We review a lot of leather products on The Gadgeteer, but out of all the companies that we deal with, the leather products from Colonel Littleton are my favorite. Their leather is the softest I’ve ever felt and their designs and craftsmanship harken back to a time when quality really meant something. Did I really use the word “harken” in the previous sentence? See, just holding a Colonel Littleton product makes me feel like I’ve gone back in time.
Today I have something for journal lovers like myself. It’s Colonel Littleton’s No. 27 and No. 28 Pocket journals. They are simple covers with a classic look and feel, but there is something really special about them. Let me show you.
Note: Images can be clicked to view a larger size.
What’s in the box?
Leather pocket journal cover
3 Ruled Colonel Littleton pocket journal fillers
No. 2 pencil
50 index cards
Reusable storage box with leather strap and brass plate for engraving
3 Brass paperclips
Drawstring cloth bag
The No.27 and No.28 Pocket Journal are identical in constructions and only differ in size. Both are available in three colors: Saddle Tan, Vintage Brown and Black. I was sent the No. 27 in Saddle Tan and the No. 28 in Vintage Brown. The No. 27 is 6 x 4 inches and the No. 28 Pocket Journal is 8.75 x 5.25 inches.
The covers are made of a very soft dry-milled leather that you just can’t help but want to stroke with your hands. The covers have rounded corners and stitching around the burnished edges. The front is plain or Colonel Littleton can stamp your initials in the bottom right corner.
On the back of the Pocket Journal is the Colonel Littleton logo and product info including where the covers are made: Lynnville, Tennesee USA. I like the logo so well that I wouldn’t mind if it were stamped on the front.
When you open the Pocket Journal you’ll find that there is a pocket on each cover. The cover has been designed so that you can slide the front and rear covers of the paper journals into the pockets to hold them securely in place. Once inserted, the leather cover overlaps about .25 inch so that the notebook doesn’t stick out of the cover when the journal is closed.
Each Pocket Journal comes with three notebooks that Colonel Littleton calls Registers or fillers. The No. 27 sized notebook is almost identical in size to Field Notes notebooks and the No. 28 sized notebook is almost identical to large sized Moleskine Cahier notebooks.
The notebooks that come with the Pocket Journal have 80 lined pages. You can buy refills from Colonel Littleton that are plain, lined or graph. The paper has a cream color with either blue or black lines (it’s hard to tell) and a red line at the top. I was surprised to see that the notebook is not stapled, but stitched with thread. That’s why I love Colonel Littleton’s products, he always gets things right even down to the smallest of details.
Although not shown on the Colonel Littleton site, I found that the cover can easily accommodate two notebooks at the same time by sliding in the front cover of the left notebook and the back cover of the right notebook.
The Pocket Journal still closes with no problems. This makes it easier if you like to keep multiple notebooks for different types of information.
When you’ve filled a notebook, you can store it in the archive box that is included with the Pocket Journal. The cardboard box is held closed with a leather strap and has a brass tag that can be engraved with your initials or the date range of the notebooks.
I can’t find even one thing to complain about with these Pocket Journals. They are made extremely well, and the price for a leather covers this nice is actually really affordable when you consider the extras that are included: archival box, three notebooks, index cards, pencil and brass paperclip book markers. And add in that the covers can be used with other notebooks on the market like Field Notes and Moleskine, the No. 27 and No. 28 Pocket Journals from Colonel Littleton would make any journal fan very happy.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Colonel Littleton. Please visit their site for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $80 (small), $117.50 (large) |
| Manufacturer: | Colonel Littleton |
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These look lovely, but I’m puzzled by the inclusion of the index cards – what relation /use is envisioned for them with the journal? So that you don’t feel compelled to rip out a page when someone asks you for a writing surface?
They might be handy for making a quick note and then going back later to transcribe into the journal.