New Arrivals: Book Darts Restock Just In Time for Holiday Shopping!

One of the first products that we ever sold directly was the simple Book Dart - an archivally safe way of marking pages in books, notebooks, notepads, and more. I tend to be an active reader, marking up and highlighting pages as I go, and for certain books I love and intend to keep on my shelf long-term, I often add a Book Dart to flag those pages that I know I’ll want to return to later.

We now offer these compact 12-Packs of Book Darts.

Book Darts has been kind enough to do custom runs of their Classic Tins in 50, 75, and 100-dart quantities, but we also recently added smaller 12-packs, as well as additional bookmark sleeves that are perfect for on-the-go use or travel. You can check out the full Book Dart lineup here, as well as our full selection of desk and reading accessories. Book Darts have been prominently featured in our Holiday Gift Guide for many years, and they pair well with other stationery-related gifts and also make a great stocking stuffer!

An update on shipping: Many thanks to all of you who supported us during our first Thanksgiving Weekend as a brick-and-mortar retailer! The new space has definitely made shipping more seamless, and orders are currently shipping within 48 hours. That said, we don’t have control over carrier processing and delivery speeds, so if you need something by a specific date, give yourself plenty of time by placing orders earlier rather than later.

What Is a Book Dart? An Explanation.

I’ve received a few questions via social media and e-mail over the past couple of weeks about a product that I’m now selling in the T.G.S. Curated Shop: Book Darts. Since Tuesdays are generally pretty quiet around here, I thought I’d take a few minutes to do a quick post explaining Book Darts and why they might be one of my favorite pieces of non-pen/paper stationery that I keep on my desk.

Book Darts are pretty simple products, really. Each “Dart” is a paper thin, precision-cut folded metal clip that slides onto a page from your book or notebook. Since Book Darts are pointed, you can use them to mark entire pages or specific passages or lines. Because they’re so thin, you can stick dozens of Darts into a book without noticeably increasing bulk. Importantly, Book Darts are “archivally safe,” meaning that they don’t damage paper. The company states on their website that they “have tested our Darts on varieties of paper under accelerated heat and humidity conditions, and they have never imparted any stain to any page.”

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This Nanami Paper Cafe Note currently has at least six Book Darts marking various sections. Closed, you can barely tell, even on super-thin Tomoe River paper.

While a Book Dart is not the same thing as a standard bookmark, you can certainly use them that way. Most people, however, view them as replacements for dog-eared pages, paperclips, sticky notes, or whatever else you might use to flag pages in a book you’re reading, a journal, or a notebook. Book Darts are reusable, and you can remove them or move them about as you like.

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On the left, a standard Book Darts tin, and on the right, my custom tins sold in the store!

I currently sell Book Darts in tins of 50, in either stainless steel, brass, or bronze, as well as in sleeves of 12 or 18 Darts that feature a mix of all three metals. They’re a fairly inexpensive tool to add to your workflow, and one that I find incredibly helpful as I do a lot of reading and research that requires me to come back to revisit passages I’ve read or notes I’ve taken, even years later.

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The sleeves ship with a folded “bookmark sheet” of 18 mixed darts - you can use it as a bookmark while you read, holding your Darts until you want to mark a page. These are great for travel!

If you like the look of a Book Dart, but perhaps want something more durable for use as a more traditional bookmark, consider these sterling silver Page Points by WMS & Co. (sold as a set of three). They have the streamlined profile of a Book Dart, but will likely hold up better to repeated use over time as the metal is quite a bit thicker and they’re actually intended for long-term bookmark use. They’ll also take on a nice patina, or you can polish them to maintain the shine.

Disclaimer: I am an authorized retailer of Book Darts, and all links are to my own shop. This post does not contain affiliate links.

This Just In: Reading Accessories in the Curated Shop

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have read a recent post in which I talk about reading, and how it’s probably my second-most obsessive hobby other than pens. In all honesty, both are better described as a lifestyle more than a hobby - you tend to embrace the analog side of things wholesale or you don’t. For example, in addition to all the pens, notebooks, and writing pads I have scattered around my house, there are also hundreds of bookmarks stuck in cups or tucked into books that I’ve either read or am in the process of reading.

When I first had the (admittedly crazy) idea to launch the T.G.S. Curated Shop last year, one thing I felt very strongly about was trying to merge these two passions together in some way - not to be just another pen and stationery retailer, but to offer carefully selected reading accessories and other items that would be of interest to those who maintain a strong analog presence in their life.

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To this end, I’m happy to introduce the following brands to The Curated Shop: WMS & Co, who make these very nice folded metal book weights and sterling silver page points, perfect for holding your hardcover book or journal open while you read or write; and Book Darts, a longtime favorite brand of mine who were kind enough to collaborate with me on these special edition T.G.S. tins. Of course, these all pair perfectly with the Write Notepads Classic Hardcover Notebook, now back in stock in all three colors.

Many thanks for your support!