5 Year Journal/diary Search...

[GutSchrift]

Apparently 5-year diaries were something popular in the 'good old days,' and fell out of fashion with the ever increasing pace of modern life throughout the 20th Century. However, after both the popularity of a certain NY Times article and a book about one writer's encounter with a historic red leather 5-year diary, they have made somewhat of a come-back as it were. I realized that though I like journaling, I absolutely hate planners/organizers. My lifestyle never accommodates them well enough leaving a trail of expensive and hardly used diaries.

 

I am excited about the 5-year diary because of its scope and the requirement for brevity in recording just one or two facts/emotions/reflections per day. I noticed the one most popular now, which features a cloth binding and is rather compact in size: Shopsin 5-Year However I wanted something a little more classic, preferably in leather and just a bit larger. Levenger had the following: Levenger And wonderful old Aspinal had only this mock croc model (it was the only one without a lock! -- The locks are adolescent to me): Aspinal

 

Unfortunately I don't want to commit to either of these yet -- each one comes close to my imagination but neither really hits the mark entirely. Anyone have any suggestions? Thank you for your help! This community is tremendous in its knowledge!

[GutSchrift]

Ok so no responses...I guess the five year diary thing isn't so interesting?

[The Good Captain]

I'm sure that 'lack of interest' is not the reason for 'lack of response' so don't be offended or disheartened! Personally I use smaller and numerous notebooks of varying quality, to record my daily ramblings and observations. The actual space available for me to do this, on any particular day, isn't that important, so the five-year book could be all right for that. But I don't like to think that if I missed a day, I'd have wasted that bit of space allocated in the diary, whereas if I don't make any comments in an ordinary notebook or whatever, well, it doesn't matter.

The only problem with that method is then trying to remember what I did on that day!!

Good luck with your endeavours.

[jameswatts]

I have the Levenger Five Year Journal and like it a great deal. The paper in mine is quite good -- very little problems, but I try to use finer nibbed pens to get as much into the space as possible -- and the price is reasonable.

[AfterMyNap]

Don't be dismayed, you've had over 100 views, so the interest is there. Myself, the requisite discipline of this journal eludes me!

Edited February 15, 2012 by AfterMyNap

[GutSchrift]

Thank you for the support. I find the idea really fascinating and would love to start one, but I don't want a homemade version.

[GutSchrift]

Thank you for the support. I find the idea really fascinating and would love to start one, but I don't want a homemade version.

 

Ok another bump: I NEED YOUR HELP! Here's what I've turned up, aside from the Levenger's clothbound version (which I think people already know) and the silly ones with locks:

 

German one (looks exquisite and old fashioned) from a company called Teurleben & Bischoff

Fünf Jahrestagebuch

 

English (from Leathersmith of London -- very much like Smythson's diaries with the blue paper)

Leathersmith's

 

and finally the somewhat too much for me, yet beautiful Aspinal:

Mock-Croc Aspinal

 

Do I go for one of these? No matter which, they all seem to be expensive -- especially with shipping...

[ssbbg]

Thank you for the support. I find the idea really fascinating and would love to start one, but I don't want a homemade version.

 

Ok another bump: I NEED YOUR HELP! Here's what I've turned up, aside from the Levenger's clothbound version (which I think people already know) and the silly ones with locks:

 

German one (looks exquisite and old fashioned) from a company called Teurleben & Bischoff

Fünf Jahrestagebuch

 

English (from Leathersmith of London -- very much like Smythson's diaries with the blue paper)

Leathersmith's

 

and finally the somewhat too much for me, yet beautiful Aspinal:

Mock-Croc Aspinal

 

Do I go for one of these? No matter which, they all seem to be expensive -- especially with shipping...

 

I was interesting in starting this for 2012. (I didn't see the NYT article, but stumbled across the concept in a different way. I'd be interested in a link to the article, if you can find it easily.) The big issue for me is the paper. The few that I found for sale had extremely thin paper to keep the size of the journal small. I bought a 5 year journal from Amazon (not as pretty as the ones you found, but cheaper) and I returned it because I was sure ink would bleed through and feather like mad on such paper.

 

I wouldn't buy any 5-journal unless a fountain pen used vouched for it OR if you can get a sample of the paper first. Even the cheap ones are more expensive than regular journals or notebooks.

 

Good luck with your search, and I'll be interesting in hearing what you end up with and how it works for you.

 

Louise

[ssbbg]

Sorry for two posts in a row but...

 

There was another thread on FPN about 5 or 10 year journals, but I cannot seem to find it. The OP asked about a specific brand, and no one had used it. S/He contacted the company and they said they thought the paper should be fountain pen friendly. Maybe your search skills are better than mine, and you can find it. The journal was again more utilitarian than the journals you posted, but the feature I liked was that there were extra continuation pages for days that you had more to say. If I can find it again, I'll point you to it, but as I said, maybe your search skills are better than mine.

 

Louise

Edited February 18, 2012 by ssbbg

[Bigeddie]

Just found this, Not sure what shipping options are available... or what the quality is like.

[inkstainedruth]

I admit that having a five-year diary kinda reminds me of being around 6 or 8 years old again (oh, yeah, I had the kind with the lock....). Think it was a Christmas present.

Is there some reason why you specifically *want* to have one of these? I journal -- not everyday, but nearly so. I just use whatever inexpensive notebook with lots of pages I can get. Several have been the Eco-jot spiral bound ones you can get at B&N because they have lots of pages. Had some nice hardbound ones that had recycled paper from a company call Michael Rogers Press, but the only place I could find them in Pittsburgh was Joseph-Beth Booksellers (which stopped carrying them and then closed); I even contacted the manufacturer to see if there was another retailer in the area (there wasn't) and now their website doesn't even seem to list them.

I don't worry quite so much about the "every day" part; I'm actually pretty good about that because I've been doing it for several years, except for mornings where I have to get up extra early because of things beyond my control -- I missed two days in a row this week because I had to be out the door extra early for a doctors' appointment at 7:25 am and minor surgery (pre-op at 8 am). I just pick up where I left off. The only requirement is three pages of writing per day (it's a "morning pages" journal, from the book _The Artist's Way_, and the discipline comes in writing those three pages the first thing in the morning, as soon as you get up; for me, it's part dream journal, part to-do list, part (bleep) session, and part general ruminations about life -- whatever flows from brain to fingers to pen to paper each day). And since I just pick up where I left off, I don't have blank pages (unless at the very end when the number of pages don't divide by three very well).

If for you the discipline is in doing a small wrap up for every day, why not just get a plain notebook and rule lines for each page so you can do a week per page (or for each double-page spread)? You wouldn't even have to necessarily do the dating until you actually started writing (just, if you skip a day here or there, leave that section blank) and go onto to the next section.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[GutSchrift]

Well I'm as interested in the quality of my notebooks and journals as I am my pens and ink. I'm somewhat of an aesthete and I like focusing on the entire package -- a beautiful book that is timeless and remains class and well-cherished for decades as well as the beloved pens that did the writing.

 

I ended up ordering the German journal and it's really gorgeous. In fact the packaging alone was nicer than any fine good I've ever purchased.

 

The reason I wanted the five-year is so to create a short entry every single day for these next few years. A record. The regular journal is for the kind of lengthy writing you mentioned which I just don't feel like doing on a daily basis.

[Steveareno]

Here's a nice looking five-year diary from Charing Cross, Ltd.

 

http://www.sterlingandburke.com/store/Charing-Cross-Calf-Five-Year-Diary.html

 

I wish there were nice one-year diaries like this. I wind up using five-year diaries as one-year diaries. It works out OK, but is not ideal.

[thorn]

 

The reason I wanted the five-year is so to create a short entry every single day for these next few years. A record. The regular journal is for the kind of lengthy writing you mentioned which I just don't feel like doing on a daily basis.

 

 

I have my Grandmother's 5 year diary who died of Lupus in 1954. She kept writing until the end. My Aunt took over for a couple of months after she passed away. It was short entries about the weather, who came to visit, how she felt, and some addresses and birth dates in the back. It has "A line a day, five year diary" on the front. It also has a lock on it. No company name in it, just made in USA.

 

Searching Google for "A line a day" I found : http://www.amazon.com/One-Line-Day-Five-Year-Memory/dp/0811870197

[GutSchrift]

I like the Charing Cross linked to above. I saw it during my searches, but didn't like the lock or the lined paper. The journal I ended up with has EXCELLENT paper (VERY fp friendly) and is beautiful. The packaging was incredible!

 

I think these kinds of objects really do become wonderful documents for the future...

[Bigeddie]

I came across this recently too:

 

Leuchtturm Some Lines a Day - 5 year memory diary (A5)

[jesse.bo]

Well I'm as interested in the quality of my notebooks and journals as I am my pens and ink. I'm somewhat of an aesthete and I like focusing on the entire package -- a beautiful book that is timeless and remains class and well-cherished for decades as well as the beloved pens that did the writing.

 

I ended up ordering the German journal and it's really gorgeous. In fact the packaging alone was nicer than any fine good I've ever purchased.

 

The reason I wanted the five-year is so to create a short entry every single day for these next few years. A record. The regular journal is for the kind of lengthy writing you mentioned which I just don't feel like doing on a daily basis.

 

Cant wait to hear how you like it and see a review. This is the first I have heard of this great idea of a diary! I am going to make one of these. I have been toying with the idea of binding custom printed diaries/journals (birding, FP, music writing, film director's, etc) This sounds like a fun project, if for no other reason to have one of my own. But I'll definitely be open to producing for others. Thanks for the bump and input. I really like the idea of being able to go back and see five years, where you were five years from TODAY, whenever today may be. Cool stuff.

[Lively]

Hello old thread I was looking for a 5 year diary that is bigger than the popular small ones. I was hoping for A4 or A5. I found these:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Collins-Five-Year-Diary-Black/dp/B000J6F5KU

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tallon-A5-5-Year-Black-Leather-Bound-Diary-Slim-Open-Undated-Magnetic-Office-/331563317545?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d32b6b929

 

http://www.castelli.co.uk/2015-diary/5-year-diary/5-year-diary-4129.html

 

http://www.levenger.com/5-year-journal-core-7150.aspx

[Arielle Finberg]

Thanks for reviving the thread! I'm now looking for one myself!

[vjones]

How about a 10 year journal? I bought one of these in 2012: http://www.journal10.com/

 

It isn't the greatest paper in the world for fountain pens, but it isn't too bad, and I like the overall format. The problem is I haven't been very consistent about writing in it. It's best when you write in it every day so that you can see what you were up to around this time in prior years. I've started getting back into it recently so hopefully the last 2/3rds will have more content. It really only takes a minute. There's not a lot of space per day. (Also the lines are a bit narrower than I'd like.) I keep another journal for longer entries, however this one does have "carryover pages" in the back for longer entries.