Notebooks & Journals
Notebooks and Journals Worth Giving
The one category here where the makers publish their numbers. Five picks, compared on paper weight rather than on cover.
How this page is funded. Buying through a link here earns us a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what we recommend or the order we recommend it in, and we have not handled these products ourselves — see how we pick and the full disclosure.
A blank notebook is the second-safest gift on this site after a pen. It assumes the recipient wants somewhere to write and nothing else - no layout, no start month, no system.
It is also the one category where you can buy on a number instead of a guess, because notebook makers publish their paper weight and planner makers mostly do not.
Quick picks
Ranked for the person doing the buying. Every pick names who it is wrong for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No image LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook 80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum. | The bullet-journal standard | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 2 | No image Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot 90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin. | A fountain-pen user, without qualification | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 3 | No image Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it. | The recognizable one | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 4 | No image Leather Journal Gift Set with Metal Pen, A5 Refillable A refillable leather cover, a metal pen and a black gift box, and it takes standard A5 inserts so it outlives the notebook inside it. | A gift that arrives finished | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
| 5 | No image Moonster Refillable Leather Journal with Pen Full-grain buffalo leather, 320 pages and a pen holder, for the recipient who wants a journal that looks handmade. | A rustic-looking journal with real hide | Check price on Amazon #ad No live price right now. How this is funded |
1. The bullet-journal standard
LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
80 gsm paper, 251 numbered pages and a printed contents page, which is why this is the default recommendation in every journaling forum.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Numbered pages plus a printed contents page is the whole reason bullet journaling settled on this book. An index needs page numbers, and printing them saves the user writing 251 of them.
80 gsm against the Moleskine Classic's published 70 gsm is a 14 percent difference in paper weight, and it is the difference most people notice as ghosting on the reverse of a page.
Two ribbons is not decoration in a journal that has an index. One marks the index, one marks today.
| Paper weight | 80 gsmSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
|---|---|
| Pages | 251 numbered pages, with 8 perforated detachable sheetsSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.75" x 8.25" (145 x 210 mm)Source: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Fittings | Blank table of contents, two page markers, gusseted rear pocket, elastic band, archival stickersSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
| Binding | Thread bound, opens flatSource: Amazon listing - LEUCHTTURM1917 Notebook Hardcover Medium A5, Dotted |
What it does well
- 251 pre-numbered pages and a blank contents page, ready for an index.
- 80 gsm published, the heaviest of the three mainstream hardcovers here.
- Thread bound, so it lies flat from the first page.
What it does not
- Still not fountain-pen-proof; 80 gsm reduces show-through, it does not eliminate it.
- The dot grid is fainter than some users want for straight-line work.
Skip this: if the recipient has never mentioned journaling. A 251-page dotted notebook handed to a non-journaler is 251 blank pages of obligation. See how to pick a journal as a gift.
2. A fountain-pen user, without qualification
Rhodia Webnotebook A5, Dot
90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum, which is the heaviest mainstream notebook paper in this comparison by a clear margin.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
90 gsm is the number to buy this for. Against 70 gsm Moleskine paper that is roughly 29 percent more paper between one page and the next, and that is where fountain-pen show-through stops being a problem.
The trade is page count. 160 pages against 251 for the Leuchtturm1917 at a similar size - heavier paper in a book of the same thickness means fewer sheets. That is physics, not a cost saving.
Ivory rather than white is a real preference axis. It is easier on the eye under a desk lamp and it flattens the contrast of a photograph, which matters if anyone is posting pages.
| Paper weight | 90 gsm Clairefontaine brushed ivory vellum10 gsm above the Leuchtturm1917 and 20 above the Moleskine Classic.Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia A5 Webnotebook, Dot, Black |
|---|---|
| Pages | 160 (80 sheets)Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Size | A5, approximately 5.5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook - A5 |
| Fittings | Leatherette cover, inner pocket, ribbon page marker, elastic closureSource: Amazon listing - Rhodia Webnotebook, A5 |
| Page numbers | Not publishedNot numbered. Rhodia does not target the indexed-journal use case. |
What it does well
- 90 gsm Clairefontaine paper, the heaviest here, and the safe choice for fountain-pen ink.
- Ivory stock is comfortable under artificial light.
- Soft leatherette cover, pocket, ribbon and elastic as standard.
What it does not
- 160 pages, roughly two thirds of the Leuchtturm1917's count.
- No page numbers or contents page.
- Less recognizable as a brand than the other two, which matters in a gift.
Skip this: if the recipient keeps an indexed bullet journal. No page numbers means hand-numbering, and at 160 pages they will run out sooner than they expect.
3. The recognizable one
Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover
The notebook everyone knows by sight, on 70 gsm paper that is lighter than its main rival and honest about it.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
70 gsm versus 80 is the entire technical argument between this and the Leuchtturm1917, and it is a real one: lighter paper shows more of what is on the reverse. Whether that matters depends entirely on what the recipient writes with.
What Moleskine has that its rival does not is recognition. For a gift that is worth something concrete - the recipient knows what it is before they open the card.
No page numbers and no contents page. For freeform notes that is irrelevant; for an indexed journal it is 240 numbers to write by hand.
| Paper weight | 70 gsmMoleskine publishes this, and it is 10 gsm under the Leuchtturm1917.Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
|---|---|
| Pages | 240Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Size | Large, 5" x 8.25"Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Paper stock | FSC certified, acid free (pH neutral)Source: Amazon listing - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Large, Dotted, Hard Cover |
| Page numbers | Not publishedPages are not numbered and there is no printed contents page. A bullet journal user will number them by hand. |
What it does well
- Universally recognized, which does real work in a gift.
- FSC certified, acid-free paper with a published weight.
- Slightly thinner block than the Leuchtturm for the same page count, so it carries better.
What it does not
- 70 gsm ghosts more than 80 gsm with gel and fountain pens.
- No pre-numbered pages or contents page.
Skip this: if you know they use a fountain pen. Buy the Rhodia at 90 gsm instead and spend the difference on ink. See Leuchtturm1917 versus Moleskine.
4. A gift that arrives finished
Leather Journal Gift Set with Metal Pen, A5 Refillable
A refillable leather cover, a metal pen and a black gift box, and it takes standard A5 inserts so it outlives the notebook inside it.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Refill compatibility is the whole argument for a leather cover. Because it takes a Leuchtturm1917 or a Moleskine insert, a buyer who later learns the recipient's paper preference can fix it for the price of a notebook rather than the price of the set.
The supplied insert's paper weight is not published, which is the standard weak point of gift sets. Treat the insert as a starter and the cover as the gift.
Initials change the arithmetic of a gift. An embossed cover cannot be regifted, which is a cost, and it cannot be mistaken for something bought in a hurry, which is the point.
| Refill compatibility | Takes A5 inserts including LEUCHTTURM1917, Moleskine and Panda PlannerThis is the specification that matters. A cover locked to a proprietary insert becomes landfill when the maker stops making them.Source: Amazon listing - Personalized Leather Journal Gift Set |
|---|---|
| Included | Leather cover, A5 lined paper notebook, metal pen with black gel ink, black gift boxSource: Amazon listing - Personalized Leather Journal Gift Set |
| Personalization | Initials embossed on the coverSource: Amazon listing - Personalized Leather Journal Gift Set |
| Paper weight of the supplied insert | Not publishedNot stated. If the recipient uses a fountain pen, plan on replacing the insert with a known-weight notebook - which this cover is designed to accept. |
What it does well
- Accepts standard A5 inserts, so the cover outlasts any one notebook.
- Arrives boxed with a pen, so it is a complete present with nothing to add.
- Personalization available without a separate engraving service.
What it does not
- The supplied insert has no published paper weight.
- Embossed initials make it non-returnable and non-regiftable.
Skip this: if you are not certain of the spelling of their name or their initials. An embossing error is not fixable and not returnable.
5. A rustic-looking journal with real hide
Moonster Refillable Leather Journal with Pen
Full-grain buffalo leather, 320 pages and a pen holder, for the recipient who wants a journal that looks handmade.
#ad No live price right now. How this is funded
Real hide is the difference here, and it behaves differently from the polyurethane covers elsewhere on this site: it marks, it darkens, and after a year it looks like it belongs to somebody.
320 pages is a lot of journal. Combined with a full-grain cover that will outlive the paper, this is a book somebody keeps rather than fills and files.
The unpublished paper weight is the caveat and it is a real one. Rustic journals in this class are typically lighter stock; a fountain-pen user should assume show-through until proven otherwise.
| Cover material | Hand-cut full grain buffalo leatherSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
|---|---|
| Pages | 160 sheets, 320 pagesSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
| Ruling | A5 linedSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
| Included | Interior pen holder and a silver ballpoint penSource: Amazon listing - moonster Refillable Leather Journal |
| Paper weight | Not publishedNot stated, which is the norm for this style of journal and a real limitation for pen users. |
What it does well
- Genuine full-grain leather that ages rather than wears.
- 320 pages, more than double the Rhodia.
- Pen holder built in, with a pen supplied.
What it does not
- No published paper weight.
- Lined only, so no dot grid for bullet journaling.
- The rustic look is a strong style choice that not every desk suits.
Skip this: if the recipient writes with a fountain pen and cares about it. Unpublished paper weight plus a lined-only ruling is two guesses in one gift; the Rhodia removes both.
The three mainstream hardcovers, on the numbers
| Notebook | Paper weight | Pages | Page numbers | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhodia Webnotebook A5 | 90 gsm Clairefontaine ivory vellum | 160 | No | 5.5" x 8.25" |
| LEUCHTTURM1917 A5 | 80 gsm | 251 | Yes, printed, with a blank contents page | 145 x 210 mm, about 5.75" x 8.25" |
| Moleskine Classic Large | 70 gsm, FSC certified, acid free | 240 | No | 5" x 8.25" |
Two things fall out of that table immediately. The spread from 70 to 90 gsm is roughly 29 percent more paper between one page and the next, which is what decides whether ink shows through. And heavier paper means fewer sheets in the same thickness - the 90 gsm book holds 160 pages where the 80 gsm one holds 251. That is physics, not cost-cutting.
Which number to buy on
- They use a fountain pen: 90 gsm. Buy the Rhodia and stop thinking about it.
- They bullet journal: 80 gsm with printed page numbers and a contents page. The index needs the numbers and nobody wants to write 251 of them.
- They want the recognizable object: the Moleskine. 70 gsm is the lightest here and the recognition is a real thing a gift buys.
- They want it to last decades: acid-free paper, which the Moleskine publishes and which matters for anything meant to be kept.
Leather covers are a different purchase
Two of the picks above are leather journal sets rather than notebooks, and the thing to check on either is what they refill with. A cover that takes standard A5 inserts can be restocked from any stationery shelf forever; one locked to a proprietary insert dies when that insert is discontinued.
Our top set publishes that it accepts Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine and Panda Planner inserts, which is exactly the statement worth looking for. Journal gift sets works through the rest.
Where each page in this hub goes
- Journal gift sets - leather covers, what is in the box, and the refill question.
- Notebooks for writers - for people who fill them, chosen on paper and page count.
- Leuchtturm1917 versus Moleskine - the head-to-head, decided on 80 gsm against 70.
- Dotted, lined or grid - which ruling suits which use.
- Paper and ghosting - what gsm actually does, with the arithmetic.
- Notebook sizes explained - why A5 and Moleskine Large are not the same size.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best notebook to give as a gift?
The one with heavier paper than they currently use. Rhodia publishes 90 gsm, Leuchtturm1917 80 gsm and Moleskine 70 gsm, and that spread is what decides whether ink shows through.
Is a notebook a safe gift?
The second safest here, after a pen. It assumes the recipient wants somewhere to write and imposes no layout, start month or system.
What does gsm mean?
Grams per square meter - the weight of one sheet a meter square. Higher means heavier and thicker paper, which shows less of what is written on the reverse.
Why does the heavier notebook have fewer pages?
Because a book of a given thickness holds fewer sheets when each sheet is heavier. The 90 gsm Rhodia has 160 pages where the 80 gsm Leuchtturm1917 has 251.
Should I buy a leather journal cover?
Only if it takes standard A5 inserts. A cover locked to a proprietary refill becomes useless when that refill is discontinued.
