Leather Journals & Notebooks

Books with a stone in the cover, and torn paper. The leather ones start at £9.95 for a pocket size and reach £24.95 for the deckle-edged seven colour book.

The vegetable-tanned journals are worth the difference at £14.95: bark tanning takes months instead of days, and the leather darkens with handling rather than staying exactly as it left the workshop. Soft-covered dream and wellness journals sit at £10.95 to £13.95.

Handmade paper takes pencil and rollerball well and can feather under a wet fountain nib, so it is worth a test page. Free UK delivery over £30.

Leather Journals & NotebooksLeather Notebook, My Chakras Are Aligned £21.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksVegetable-Tanned Leather Journal, Chakra Mandala, Medium £17.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksVegetable-Tanned Leather Journal, Chakra Mandala, Small £14.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksWellness Journal, Rose Gold Tree of Life, 120 Pages £13.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksDream Journal, Moonlight Messages, 80 Pages £10.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksVelvet Notebook, Stay Wild Moon Child, 80 Pages £10.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksGemstone Chakra Notebook, 9×13cm £9.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksLeather Notebook with Tiger's Eye and Belts, 6×4in £15.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksLeather Notebook with a Moonstone and Belts, 6×4in £16.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksLeather Notebook with a Moonstone, 7×5in £19.95

Leather Journals & NotebooksSeven Colour Leather Notebook, deckle edge £24.95

Choosing one

Decide first whether it will be carried or kept on a desk. For a bag, the 6×4in moonstone book at £16.95 has belts that wrap as it fills; for a desk, the 120-page wellness journal at £13.95 has the most pages of anything here.

The vegetable-tanned journal at £14.95 is the one worth explaining: bark tanning takes months rather than days, so the leather darkens and softens with handling instead of staying as it left the workshop.

For a bedside, the dream journal at £10.95 is the right shape — recall collapses within about five minutes of waking. The velvet and soft-cover books are the ones that bend into a bag rather than sitting rigid at the bottom of it.

Journals sit well beside something to light while writing: see candles or Sleep & Unwind. For a desk rather than a bedside, Little Extras holds the smaller pieces that go with them.

Questions we get asked

What is a good journal to give as a gift?

One that suits how it will be carried. A pocket leather book at £9.95 survives a bag; the 120-page wellness journal at £13.95 is for a desk and a daily habit. Buy the small one if in doubt.

What is deckle-edged paper?

Paper with a torn rather than guillotined edge, left over from how handmade sheets form in the mould. No two pages end in the same place, which is either the appeal or the reason to buy a plain book.

Can you use a fountain pen on handmade paper?

Sometimes. Handmade sheets are more absorbent than machine paper, so a wet nib can feather or show through. A fine nib, a rollerball or a pencil all behave. Test one page before committing.

What is vegetable-tanned leather?

Leather tanned with bark and plant tannins instead of chrome salts, which takes months rather than days. It darkens and softens with use, so the book looks better in a year than on the day it arrives.