Search results for ""PAPERBLANKS""

Paperblanks Nocturnelle Flexi softcover notebook, a reproduction of an antique French binding, is based on a cover designed in 1829 by publishers A. & W. Galignani for The Poetical Works of Thomas Moore. This notebook cover suggests the fine Moroccan leather, structural sturdiness, careful finishing and ridged spine preferred for bindings of that era.

Read more less

A mother robin and her child receive vivid homage on this Paperblanks journal cover in an image by Canadian artist Tracy Walker. Her work combines a folk-art naiveté with a timeless mid-century feel, as well as wondrous detail that is sure to elicit smiles upon closer inspection of this book design.

Read more less

Jules Verne (1828–1905) is the author of some of the world’s most famous books. This Paperblanks Embellished Manuscripts cover in oceanic blue features a page from Verne’s handwritten draft of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The back cover of the journal shows an engraving depicting Captain Nemo observing “a squid of colossal dimensions.”

Read more less

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616) is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language. His best-known novel, Don Quixote, is a classic of Western literature. We are honoured to be able to share this handwritten letter he wrote the king requesting permission to publish his great work on this Paperblanks pencil case.

Read more less

This blue and gold Paperblanks Equinoxe Azure journal reproduces a 1688 binding protecting L’office de la Semaine Sainte. The original binding was adorned “à la fanfare,” a handtooled pattern edged in gilt. “Fanfare,” which was a style popular in the seventeenth century, required tremendous skill on the part of the bookbinder and was reserved for books of great importance.

Read more less

Laurel Burch was a self-taught artist with an unmistakable style that was the manifestation of her love of life. From her fertile imagination, she created brilliantly coloured, vibrant and moving themes with paint and paper. Her original image seen on Paperblanks Ocean Song journal contained a piece of poetry, which is revealed when the notebook’s cover flap is opened.

Read more less

A key member of the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet (1840–1926) painted more than 250 canvases inspired by the play of light and colour upon the lily pond at his Giverny home. This Paperblanks Embellished Manuscript journal sets an 1888 letter written by Monet to Berthe Morisot, a fellow Impressionist, against a backdrop of one of these famous oil paintings.

Read more less

A key member of the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet (1840–1926) painted more than 250 canvases inspired by the play of light and colour upon the lily pond at his Giverny home. This Paperblanks Embellished Manuscript journal sets an 1888 letter written by Monet to Berthe Morisot, a fellow Impressionist, against a backdrop of one of these famous oil paintings.

Read more less

What can we say about women’s shoes that hasn’t been said so eloquently elsewhere? Nothing really, which is why we’re content to let the journal cover tell the story this time around. Paperblanks Fabulous Footwear Sorceress notebook, featuring a boot designed by José Ferragamo García, is a perfectly purse-sized book that not only delights, but is a workhorse in the journalling department.

Read more less

French artist Claude Monet (1840–1926) was one of the founders of the Impressionist movement. Monet was particularly fascinated with portraying the beauty of nature as the light, shadows and colours changed with each passing moment, day or season. The 1897 painting reproduced on our cover portrays a vibrant bed of colourful chrysanthemums captured in Monet’s distinctive heavy brushstrokes, which beautifully highlight the magnificence of nature.

Read more less

William Morris (1834–1896) was one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century. Created using woodblock printing done by hand, his evocations of antique florals and plants in all their magical gradation of tints have become design classics gracing the decorative arts.

Read more less

Laurel Burch created brilliantly coloured, exquisitely embellished, vibrant and moving artistic themes. Her celestial theme has evolved over the years in a vibrant colour palette emblazoned with shimmering details of silver and gold, including rainbow-hued fish and sprays of colourful flowers cavorting with her suns, moons and stars.

Read more less

Luxuriate in the brass and regal blue tones of this Blue Luxe cover design. The original book, crafted in the heart of Amsterdam in 1715, was bound in goatskin with elaborate gold tooling. Contained inside the volume was the Oratio Dominica (Lord’s Prayer) in almost 150 languages and dialects, compiled by English courtier John Chamberlayne, creating a document of global appeal. The intricate details of this design reflect the tapestry of cultures in its original pages.

Read more less

William Morris (1834–1896) was one of the most celebrated practitioners of the Arts and Crafts movement. In creating woven and printed textile designs Morris worked with the ancient technique of hand woodblock printing, finding inspiration in the natural world around him. His evocations of antique florals and plants have become classics in the world of decorative arts, including our book cover.

Read more less

This glorious design comes from Sangorski & Sutcliffe, a world-renowned British bindery celebrated for their jewelled bindings, like the one reproduced here. It was originally crafted to house a poem written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.

Read more less

Described as the “mise en scène for the romantic drama of American business,” New York City’s Chanin Building was built by Irwin S. Chanin in the late 1920s. Ornately adorned with bronze grilles representing some of the finest Art Deco in the city, the lobby was styled around a “City of Opportunity” concept. One of these ventilator grilles, with loops, spirals and geometric lines symbolizing human thought and emotion, is reproduced here.

Read more less

Charlie Chaplin was an English actor, filmmaker and composer remembered as one of the most important figures in the history of film. This pencil case celebrates Charlie Chaplin, commemorating both the 100th anniversary of The Kid, his first feature-length film, and the enduring cultural impact of The Great Dictator, by reproducing the final speech.

Read more less

Taking their slightly sullen cues from previous artistic movements, the New Romantics of the 1980s brought their hairstyles and attitudes to new prominence. Our Peacock Punk Address Book celebrates the drama that made the New Romantic movement some of the most ironic good times popular culture has ever had.

Read more less

Our Agra journal cover is named for Agra, India, where the Taj Mahal is located. It reproduces a photograph by Gérard Degeorge of one of the Taj Mahal’s iconic marble flowers. To carve into marble is to commit to perfection. Any mistake meant the whole slab had to be discarded. Each of these marbled flowers is its own masterwork.

Read more less

The Taj Mahal is renowned not just for its soaring symmetry and the breathtaking precision of its construction, but also for the floral forms carved in marble that adorn it. A photograph of one of these iconic flowers is reproduced for our Lahori journal, named for Ustad Ahmad Lahori, who is said to have been the grand mausoleum’s chief architect.

Read more less

Evocative of an age when the heavens were alive with more than satellites, this softcover Celestial Planisphere Flexi notebook is a romantic’s delight. Frederick de Wit’s spectacular map of the heavens was published in the late 17th century and depicts the hemispheres with representations of the constellations and signs of the Zodiac.

Read more less

This pencil case urges you to imagine yourself walking along the winding lanes that are home to the weavers of Varanasi, India. At one time there were as many as 300,000 weavers in the area, but today there are no more than 40,000. We have named it Siyah after the Urdu word for “black.”

Read more less

Brilliant fireworks are conjured up by this magnificent pencil case which reproduces the binding La Déclamation Théâtrale (1766), a didactic poem by Claude J. Dorat. Scorned by critics, Dorat persisted in writing an explosion of works. Though his legacy is not that of a major master, one cannot help but admire his incandescent desire to create.

Read more less

Our Kuro journal cover showcases a reproduction of an original piece of katagami art. It reproduces a stencil crafted from mulberry bark and persimmon juice. Such stencils are found throughout Japanese culture. The word Kuro means “dark” or “black” in Japanese and it’s the perfect title for this hauntingly shadowed design.

Read more less

The design reproduced on this journal cover, originally crafted by Riviere and Son, centres around a sensitive plant surrounded by other richly hued flowers, foliage and butterflies. The binding was used for The Sensitive Plant and Early Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley and is a celebration of the creative spirit.

Read more less

Olena Skytsiuk is one of the foremost practitioners of Ukrainian Petrykivka painting, a technique in which brushes crafted from cat hairs are used to create a visual effect unlike any other. In each design, like that reproduced on this Moonlight journal cover, thousands of small brush strokes combine to create miniature landscapes and floral scenes.

Read more less

Picnics, summer holidays and lashings of ginger beer… it’s hard not to picture the stories of Enid Blyton when thinking of these nostalgic moments. A prolific writer, Blyton penned over 700 books and thousands of short stories that captured an idyllic childhood full of adventure in the countryside. A common theme in Blyton’s writing is the atmospheric representation of life in a rural landscape. Though her works spanned multiple genres, it was stories that focused on family that were her favourite to write. One of Blyton’s most popular works was The Famous Five, a series of children’s adventure stories that centre around a group of four cousins – Julian, Dick, Anne and George – and George’s dog, Timmy. Reproduced here are the illustrations from the covers of two books in the series, Five on a Treasure Island and Five on Finniston Farm. These classic images are the works of Eileen Soper, whose illustrations bring the wonderfully nostalgic

Read more less

Picnics, summer holidays and lashings of ginger beer… it’s hard not to picture the stories of Enid Blyton when thinking of these nostalgic moments. A prolific writer, Blyton penned over 700 books and thousands of short stories that captured an idyllic childhood full of adventure in the countryside. A common theme in Blyton’s writing is the atmospheric representation of life in a rural landscape. Though her works spanned multiple genres, it was stories that focused on family that were her favourite to write. One of Blyton’s most popular works was The Famous Five, a series of children’s adventure stories that centre around a group of four cousins – Julian, Dick, Anne and George – and George’s dog, Timmy. Reproduced here are the illustrations from the covers of two books in the series, Five on a Treasure Island and Five on Finniston Farm. These classic images are the works of Eileen Soper, whose illustrations bring the wonderfully nostalgic

Read more less

This Baroque-inspired cover comes from a 1725 binding of The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, a masterpiece of Italian literature. Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375) was an Italian writer and poet who helped lay the foundations of Renaissance humanism. With its scope from humour to tragedy and its vivid narrative structure, The Decameron – his defining work – remains an affirmation of humanity and moral values even when read today.  

Read more less

Showcasing silk dyed with beni (the pigment extracted from safflower petals) and lacquered in gold, this kimono design dates to the Edo period (1615–1868). It was originally used as a costume for the theatrical style known as Noh. Karaori refers specifically to the exquisitely embroidered woman’s kimono that traditional Noh theatre was known for. Both the material itself and the pattern depicted would have helped tell the story of the character. In this case, the stiff brocade creates a thick, glossed fabric that would not drape easily – this created an angular effect evoking the spirit of a noblewoman. The pattern of flowering grasses emphasized the character’s femininity. By the Meiji period (1868–1912) Noh had reached such heights that it was widely introduced overseas, and today there are still more than 70 Noh theatres throughout Japan. This beautiful example of karaori costuming can now be found at the Art Institute of Chicago. It is our great pleasu

Read more less

Azulejos (meaning small polished stone) are painted, glazed ceramic tiles that date back to 13th-century Portugal where they were used inside buildings during the Gothic period. Today, we see these decorative tiles across a wide range of buildings, from monasteries, palaces and restaurants to bars, railway stations and family homes. The design on the tiles commonly related to the building's unique history, and the individual pieces often end up forming an elaborate mosaic.There are countless wonderful examples of these beautiful tiles all across Portugal. The design seen here is pulled from the traditional tiles gracing the facades of a variety of old houses in Porto. Ornate in detail, these tiles do not just serve as decoration but represent an important part of Portuguese culture and tradition. Held within are stories of their country and its past.

Read more less

Showcasing silk dyed with beni (the pigment extracted from safflower petals) and lacquered in gold, this kimono design dates to the Edo period (1615–1868). It was originally used as a costume for the theatrical style known as Noh. Karaori refers specifically to the exquisitely embroidered woman’s kimono that traditional Noh theatre was known for. Both the material itself and the pattern depicted would have helped tell the story of the character. In this case, the stiff brocade creates a thick, glossed fabric that would not drape easily – this created an angular effect evoking the spirit of a noblewoman. The pattern of flowering grasses emphasized the character’s femininity. By the Meiji period (1868–1912) Noh had reached such heights that it was widely introduced overseas, and today there are still more than 70 Noh theatres throughout Japan. This beautiful example of karaori costuming can now be found at the Art Institute of Chicago. It is our great pleasu

Read more less

Vincent van Gogh was one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionist painters, though he experienced much turmoil in his personal life. After admitting himself to the Saint-Paul Asylum following a severe mental health crisis, Van Gogh began his recuperation by painting the asylum garden, notably its irises. We are honoured to feature this seminal painting from the J. Paul Getty Museum in our collection.  

Read more less

Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), a Spanish architect from Catalonia, was one of the greatest pioneers of 19th-century architecture. Gaudí’s works have a highly individualized style, defined by his unique compositions, organic shapes and kaleidoscopic designs. They transcend not only mainstream Modernism, but traditional art forms. Perhaps Gaudí’s most-loved contribution to his city of Barcelona is Park Güell, a vibrant garden filled with his art. Reproduced here is a section of a mosaic sun on the ceiling of the park’s Hypostyle Room, alongside the abstract lines from his chimney pots at the Casa Milà building. Gaudí’s last work of civic architecture, Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera) represented a break with the conventions of his day, designed as a totally undulating building with a beating heart like a living being. Gaudí’s fascination with the geometry of nature stemmed from his deep religious dev

Read more less

Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), a Spanish architect from Catalonia, was one of the greatest pioneers of 19th-century architecture. Gaudí’s works have a highly individualized style, defined by his unique compositions, organic shapes and kaleidoscopic designs. They transcend not only mainstream Modernism, but traditional art forms. Perhaps Gaudí’s most-loved contribution to his city of Barcelona is Park Güell, a vibrant garden filled with his art. Reproduced here is a section of a mosaic sun on the ceiling of the park’s Hypostyle Room, alongside the abstract lines from his chimney pots at the Casa Milà building. Gaudí’s last work of civic architecture, Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera) represented a break with the conventions of his day, designed as a totally undulating building with a beating heart like a living being. Gaudí’s fascination with the geometry of nature stemmed from his deep religious dev

Read more less

Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926), a Spanish architect from Catalonia, was one of the greatest pioneers of 19th-century architecture. Gaudí’s works have a highly individualized style, defined by his unique compositions, organic shapes and kaleidoscopic designs. They transcend not only mainstream Modernism, but traditional art forms. Perhaps Gaudí’s most-loved contribution to his city of Barcelona is Park Güell, a vibrant garden filled with his art. Reproduced here is a section of a mosaic sun on the ceiling of the park’s Hypostyle Room, alongside the abstract lines from his chimney pots at the Casa Milà building. Gaudí’s last work of civic architecture, Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera) represented a break with the conventions of his day, designed as a totally undulating building with a beating heart like a living being. Gaudí’s fascination with the geometry of nature stemmed from his deep religious dev

Read more less

Paul Cézanne (1839–1906) was a French painter who is regarded as one of the greatest of the post-Impressionists. Often called the “Father of Modern Art,” his works and ideas were influential in the aesthetic development of many 20th-century artists and art movements. Reproduced here is a work from his later years, Terracotta Pots and Flowers (1891–1892), which saw Cézanne enter a new world of still life painting. This change in pace exemplified his desire for a new form of personal expression as he sought to slow down and draw focus back to the everyday. Terracotta Pots and Flowers showcases Cézanne’s intense study of still life compositions. His works such as this one explored the connections and harmonies between everyday objects. Here he arranges a red cloth, a rum bottle with straw binding and a light blue pitcher with potted geraniums inside the greenhouse at his father’s estate near Aix-en-Provence. We are honoured to featu

Read more less

Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926) was a Spanish architect who was known as a leading figure in Modernism and the pioneer of Catalan Art Nouveau. Gaudí’s work was greatly influenced by his passions in life: architecture, nature and religion. His exceptional style is characterized by the depiction of organic forms, abstract lines and extraordinary mosaics. Gaudí rarely drew detailed plans of his works, instead preferring to create them as three-dimensional scale models and moulding the details as he conceived them. As such he left very few written documents, and many of those he did leave were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War riots. Reproduced here is the Manuscrito de Reus (Manuscript of Reus), the only remaining written document of Gaudí’s. The notebook, which is a collection of his diverse impressions of architecture, is now kept at Reus Museum in his native Catalonia. Further embellishing our cover are Gaudí’s incredible mosaics

Read more less

Get ready to follow your creative train of thought with Pacifica! Reproducing a gold stamped, dark brown leather binding designed by Alice Cordelia Morse, Pacifica represents a spirit of grand adventure. The original binding was crafted to hold William Seward Webb’s California and Alaska and Over the Canadian Pacific Railway, a well-regarded travelogue first published in 1890. This exquisite edition was produced as a deluxe gift book and was limited to only 500 copies. The copy reproduced here is now held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Library in New York City. As an artist, Morse maintained the belief that the book designer must take the central idea of the book and creatively depict it on the cover. For this binding, one can imagine her creating train tracks crisscrossing a map, or perhaps even the spokes of a compass, in the gold stamping she patterned. Travel is said to broaden the mind, so it is our hope that our Iron Horse design will inspire your creativity and exp

Read more less

Reproducing a gold stamped, dark brown leather binding designed by Alice Cordelia Morse, Pacifica represents a spirit of grand adventure. The original binding was crafted to hold William Seward Webb’s California and Alaska and Over the Canadian Pacific Railway, a well-regarded travelogue first published in 1890. This exquisite edition was produced as a deluxe gift book and was limited to only 500 copies. Morse held the belief that the book designer must take the central idea of the book and creatively depict it on the cover. For this binding, one can imagine her creating train tracks crisscrossing a map, or perhaps even the spokes of a compass, in the gold stamping she patterned.  

Read more less

This glorious design comes from Sangorski & Sutcliffe, a world-renowned British bindery best known for their bejewelled cover of Omar Khayyam’s Rubaiyat. Established in London in 1901, Sangorski & Sutcliffe quickly rose to become one of the 20th century’s most important bookbinders. They were especially celebrated for their jewelled bindings, like the one reproduced here. Originally crafted in 1922 to house Rudyard Kipling’s 1897 “Recessional” poem written for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, it incorporated real turquoise, aquamarine and ruby gemstones, alongside medieval-style illumination by Alberto Sangorski and gold tooling by George Sutcliffe.

Read more less

Legend has it that hanging a Bird of Happiness in one's home will bring good health and fortune to all who live under its warm embrace. Artist Nadezhda Sokolova, also known as Nadya Sokolova, has taken inspiration from this classic tale of Russian folklore with this Firebird design.

Read more less

Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) was one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionist painters. Though much of his work, like this Irises study, is filled with brightness and light, Van Gogh’s own life was filled with personal turmoil. A severe mental health crisis, in which he now-famously cut off his own ear, prompted Van Gogh to admit himself to the Saint-Paul Asylum at Saint-Rémy in the south of France. His recuperation began with painting of the asylum garden, Irises chief among the resulting output.We are honoured to feature this seminal painting from the J. Paul Getty Museum in our collection.

Read more less

Photographer Gérard Degeorge has travelled the world, capturing grand pieces of architectural design through the scope of his lens. This design comes from his vast collection of photography and is reminiscent of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.

Read more less

The Adventures of Asterix, our series in partnership with Les Éditions Albert René, channels the spirit of Asterix the Gaul from the celebrated comic book series. In these stories, Asterix, along with his friend Obelix and canine companion Dogmatix, ventures to lands near and far with unwavering ingenuity and just a little bit of magic potion.

Read more less

Reproducing an expensive goatskin leather book binding crafted in Amsterdam in 1835 by Friedrich W.J.C. Kolb, our Onyx journal celebrates the harmony between art and science. The binding was originally designed to contain a Latin oration on the physiology of plants by the renowned Dutch botanist Willem Hendrik de Vriese. De Vriese, a member of the Royal Dutch Institute of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts, named many species of plants in the Asterales order (Asterids).Today this significant binding can be found in the KB, National Library of the Netherlands, which was founded in 1798 with the intention to celebrate the written word and share Dutch creativity and innovation with the world.

Read more less

Azulejos (meaning “small polished stone”) are painted, glazed ceramic tiles that date back to 13th-century Portugal where they were used inside buildings during the Gothic period. Today, we see these decorative tiles across a wide range of buildings, from monasteries, palaces and restaurants to bars, railway stations and family homes. The design on the tiles commonly related to the building’s unique history, and the individual pieces often end up forming an elaborate mosaic.The design seen here is pulled from the traditional tiles gracing the façades of a variety of old houses in Porto, Portugal. Ornate in detail, these tiles do not just serve as decoration but represent an important part of Portuguese culture and tradition.

Read more less

The eternal appeal of a classic floral design is captured in the work of Irish illustrator William Kilburn (1745–1818). The artist behind William Curtis’ Flora Londinensis, a comprehensive book on 18th-century English botany, Kilburn was also a leading designer and printer of calico. With winding twigs, colourful petals and undulating seaweed, Kilburn’s unique ability to blend local flora with exotic plants is on full display in this design.

Read more less