Saturday, March 26, 2011

Of Powell's, Poetry, and Paper

An odd assortment of titles, perhaps--mystery, sci-fi, poetry--but it's my kind of odd!

Paper bounty: Clairefontaine staple-bound notebook, Rhodia staple-bound notebook, Leuchtturm 1917

Leuchtturm as compared with a Moleskine--the Leuchtturm (top) is slightly wider.
Blurb from the back of the Leuchtturm 1917


13 comments:

Strikethru said...

I'm with you on the city driving, don't like it, not one bit. Jealous of your trip, I have some typewriters to drop off at Blue Moon myself.

Wow, your first trip to Powells! It is a little overwhelming. The Independent Publishing Resource Center, which I blather about from time to time, is just up the street from there.

Richard P said...

The Leuchtturm looks very nice.

It's good to read about any bookstore that has a wealth of customers. Enjoy your purchases!

Anonymous said...

E. - Sounds like a great trip despite the driving issues. Powell's is a pretty rad place. I'll need to keep a lookout for that Frost collection because he is definitely on the "Need To Have The Entire Collection" list.

C. - Lynds and I were down there in January and I completely forgot to check out the Independent Publishing Resource Center. Lame.

Elizabeth H. said...

I hadn't realized the Independent Publishing Resource Center was nearby...huh. Can one just walk in and check it out?

I think I'm going to use the Leuchtturm as my next journal. I'm particularly jazzed about the pages being numbered--I typically go through and number all the pages in my notebooks before using them, despite the time it takes to do so. If I don't, it drives me nuts not knowing exactly how far along I am, and not being able to see at a glance how many pages I've gone through in a day or a week.

Yes, I am broken.

It sounds like they've put some work into making these more fountain pen friendly than Moleskines. I've mostly been using pencil for journals, but I may have to experiment.

mpclemens said...

Hooray! You made it! Now I don't need to put a pep talk in my letter. See, it *pays* to procrastinate.

rino breebaart said...

That's a nice haul... every collection needs a touch of Frost.

But, for the geographically challenged (& antipodean) among us, which city is Powell's in, or are they in many places? (I know, I could Google it in a second, but, you know, old school and all that...)

Elizabeth H. said...

I knew I was leaving something out...

Powell's City of Books is in Portland, Oregon (as are Blue Moon Camera and Ace Typewriters), about two hours south of where I live in Olympia, WA. There's one main store to which people are typically referring when they talk about Powell's, and some smaller branches or specialized bookstores, but all within Portland.

Adwoa said...

Oh, Leuchtturm! I have heard great things about them, too, and look forward to trying one of their notebooks (I don't need any more paper, either, I have a Rhodia Webbie still in the shrink wrap because I overbought on other brands). I looked them up and the prices in Switzerland are higher than those for equivalent Moleskines and Rhodias (go figure). I have a trip to Berlin in June and will be sure to spend a few hours stocking up on the range of fine German stationery!

Moleskine is indeed Italian and was the pride of that country till they moved their production to China a few years back. Now I consider them vastly overpriced and I'm quick to explore good substitutes - I'm currently writing on a Sigel Conceptum softcover (another German brand) that is very nice to use.

Ryan said...

Shocking words follow: I'm not a Powell's fan. Elliott Bay Book Company is where it's at for books in the pacific northwest.

Elizabeth H. said...

@Adwoa - I think I'll try doing a mini review of the Leuchtturm, maybe contrasting with Moleskine, once I've had a chance to use it for awhile. I'm really curious how it holds up to fountain pen in particular. It'll be a few weeks before I finish my current journal, though.

@Ryan - yeah, but Powell's is a landmark! Everyone has to go once. (Technically I've been there before, but I was a baby riding in a backpack, so that doesn't count...) I'll add Elliot Bay to my list of things to check out in Seattle, though! Their website kind of makes it sound like they don't do used books, though, which would cross them off my own personal top spot right there. I like used, I like old, I like finding unexpected out-of-print gems, I like having the option to occasionally trade in a stack of books for credit.

Thus far, I think Green Apple Books in San Francisco ranks as my favorite of the large used books stores I've been to...though I know part of my feeling for it was because I went with my brother and it was a blast of a day. The Tattered Cover in Denver is also right up there. And I love their name!

notagain said...

I Like Powell's and have to go when I'm in Portland but they aren't the same place they were 20 years ago.
Ryan - Shorey's.
Good job getting there. We're going sometime this summer probably.

MTCoalhopper said...

I found two Frost books on a shelf,
Short on cash. Beside myself.
It being his birthday, and myself obcessed,
I chose the one I thought the best.

Returning later, regretting the one,
how poetic, the other was gone.
When choosing books, opportunity lost
Always reminds me of Robert Frost.

(Okay, so maybe I'm more of an Ogden Nash fan, myself.)

Elizabeth H. said...

Heh...cute.

What's so brilliant about the book I did get is that it has it *all*, no requirement to choose the one with the best content. Ironically un-Frost-ian, perhaps.