Ninth Wave Designs

Brian Eno's Notebook

I am just getting around to reading my February issue of Wired magazine, and I spotted this picture of an interesting notebook on the contents page.  You can see the full article on page 68 of issue 15.02, or online HERE.  The very small picture shows the personal notebook of musician/artist Brian Eno, and I would like to know if anyone has a guess as to what kind of notebook this might be.  The article describes it as containing sketches Eno did in the 1980s, so the notebook must be at least 20 years old.  It is difficult to tell from the photo what the size and scale of the notebook is, but it does have lined pages with a larger margin at the top of the page, a smaller one at the bottom, and the lines appear to have a bluish color to them.  In the photo the pages look to have a cream color to them, but that could also be due to the age of the paper.  The page layout is very similar to a large Classic Moleskine ruled notebook, but it isn't one as far as I can tell.

It's easier to see the details of this little photo in the print version of the magazine, so if you are a subscriber it might help to look at it there.  I wish the picture was larger, and I realize this isn't much to go on, but I thought maybe someone out there might have a good guess to offer anyway.     Thanks!

Alchemy Notebook XII

I have just added some new images to the Alchemy Notebook Gallery, having finished a few pages that I have been wanting to work on for some time.  I have missed the process of working on the images in this series and it feels good to be back to work in my Moleskine sketchbook again.

There are some more detailed images in the gallery, as well as on Flickr.

These pages were done using the usual materials: Liquid acrylic inks, Prismacolor watercolor pencils, Kooh-I-Noor Nexus pens, and metallic arcylic paint, in a pocket size Moleskine Classic Sketchbook.

You can also see the full set of pages in the order that they appear in the notebook in this Flickr Set HERE - which has a nifty slideshow viewing option.

Dear, Dear Diary.

Here's a little example of the power of notebooks and diaries that I came across recently while reading Sarah Waters' novel, Affinity.

"I had been sitting very still to listen to her.  Now, becoming more aware of myself, I found that I was cold, and I drew my coat a little closer about me.  The action made my note-book show at my pocket, and I saw her looking at it.  All the time we talked, then, her gaze kept returning to that edge of book; until at last, when I rose to leave her, she said, Why did I always carry a book with me?  Did I mean to write about the women of the gaol?

I told her then that I take my note-book with me wherever I go - that it was a habit I had fallen into when helping my father with his work.  I said I should feel very strange without it, and that what I wrote in it I sometimes later put into another book, that was my diary.  I said that that book was like my dearest friend.  I told it all my closest thoughts, and it kept them secret.

She nodded.  My book was like her, she said - it had no-one to tell.  I might as well say my closest thoughts there, in her cell.  Who did she have, to pass them on to?"

Affinity is an epistolary novel, told in the form of entries from the diaries of the two main characters.   What made this section jump out at me the most is the way that it captures the curiosity associated with carrying and keeping notebooks.  Who has seen someone writing in their notebook or drawing in their sketchbook in a cafe, and hasn't secretly wanted to seize the thing and examine all the pages while the author is off getting a refill?   Or conversely, who hasn't been themselves aware of the general interest that carrying a notebook inspires in others?  It's part of the fun, really, to be doing something so intensely private as writing about your intimate goings-on in your diary, but doing it in such a public place.  It's the feeling of - I want you to know, but I don't want you to know, at least not until I decide to show you myself.  It's the fun of building a mystery.

Additionally this section from Waters' novel appealed to me because it personifies the main character's diary as her closest friend, and reinforces the sense that she views her diary as a real person by having the second character also identify herself as a book of secrets.  Viewing a diary as a friend has come to have more meaning to me lately, as I have finally come to a place in my life where I am actually keeping a personal diary.  The irony of this shift in my perspective hasn't been lost on me - that only after coming to the end of spending three years selling diaries to others did I finally arrive at a place in my life where I had a deep need to write a daily, personal and confessional diary myself. 

I have come to see that for most of you out there, the real reason for your passion for Moleskine diaries all these years hasn't only been (as I thought) about form, function and quality, but that it has also been about being selective with the company you keep.  It's been about whom you are willing to trust with your most personal thoughts - it's been about carefully choosing your dearest friend.   As sappy as all that sounds, I still think it is absolutely true.  Hidden under the weight of all the cynicism associated with well-crafted marketing plans you will find that your Moleskine is still just a diary after all, and as such its worth is determined only by what you yourself entrust to its pages.   You may also discover as I have, that when you do find a friend that you can share your closest thoughts with, one who you know will keep them secret, life feels a lot less lonely because of it.

The Last Dozen Moleskines

Over the weekend I sold all but the last dozen Moleskines I have available.  I am now down to just two styles of Moleskines left:

• Moleskine Classic Large Address Book.
• Moleskine Reporter Large Plain Notebook.

I have six each left, and am selling these at $9.95 each: Large size Moleskines for less than the price of Pocket size Moleskines.  These are rock-bottom prices and you won't find them this low again any time soon.

I also have the set of vintage Mongols available for any of you pencil freaks out there (I say that with love) for only $8.95. 

Someone, someone somewhere out there, really wants all of these Moleskines and wants them now: I just know it.  If that special someone is you, and you want to buy all 12 of the most versatile notebooks from the Moleskine line, I will throw in the set of Mongols for free - unless someone buys them first,  in which case I will find some other neat-o thing to surprise you with to suitably reward you for being my very last Moleskine customer.  Plus you will have my gratitude.

If you don't want to buy all 12 Moleskines, then by all means, buy one or two. I will be just as happy, just as grateful, and just as glad to finish this up a few notebooks at a time.

Because of the details of moving I will be shutting down the Ninth Wave Designs Online store on December 16th 11th, so there are just five  no more days left to get some great notebooks at these great prices.

This is the last time I will be using the NWD blog to promote the store, so for those of you interested in other things posted here, this retail interlude has ended.  Ahhhhhh . . .

UPDATE 12/11/06:  Well, that's it folks - the Moleskines have left the building.  Thanks to Annie for making a clean sweep, enjoy your London City Notebook you lucky thing!

NWD Going Out Of Business Sale: REALLY the Final Round!

Okay, I guess we are going to need one final push to get the last of these Moleskines out of my world and into yours.  Prices are reduced once again on everything still in stock.  The pickings are slim, but you will never find Moleskines at these prices anywhere else, so why not grab a few extra gifts for your holiday shopping, and get yourself something nice while you are at it! 

Here's what I have left:

• Classic Pocket Address Books have been reduced to $6.95 each (regularly $10.95).
• Classic Large Address Books have been reduced to $9.95 each (regularly $15.95).
• Classic Large Memo Pockets have been reduced to $9.95 each (regularly $15.95).
• Reporter Pocket Plain Notebooks have been reduced to $6.95 (regularly $10.95).
• Reporter Ruled and Plain Large Notebooks have been reduced to $9.95 each (regularly $15.95).
• Watercolor Reporter Pocket Notebooks have been reduced to $6.95 each (regularly $10.95).
• 2007 Classic Pocket Daily Planners have been reduced to $8.95 each (regularly $13.95).
• 2007 Classic Pocket Weekly Planners have been reduced to $8.95 each (regularly $12.95).
• 2007 Classic Large Weekly Planners have been reduced to $10.95 each (regularly $15.95)
• I still have one Extra-Large Cahiers left for the great price of $11.95 (regularly $16.95).
• There are some vintage pencils still available HERE.

Don't forget, the Moleskine London City Notebook is still up for grabs - free to the first person who purchases $200 or more.

This is really, really the final reduction of prices, since I am running out of time to sell these before I move, so lets get these Moleskines to their new homes ASAP!

MOLESKINE Volant Notebooks On The Auction Block

In an effort to round up a little more money before heading off to graduate school I have decided to part with a few sets from my precious hoard of discontinued Moleskine Volant notebooks.  Over the next week or so I will be posting listings of Volants on eBay, and wanted to share this opportunity with you here, to make sure that these little babies go to a good home.  For those of you who loved the Volant format as much as I did, you know these have become pretty hard to find anywhere.  Let my sacrifice become your boon and bid away!

You can access the current listing of one set of pocket ruled Volants HERE.

You can access my eBay listings HERE where you can opt to "Add to Favorite Searches" then choose to receive email updates, so that you can be alerted by eBay's system when I add new Moleskine Volant listings.

Thanks for your support!

MOLESKINE City Notebook London: Special Offer

I received a Moleskine City Notebook for London as a sample, and it is a pretty ambitious product.  The construction of this notebook is amazingly complex, with so many different sections coming together between the covers. The addition of the clear map overlays, with post-it note-like function is quite the attention to detail, and I am sure that travelers will really enjoy this new Moleskine.  You have likely read a great deal about these notebooks elsewhere online as they have become available in limited brick and mortar stores in the US this fall, but I was not able to carry these on their first release because of being an online retailer.   

Now that I am getting out of the Moleskine business and moving on to graduate school I have been sifting through my Moleskine collection and thinning it down to prepare for the move.  I won't have time or money for a trip to London in the near future, so I have decided to part ways with my London Moleskine.

So here is the special offer: I will give my Moleskine City Notebook London, free of charge, to the first person to make a purchase in the Ninth Wave Designs Online store of an order totaling $200 or more for US delivery.  All US orders totaling $200 or more qualify for free USPS Priority Mail shipping, so not only do you get a boat-load of Moleskines marked down to very low prices, but you get free shipping and a free City notebook.  If you are a hardcore Moleskine fan I can't imagine it gets any better than this.  My London Moleskine has been taken out of the shrink-wrap so that I could have a good look at it, but is otherwise like new.  It does have a small ding on the edge of the cover that it picked up in being shipped to me, but nothing that is very noticeable.

So if you will be spending your Black Friday shopping online to avoid the crowds, buy a box full of discounted Moleskines to give as Holiday gifts and get yourself a free, not so easy to find, Moleskine City Notebook for London.  To help you fill your shopping cart, here is a list of the Moleskine notebooks still available at NWD Online:

• 2007 Moleskine Classic Large Weekly Planners for only $11.95!
• 2007 Moleskine Classic Pocket Weekly Planners for only $9.95!
• 2007 Moleskine Classic Pocket Daily Planners for only $10.95!
• 2007 Moleskine 12 Month Softcover Large Weekly Planner & Notebook for only $10.95!
• Moleskine Classic Large Plain Notebook for only $11.95!
• Moleskine Classic Large Address Book for only $11.95!
• Moleskine Classic Large Memo Pockets for only $11.95!
• Moleskine Classic Small Memo Pockets for only $7.95!
• Moleskine Classic Small Address Book for only $7.95!
• Moleskine Classic Small Storyboard Notebook for only $7.95!
• Moleskine Reporter Large Ruled Notebook for only $11.95!
• Moleskine Reporter Large Plain Notebook for only $11.95!
• Moleskine Reporter Small Ruled Notebook for only $7.95!
• Moleskine Reporter Small Plain Notebook for only $7.95!
• Moleskine Reporter Small Watercolor Notebook for only $7.95!
• Moleskine Cahier Extra Large Plain Notebook Set for only $12.95!

Since I have only one of these Moleskine London notebooks available, this offer is only for the first person to make the purchase.  I will update this post once the City Notebook has been claimed.

Happy Trails Moleskine Traveler!

The Ninth Wave Designs Online store has sold out on the original Moleskine Traveler gift sets and the Traveler 2 cases, but if you are still in the mind to do some roaming with your notebooks I have a few limited items available that might be of interest.

The first is an empty case that I will call the Build-Your-Own Traveler Case.  It is made of the same rugged materials and high quality of the Traveler cases I have carried, and has pockets and pen slots to adapt to a wide range of uses  It measures 5½" x 8½" closed, has 4 pen slots, two side pockets and one flap pocket.  It is too small for the large size Moleskines, and a little bigger than the pocket size Moleskines - but you could carry two pocket size inside with room for a little more stuff as well.  This would be a great format if you organize your life with index cards, or (gasp!) if you use other brands of notebooks as well.  I use mine with my Exacompta index cards and a small flip-top Rhodia gridded pad, and it makes for a very handy organization kit.  If you decide to buy this case - at a great low price I might add - plan on having fun finding just the right combination of items to carry around in it to keep your life in order.  I have only 6 of these cases available, for only $12.95 each.  You can purchase them in the NWD online store HERE.

Shown above is the Build-Your-Own Traveler case with the stuff I carry around in it.  The index cards are 4" x 6", and the pens are Pilot G2s - to give you a sense of scale.

The second offering is the Mini Traveler Kit.  This is a small but handy Traveler set that will fit in your bag, backpack, or maybe in your pocket (especially if you wear cargo pants).  It is great for taking quick notes and keeping track of contact information.  The external pen slots mean you will always have a pen handy to jot things down. This is the coolest little case, and is such a great size that you will carry it with you everywhere.  I never leave home without mine, and I use it as a catch-all for the random things that I need to keep track of in my day.

I have three of these Mini Traveler Kits that come with one slim mini Miquelrius Leather-Look gridded notebook (2¾" x 4¾") with black cover, and one slim mini Miquelrius Leather-Look gridded address book (2¾" x 4¾") with green cover.  The case measures 4" x 5¼" closed, with one Pilot G2 Blue 07 pen and  one Pilot G2 Mechanical Pencil 05 included.

I have three of these Mini Traveler Kits that come with two slim mini Miquelrius Leather-Look gridded notebooks (2¾" x 4¾") with black covers.  The case measures 4" x 5¼" closed, with one Pilot G2 Blue 07 pen and  one Pilot G2 Mechanical Pencil 05 included.

You can get the Mini Traveler Kits for the super low - buy these quick before I move - price of $14.95 each. Please note that the pictures below show a black G2 05 pen with the kit, but you will be receiving a G2 Mechanical Pencil 05 with your kit.  In my rush to get things done I may not have done this little kit justice, but trust me, you will love this.

Click images for larger versions.

You can make your purchases of these Traveler items on the NWD Online store HERE. 

There are still some great deals to be had among the remain stock of Moleskine notebooks, so take advantage of these low prices in the last gasp on the G. O. O. B. sale!

UPDATE 11/28/06: These two special offer Travelers are sold out - thanks for your support!

NWD Going Out Of Business Sale: Final Round!

Thanks to everyone who has ordered during the NWD Going Out of Business Sale so far!  There are still some great deals to be had for the Moleskine shopper, and I still have limited stock for the Classic and Red Collector's Edition planners - and even a couple of softcover planners on hand.  I can't imagine you will find your Moleskine planner for a better price anywhere online.

This will be the last of my price reductions, so if you are holding out to see how low the prices will go the time has arrived for you to jump in and place your order.  I have lowered prices on all of the following items:

• ALL remaining Classic Pocket Moleskines have been reduced to $7.95 or $8.95 each.
• ALL remaining Classic Large Moleskines have been reduced to $11.95 each.
• ALL remaining Reporter Pocket Notebooks have been reduced to $7.95 each.
• ALL remaining Reporter Large Notebooks have been reduced to $11.95 each.
• Watercolor Reporter Pocket Notebooks have been reduced to $8.95 each.
• 2007 Classic Pocket Daily Planners have been reduced to $10.95.
• 2007 Classic Pocket Weekly Planners have been reduced to $9.95.
• 2007 Classic Large Daily Planners have been reduced to $15.95.
• 2007 Classic Large Weekly Planners have been reduced to $11.95.
• 2007 12 Month Large Softcover Weekly Planner & Notebooks have been reduced to $10.95.
• 2007 12 Month RED Hardcover Pocket Weekly Planner & Notebooks have been reduced to $10.95.

I still have a few Extra-Large Cahiers left for the great price of $12.95 per set, and one lonely set of pocket sized Cahiers looking for a good home for only $5.25 per set.  Quantities are very limited, so help me clear these out and order a bunch of Moleskines while they are still available. Have a blast shopping for your Moleskines and help me pay my tuition deposit at the same time!

NWD Going Out Of Business Sale: Round Two

The Ninth Wave Designs Online Store Going Out of Business Sale has turned into a very brisk affair.  Moleskines are flying out the door here in good time, but just to keep things interesting I have reduced prices even further on several items to keep things moving right along!

Prices have been reduced today on the following items:

• MOLESKINE Classic Large Memo Pockets: Original price: $15.95, now only $12.95.
• MOLESKINE Classic Large Address Book: Original price: $15.95, now only $12.95.
• MOLESKINE Reporter Large Notebook with Plain Pages: Original price: $15.95, now only $11.95.
• MOLESKINE Reporter Pocket Notebook with Plain Pages: Original Price $10.95, now only $7.95.
• MOLESKINE Classic Pocket Address Book: Original Price $10.95, now only $8.95.
• MOLESKINE Classic Pocket Japanese Album: Original Price $10.95, now only $8.95.
• MOLESKINE Classic Small Memo Pockets: Original Price $10.95, now only $8.95.
• MOLESKINE Classic Pocket Storyboard Notebook: Original Price $10.95, now only $8.95.
• MOLESKINE 2007 Classic Pocket Weekly Planner: Original Price $12.95, now only $10.95.
• MOLESKINE 2007 Classic Pocket Daily Planner: Original Price $13.95, now only $11.95.
• MOLESKINE 2007 Classic Large Weekly Planner: Original Price $15.95, now only $12.95.

Quantities are quite limited, so you will need to act fast to snap these up at these prices!

For those NWD blog readers with a pencil predilection, I uncovered a few more Palomino pencils that I thought I had sold through, so there are still a few sets left in stock.  I also found a few boxes of California Republic Forest Choice HB pencils that I had forgotten about, and have put those up for only $0.95 per dozen. Add a few pencil sets to your order, and throw in a few discounted Pilot G2 pens while you are at it! 

Have fun shopping and buy as much as you want because my tuition bill is on its way!