of desk pads should check out the Shorthand Press offerings!

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop - Vacation schedule

We continue to build out our selection of notebook systems, and this past week introduced the Yamamoto Paper Ro-Biki System. We also have a full Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter A5 restock that includes most of our favorite colors and formats. In terms of new brands, we have added Shorthand Press, a U.S.-made brand out of Los Angeles, as well as new notebooks from Anecdote Goods. Be sure to check out last week’s Thursday Drops post for details on all new arrivals.

Note that our brick-and-mortar shop is closed this week to in-person shopping, though most online orders will continue to be processed as I do have some help while I am out. Fulfillment may take an extra business day or two.

Stàlogy 2025 Releases

Jetstream M17

Lochby

Kuru-Toga KS

PAtreon curated stationery boxes are available!

If you’re a Patreon supporter, be sure to check the Patreon feed because the second round of quarterly curated stationery boxes are available, with plans to start shipping by the end of the month. If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions like this one, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for July 6, 2025

1. 2025 St. Louis Pen Show Recap (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). The St. Louis Pen Show is one of those shows that is difficult for me to attend due to timing, as June either conflicts with family vacation or the very busy tourist season here in our Nashville store. Based on this and all the other write-ups, however, it looks like this show is starting to hit its stride.

2. St. Louis Pen Show 2025 (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I love reading recaps from first-time pen show attendees. The classes in St. Louis sounded great…. Also, as I further note below, there’s something to be said for getting nibs tuned in person at a show vs. by mail.

3. Unboxing the Pen Tray I Didn’t Know I Needed: Stationery Stack Alfie (via dwrdnet). I plan to do a review of my own Alfie soon - I love this tray and have been using it in my own home office.

4. Maybe It’s Not Coming Back (via Line Variation). I’m generally advising people these days to take pens to shows for nib grinds and modifications, especially for first grinds, mainly because I’m seeing reports such as this one of businesses going incommunicado. (No names are mentioned in this post, but I understand the issue is not limited to any one business and very much needs to improve.)

5. Everyday Carry: Lochby Sidekick and Fisher Vortex Space Pen (via Urban Adventure League). Fisher and Rite in the Rain both make some excellent slim pens perfect for EDC and pocket carry.

6. One of My Favorite Blues: The Wet Pen’s Rainier Blue (via Inkdependence). I picked up some of the new Wet Pen Inks during their most recent release. I didn’t snag Ranier Blue, but this one looks nice.

7. The Pen of King Charles III (via Figboot on Pens). I didn’t watch the coronation or follow the festivities with any degree of attention, but the fact that they were willing to send David this pen for review is amazing.

8. Lamy’s Song Dynasty Safari (via Bleistift). I love the yellow clip and the jade white finish. I wish Lamy did more special editions in these more muted colors for the U.S. market.

9. Tool Review: Dominant Industry Rubber Stamps (via Well-Appointed Desk). I’ve been enjoying archiving inks in my Dominant Industry Ink Archiving Book (more on that later), and these stamps seem to be along the same lines.

10. Save the Date… (via Pelikan’s Perch). I’m actually surprised to see this because given we are only a few months out, I had assumed Pelikan Hubs 2025 would not be going forward. But October 24th it is….

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In Case You Missed It…

This week saw me finish a personal journal and pick a new one, going with the Maruman Mnemosyne A5 Hardcover in mint green! I also continued my revamp of the site resource pages and published a Notebook Systems landing page, which collects informational resources on different notebook systems that I’ve written over the years. Keep an eye out for more resources, especially as we head towards the D.C. and San Francisco Pen Shows next month!

Finally, over on the YouTube Channel I posted a video with swatches of all the Lamy Crystal inks. These are great inks which should be getting more attention!

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This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: Last Call for 4th of July Weekend Specials

Our 4th of July Promotion on Planners and some Notebook Systems ends today at 11:59pm U.S. Central Time. We’re at the midpoint of 2025, and now is a great time to grab slight discount, including on the special Stálogy releases and the latest additions to the Lochby lineup, including the new Voyager Journals and Mini Field Journals! We also have some new inks, including two new-to-us lines such as the Lamy Crystal and Private Reserve lines.

Lochby

Planner Stickers

Multi Pens

Desk Accessories

PAtreon curated stationery boxes are available!

If you’re a Patreon supporter, be sure to check the Patreon feed because the second round of quarterly curated stationery boxes are available, with plans to start shipping by the end of the month. If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and special promotions like this one, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! The T.G.S. Patreon includes early access and discounts on exclusive shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for June 29, 2025

1. Going to St. Louis Pen Show! (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I’ve never been to the St. Louis Pen Show, despite it only being a few hours drive. The stars didn’t align this for me this month but I hope everyone has a great time!

2. St. Louis Pen Show Exclusive Ink: KWZ 314 Blues (via Inkdependence). Hopefully those of you attending the St. Louis Pen Show this weekend were able to pick up a bottle of the show-exclusive ink!

3. Mt. Fo’rest Shop Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). What a cool shop with a nicely curated, eclectic selection of goods! Put this one on a list of shops to visit.

4. The Lamy 2000 Multipen Just Got Better: Adding Jetstream Refills for Better Performance (via dwrdnet). I’ve successfully converted at least one person!

5. Comparing Different Apica Paper Weights (via Fountain Pen Love). For whatever reason, Apica notebooks have never caught on in my own rotation, partly because the ones I’ve tried all have had a relatively low page count and the style doesn’t necessarily appeal to me, but it is absolutely fountain pen friendly.

6. Does Stone Paper DESTROY Fountain Pens? I Tested It to Find Out (via Doodlebud). I’ve heard this as well, and have stayed away mostly because I don’t enjoy the feel of this paper.

7. 2025 Triangle Pen Show (via Feed Your Creativity). I enjoyed watching this walkthrough of a vintage-heavy show that I’ve never attended, but it’s on my list.

8. Paper Republic Grand Voyager (via Inky.Rocks). I get a lot of questions about Paper Republic notebooks, most of which I can’t answer because I’m unfamiliar with the brand. I’m trying to learn more about some of these notebook brands with proprietary sizing.

9. Meet Your Maker: John Greco, GW Pens (via Pen Addict - Caroline). An interesting entry in this series about a maker who is new to me.

10. Ink Review: Esterbrook x TheCoffeeMonstersCo Forgotten Iced Coffee (via Well-Appointed Desk). Cool color! I love these offbeat grey-taupe-brown inks.

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Hole punches are but one of the stationery adjacent items I’ve been playing around with this week.

In Case You Missed It….

This week, a bit of reflection where I talked about five “stationery adjacent” items that I can’t live without. This built a bit on my answer to a question in the interview I did with Derek on his YouTube Channel a few weeks back. I’ve also been hard at work refreshing some of the general informational content on the main site, so stay tuned for additional updates in the coming weeks. (This post also contained an update on August pen show plans, so check it out for details on D.C. and San Francisco.)

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If I had to pick three “classic” Private Reserve Inks to start with, it would be Avocado, Supershow Blue, and Black Cherry/Burgundy Mist (depending on whether you want a red-black or more of a purplish burgundy).

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

The big new arrival this week was the TWSBI ECO Serpentine Bronze, which is selling quickly and we’re down to a few nib sizes. We’ll likely restock this one as it looks quite nice! We also restocked on many other standard TWSBI models alongside the Serpentine Bronze, including the Diamond Mini and the Irish Green/Onyx and Slate Blue/Onyx, with all nib sizes currently available once again. This week’s Thursday Drops post spotlighted all of the new arrivals!

We’re also happy to welcome Private Reserve Inks into the shop! Private Reserve as a brand has had its ups and downs over the years, but it has endured for 25+ years and is now under the ownership of Yafa Brands, so recent years have seen a return to consistency in quality, and I’m glad they kept the large-volume, jam-jar bottles. (60ml of ink for $18!) They make some of my long-time favorite colors, including Avocado and Burgundy Mist. I’m kinda sad Avocado is now spelled correctly on the bottle, as it will always be “Avacado” to me. :) Be sure to check out all of the colors, available in both 60ml bottle and cartridge formats.

Platinum

Lochby

Lamy Ink

Notsu

NEW T.G.S. Patreon Features - We’ve started a discord community!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.

Sunday Reading for June 22, 2025

1. DWRDNET Stationery Feed Interview with Ana from Well-Appointed Desk (via dwrdnet). Ana has a chance to sit down with Derek for an interview! (The house purse/bag is a brilliant idea.) I’ve been enjoying listening to all of these. If you missed my interview, the link is here.

2. Do Notebooks Destroy Memorization Skills? (via Notebook Stories). Honestly, my own notebooks help me remember minor short-term details because I don’t have the brain capacity, but on the flip side if I journal or write about more significant issues and events, I tend to remember them in greater detail.

3. What’s the Difference? Sailor Music vs. Stub Nib (via Doodlebud). Sailor’s take on the music nib is basically an extremely broad, wet stub. I do like stubs but this one has always been a bit much for me.

4. The Pleasure of Craftsmanship: The Alfie Tray (via A Gathering of Curiosities). I really need to get a hold of one of these. Oh wait I just bought one.

5. Twenty Years of the Urban Adventure League Blog (via Urban Adventure League). Congratulations on a huge achievement! Twenty years of any sort of creative project is a massive accomplishment.

6. MD Paper Products Pop Up at Kinokuniya (via Inkredible Colours). I scoured the photos looking for any evidence that ruled versions of the MD Cotton notebooks might be returning, but no such luck, apparently….

7. Stationery for Your Worst Enemy (via Rachel’s Reflections). Ahab FTW. Hopefully they’ll end up like me with ink on their wall, running all the way up to the ceiling.

8. Magasin Sennelier (via Pens! Paper! Pencils!). I love this shop and can’t wait to get back there.

9. Untangling My Zen (via From the Pen Cup). Many people use zentangles to unwind (and also to try out pens, inks, and paper). I’ve always been interested in learning more about this, but too many hobbies, too little time….

10. Dominant Industry Log of Elixir/Log of Atlantis Inks (via Well-Appointed Desk). Ok, I need to get an ink archiving book to play around with. I’m sold.

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I picked up one of these. If you don’t recognize it you will soon enough, as I plan to write about it soon!

In Case You Missed It….

This week was mid-year review week for 2025! I honestly don’t know how we got there already, but we are there! I recapped my favorite posts from the first six months of the year, as well as my currently inked fountain pens that I just revamped with fresh inks this month. I’ve had some new acquisitions come into my hands this month, and also dug through my “archive” for some old favorites that I haven’t used in far too long.

All the Lamy Crystal inks: So many underrated colors in this lineup.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

New stuff keeps arriving! This week featured the return of the Lochby Field Journal Mini, which has been out of stock since January. Currently it’s available only in brown, but hopefully we will have the other colors back in stock soon. Lochby has also added a B5 Field Folio, which has the zippered closure and is large enough to carry a B5 notebook or a composition book. On the fountain pen front, we now have the popular Diplomat Viper, which is a hooded fountain pen that also has a matching rollerball. Finally, we have the Lamy Crystal inks in stock, which is a more saturated ink that Lamy makes in a wider range of colors. Peridot has long been one of my favorite green inks. Be sure to check out each week’s Thursday Drops post for new arrivals and more. This week’s post featured a few favorite 2025 new releases as well, in the spirit of our mid-year review.

Diplomat

Lamy Inks

Nebula Note

Lochby

NEW T.G.S. Patreon Features - We’ve started a discord community!

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases (including the Taschenstift “Violet Tendencies”), the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. As noted above, we’ve recently started a Discord community for all paid Patreon supporters.