Praise for The Notebook A History of Thinking on Paper

The book is a revealing document of a relationship so intimate as to be sacred that of the writer and the page Its a reminder that notetaking is an act of noticing of being present and showing up to the blank paper again and again and discovering what may arise there

Wilson Wong New York Times

The British publishers ode to notebooks is a delight for all those who love paper For those who dont its still a worthy and enlightening read since as Allen explains the notebook is a technology that has had tangible effects on the world around us

Globe and Mail The Globe 100

Allen does not disappoint The book tells the fascinating stories of notebooks from the very first notebook to the contemporary Bullet Journal Method which helps users track and organize tasks Eyeopening

Julie Rak Globe and Mail

Allens narrative moves fluidly as he recounts the evolution of the notebooks usetouching on medieval trading routes and contemporary artist studiosand explores its role in both mundane tasks and worldchanging innovations

New Yorker

Bold and thrilling informative and uplifting The Notebook may leave you feeling that you should chuck away your smartphone pick up a nice clean journal and start jotting

Wall Street Journal

Like the many examples it covers Allens history of the notebook both instructs and entertains

Michael Dirda Washington Post

Ranging from thirteenthcentury Florence to twentyfirstcentury Florida Allens account is a delightful mix of material and intellectual history

The New Criterion

As an intimate repository for thought notebooks Allen amply shows are essential An enthusiastic informative cultural history

Kirkus Reviews starred review

I LOVED this book We dont really think of notebooks and journals as a piece of technology but of course they arethere were dark days before such wonderful things existed

Ryan Holiday Daily Stoic

Moving and inspiring You should pick up this book if you have any interest in notetaking knowledge management creativity productivity thinking the human mind or history because the notebook has been and continues to be integral to all of those to a degree I didnt truly appreciate until I read it myself

Tiago Forte author of The PARA Method and Building a Second Brain

Allens history of thinking on paper is a compelling exploration of human evolution itself Its a timely reminder of what technology can be a way to bring us closer to each other and ourselves

Ryder Carroll Bullet Journal founder and author of The Bullet Journal Method

Remarkable Allen points to evidence that maintaining a notebook with pen and paper is best for processing and retaining information It can stave off depression and act as ballast to those struggling with ADHD It is tactile a form of embodied cognition another example of the superiority of slowness paying attention caring handwriting this is love

Guardian Book of the Day

A restless arresting new history of the notebook packed with a wonderful range of insights and anecdotes Allen has written a fine book on a fabulous subject

Daily Telegraph

The fascinating stories The Notebook tells certainly make you want to take out a pen and jot down a few points Allen considers the notebook in its various forms from the wax tablet to the electronic spreadsheet and from early modernity to the present day his writing has the lightness of touch needed to turn the dry pages of notebooks into living historical documents

Spectator Books of the Year

Im something of a notebook addict Now I know Im not alone as Roland Allen makes clear in his fascinating study of notebooks through history Moleskine users will love this wideranging history of an everyday object it is beautifully written and a complete delight to dip in to or read from cover to cover A lovely book

New Statesman Books of the Year

Allen is a relaxed and amusing guide although he professes to be concerned mainly with notebooks practical applications he is a philosopher by stealth keen to make the reader question where the mind stops and the rest of the world begins

TLS

Surprisingly revealing

The Times

Thinking about notebooks caused Roland Allen to wonder about their connection to creativity culture and industry what they could tell us about their owners why keeping a diary brought contentment and why the longhand form has survived the digital A different fascinating entertaining witty approach to writing cultural history

The Irish Times

Allen takes us on an upbeat and stimulating journey a celebration of intimacy in various guises

Sydney Morning Herald

Notebooks have long provided a place for us to record our activities and creativities So shows this enthralling cultural history which shows how the act of noting things down has shaped the world for centuries

The Bookseller

Allens history also demonstrates how essential the human act of recording observations is A delight to read The Notebook is a reminder of our most vital tool

The Idler

Fluently and engagingly written

The Art Newspaper

A book to savour

Country Life