Our Man in Habana

I sometimes find a new notebook reviving.

It's many things: the pure possibility of white paper; the imagined nostalgia - looking back at writings past; the ritual of writing my name and address, 'claiming' the pages as mine; the mental punctuation of the last notebook archived.

For years, I've used Moleskines - Distraction was written in four of them. They're robust, easy to find. The line spacing suits my handwriting, and the covers are firm to write on, but yield to my nibs. The bookmark and elastic strap keep my words organised.

But Moleskine's paper is rough, uneven and inconstant. Ink bleeds and feathers, and skips near the margins.

Enter the Quo Vadis Habana, sent to me by Karen from Exaclair.

The Habana is like a Moleskine, but with Clairefontaine's 90gsm paper. The paper is silky, glossy, smooth. Its blurb also says: acid-free, pH neutral and made from sustainably-managed forests.

Let me be blunt: the Habana is a joy to write in. My wet, medium Pelikan gave a constant, crisp line. My very fine Pilot had a little more bite, but nothing nasty. Its line was flowing and precise.

At the moment I'm using Clairefontaine spiral notebooks (also from Exaclair), which lie perfectly flat.

But if I go back to hard-cover notebooks, the Habana will be my first choice. It's a journal for writing in; for the sensual, ebullient glide of inked metal on paper.