The History of Moleskine Notebooks

Moleskine notebooks were first created in 1997. The design was based on a description of some beautiful, bound notebooks that the travel writer Bruce Chatwin bought from a French bookbinder before it closed down. The Italian company Modo & Modo recreated the notebooks described by Chatwin and sold them at a premium price. The company describes them as “legendary notebooks” because they are also inspired by the notebooks reportedly used by legendary writers and artists like Van Gogh, Picasso, and Hemingway. (However, it is worth noting that despite some confusion, none of these men actually used Moleskine notebooks, as they had not yet been created.) Despite their old-fashioned roots, Moleskine notebooks have been heavily embraced by internet creators and bloggers. In a testament to its continued popularity, the Moleskine line now includes multiple styles and sizes and is sold at a variety of retailers.