Customer Reviews

Handstiched Book of Kells Lined Quoniam

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a nice mid-sized journal. The picture on this site does not do the illumination on the cover justice. It does not capture the flecks of light that are thrown off by the foil that lines many of the shape's borders. The hand-stitched binding makes the journal very comfortable to write in because it opens flat...unlike some journal that have a stiff spine that keeps you from writing across the entire page. The lightly lined paper is a nice quality and it even has a "memento pouch" in the back of it to store your paper treasures.

There are just some books that feel good in your hand...this is one of those books. Highly recommended.

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, Quoniam, is from the Gospel According to Luke. Of the four images in the series, this is my favourite.

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 is the second version of this journal that I've purchased (the other has a slightly different cover, but it's essentially the same journal). I loved the first one I had so much that I actually went out of my way to find the companion journal when I'd filled up my first journal. These journals are unique and beautiful, and I wish they weren't so hard to find (Borders used to stock them, but now they don't).

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, as is its sister journal (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.

My sisters and I wanted a journal to write our memories of our mother over the years, with clippings and pictures, pencil drawings and poems and really loved that this journal lays flat. It's also prettier than what is on the website....the gold reflects much more.....very satisfied!

After using two of the beautiful Book of Kells series as journals, I began the third and was quickly disappointed. The first two were excellent; in the other two, the paper is too hard to take ink. The books are much better suited as a platform for scrap-booking, where items are pasted in. Forget about writing in these unless you check them before hand.

Originally I bought this journal as a blank book for my Runic studies. I wanted something other than a blank book with a bland, blank cover. A friend recommended this & I felt it really captures the feel of the Medieval period which is what I was going for with my Runic studies notebook.

The cover itself is gorgeous & quite durable. The pages are firm yet soft enough to handle the ink of either a ball point pen, pencil, mechanical pencil (if you don't press too hard!), or dip pen a.k.a. fountain pen. The pages easily absorb the ink & there's no mess to worry about.

I've started a calligraphy type of Rune for each page & then written down the lore & history of each Rune & my own meditations about it. The book has yet to disappoint me. I know that in years to come it will be a talked about reference book especially as it was presented in this thrilling blank book.

My favorite part about the book is that it lays flat when opened. THAT in & of itself is worth the price because the majority of blank books do not lay flat when opened. This makes things difficult when you're trying to write down thoughts &/or sketch ideas & pictures into them.

Another reviewer suggested it for scrapbooking which I think would also be a wonderful idea as the cover & style of the book is romantic in nature & allows those of a Celtic descent to use it for pictures & clippings of family members too.

I give this blank book five out of five stars because it is nicely made, lays flat & is a beautiful piece of work. My ONLY complaint is that it would be nice to have the same thing but bigger & with more pages.

These notebooks are absolutely beautiful. I saw one at a museum gift shop and purchased the only two that they had. Then I found out there were 4 designs and set out to collect them all. I prefer the tactile pleasure of a book or notebook over the use of computers at times and these lovely notebooks are both pleasing to the eye and nice for writing. I use mine for research notes.

It also has a "memory" pouch in the back. I use this for photos or note cards related to my project. A handy way to keep loose things from getting lost.

Highly recommend them. The company also has other interesting notebooks and planners. All very pleasing to the eye and touch.

I purchased this as a travel journal for my niece who will be traveling abroad to Spain this winter. The cover is absolutely beautiful and I know she will appreciate the fact that the book will lie flat as she captures her memories (probably while riding in trains, planes and taxis). As other reviewers have noted, the spine is open but it gives it an "old world" feel that just adds to the beauty of 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.