Lined journal 

120 x 165 mm 

224 sides of plain 110 gsm ivory paper

Commonplace Books are a very purposeful way of using a journal, or giving one as a gift. They have been used since the Fifteenth Century, the idea being to record passages of text, poems, quotations, recipes, reading lists, drawings, sayings, family turns of phrase, calligraphy, aspirations  - any words of perceived wisdom or personal significance -  all making up a memoir of the author’s interests over a number of years. All sorts of famous people have kept Commonplace Books including John Milton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lewis Carroll and Virginia Woolf.  A brief note about the history and use of Commonplace Books is enclosed with the book.

Covers are a hand-decorated paste paper in indigo watercolour based design, by British artist Victoria Hall. (Brown spine with gold lettering)

Victoria has an extensive knowledge of historical paper decoration and specialises in highly-skilled fine antiquarian and period style marbling. She has also studied the technique of paste papers, a method which goes back at least to the Eighteenth Century.

If you are interested in buying decorated papers from Victoria Hall, you can contact her directly – details on her website.