Customer Reviews

Handstiched Book of Kells Lined Generatio

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Paperblanks produces some very appealing blank books ... in general, their books work in well, break nicely and feel well-made. The Book of Kells series (there are four altogether) does not disappoint.

The series takes its name from the Book of Kells, an amazing hand-painted manuscript of 680 pages that dates from the Middle Ages. The image used for this blank book, Generatio, is from the Gospel According to Matthew. It represents the monogram of the Greek form of Christ's name.

The covers are heavy board, covered with the richly coloured image, which is embossed and intermittently gilded, so that it seems to sparkle. The book has 128 ecru pages (counting front and back separately), faintly lined, secured by an attractive coptic binding (chain stitched signatures and covers with an open spine) that echos the antiquity of the cover images.

The smooth paper - acid free and archival quality - takes ink well, including that from fountain pens. On the interior of the back cover, as in many small moleskin books, there is a gussetted folder, which the publishers call a "memory pouch," for stashing odds and ends.

At 7x9, this striking journal is small enough to carry with you in a day pack, yet not so small that it cramps your hand. An attractive addition to any journal-lover's collection.

This book is so beautiful, I wanted to buy all the others like it, and I almost hate to use it for something as mundane as my own personal journal. The Coptic binding is especially nice; it helps the book to lie open much more easily. These Book of Kells journals are also available smaller, in standard binding, which is a little cheaper but not nearly as handsome as the larger ones with Coptic binding. Thank you, Paperblanks!

The cover is just as beautiful as you think it might be. The pages are nicely lined and it is easy to write in because of the hand stitching. I would highly reccommend this journal.

This is a wonderful journal. The pages are a great color and take all kinds of ink very well. The faint page lining is great because it provides a guiding line with out big ugly marks across the page.

The coptic binding is great. Hands down one of my favorite book bindings and it allows the book to lay open so easily.

My only complaint is that the cover is hard cardboard and I was under the impression that it would be something else. Screen printed I suppose. I just wanted to make sure that it was clear hoever that the cover is solid cardboard. The image is beautiful though.

I bought this journal for my wife and she loved it! The on-line photo certainly does not do justice to what is truly a beautiful cover. Also I didn't realize that the binding was really out of the ordinary -- a stitching.

This journal is made up of 178 7x9 pages, and has a hard cover that's ridiculously sturdy and rugged. I've brought this journal on every vacation I've been on in the past 5 years, from the coast of Maine to Texas to Tortola on my honeymoon, and while I've made no special attempts to protect it from scratches or tears (in fact, I've been quite terrible to it), this book has not a dent, nick, scratch or tear. The only thing that reveals this journal as being a well-traveled book is slightly rounded corners. The cover is beautiful, and over the years, even the rainbow-iridescent threads that highlight the intricate cover design are completely intact and still as shiny as the day I bought the book. Yes, this book has some iridescent sparkle to it... You can't see it well in the picture, but trust me, they're there and they make the cover look holographic and sparkly, giving depth to the cover design.

I like the paper in this journal too, which is thicker (almost like card stock), which makes it great to write on but also will take glue and tape without wrinkling or looking like a mushy mess. I disagree with the other poster that says the book won't take ink... I use ball-point pens with no problem. Even the pens that tend to leave those irritating ink blots seem to write easily and smoothly on these pages. As a fun little bonus, the back cover has a little folder pocket to put notes and mementos. While it's expandable, it's meant to take a lot of stuff, it's a nice little odds and ends, and since the folder opens to the binding, stuff won't fall out easily.

The binding is the coolest feature of this book... It's a stitch binding, not a traditional bind, which reminds me of the stitch binding you see on Chinese journals. Very cool. I worried that over time, the binding would wear apart, but on my first book, it's been 5+ years and it's in perfect condition. Because the binding is stitch binding, not a traditional spine bind, the books pages lay completely and totally flat, making it super easy to write on. However, I wouldn't use it for scrapbooking at all, as was suggested before. If you add too much, the book won't lay flat since there's no room for it to expand. I'd use it for maybe the odd newspaper clipping or picture, but serious scrapbook/journaling together should probably go in a different book.

This is a great journal, and I love it so much that I bought another one in the same series (to find it, look in my reviews as I reviewed it with this one) that, because it's so rugged, I don't mind spending a little more on because I know it'll last and look beautiful.

This is ruly a beautiful book. The cover art is just beautiful. The stitched pages add a mark of quality not seen in other journal books. I like the transparent look of the lines. You can write in a straght line without the book looking like a child's notebook.

I was pretty happy with the overall quality of the book. The cover is nice, and has a pocket in the back for personal items such as photos or letters. The pages are quality, and the binding give an old-school feel to the book. The only thing that some people may find as a negative is that there is only stitching for a binding...there is no cover present at the fold, so you can see the pages. Some may not like that style, but it does give off a very old feel to the book.

I just got the journal recently, and it's really beautiful and intricate. I haven't had it long term, so I can't say much about durability, but it seems like it will hold up well. I have friends who own the same type, and they say it can take a beating. It's very cool looking and comfortable to write in.

I bought this journal as a gift, and loved it so much, I wanted to get my own. The picture you see does not do it justice. There are flecks of shiny material in embedded on the cover that give it the appearence of gold. It is wonderful. The pages themeselves are much wider than most journals that I have seen and they are excellent writing quality. Over all, just a great product.