Journal with lined pages, 240 sides of 110 gsm smooth ivory paper. 

120 x 165 mm 

Cover  - Reproduction of a hand-painted faux malachite design by Ian Harper. ©Bridie Hall

Ian Harper is a master decorative painter and artist mostly working in architectural interiors. His work can be found in Europe, Russia and North America - there are many marvellous examples on his website. 

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.