The Festive Author By GLP Creations

There are two things that I know about Santa Claus. 

Firstly, Santa Claus is real, NORAD says so and so does the Post Office; secondly it has been proven by Dr Larry Silverberg of North Carolina State University that he can deliver presents to the whole world in one night. 

This means Santa is really busy and every year he has the ‘to do’ list to end all ‘to do’ lists so it makes sense that this list has to be written (try getting WIFI when you’re hurtling across the Atlantic) and has to be portable and for this he needs a compact notebook that packs a punch and there is only one notebook that is up to the challenge; The Festive Author.

For anyone who keeps up with the world of notebooks you will have seen the launch of ‘The Author’ by GLP Creations. A wonderful notebook built around 68gsm Tomoe River paper. This paper is legendary for being fountain pen friendly and it was the ideal choice to create a softback notebook with 192 pages that would remain lightweight and easily portable.

I reviewed ‘The Author’ earlier in this year and was very impressed, and, at the time, I said it was my favourite notebook and it still is. Around that time I swapped a couple of emails with Gavin, of GLP Creations, and he said they were considering adding more colours to the range. 

GLP have now extended their range of colours to include a nice mid brown, teal, anthracite and festive red. The brown works really well with the leather texture of the cover and the anthracite is a really good alternative to black; particularly if you use these notebooks at work and need a more formal colour. Whilst I’m not a fan of teal it’s fair to say it’s a very popular colour and GLP have chosen their colour well.

Ok on with the review. I ordered the dot grid version from Amazon and it was delivered the next day. The notebook is supplied in a clear plastic wrapper and around the middle is a paper band; on the front is the branding and on the rear you find the product information and below this you will see, embossed into the cover, GLP’s logo.  

First thing to say is the cover is a really gorgeous rich red with a matching elastic closure, the edges are finished in black and the leather effect is subtle and tactile. When you open the notebook you will find, at the front, three contents pages and attached to the rear cover is a black pocket containing a sheet of blotting paper; which is a nice touch for a fountain pen friendly notebook.

One key point about ‘The Author’ notebooks is that they are stitched and not glue bound; which enables it to lie flatter and allows you to use more of the width of the page; and whilst it doesn’t lie completely flat when you open it it only takes a little effort to coax it flat. In keeping with the festive theme of the notebook GLP have chosen to install a silver marker ribbon which compliments the red of the cover.

The pages are a nice soft white and they are numbered in light grey in the bottom right and left respectively, the grid, like the page numbers, is printed in a light grey which is easy to follow without being intrusive and I did the usual ink test on the paper and as you can see Tomoe River lived up to its reputation despite my best efforts with a very liberal application of Diamine Firefly.

I can see so many uses for this notebook; for some people it will be on the waiting on the shelf, full of festive lists, ready to be taken down every year when the planning starts. It’s also a great size for recipes, menus, for collecting Christmas lists from the little ones for Santa, it could also be a Christmas journal and for anyone who likes red notebooks a wonderful stocking filler. The list is endless.

Finally, these notebooks are worth the money; they are built to very high standards using good quality materials, and this is what makes it worth the extra pennies. 

So, if you are shopping for a notebook as a Christmas present, then buy one of these and while you’re ordering add one for yourself and if anyone asks why just tell them this notebook is personally recommended by Mr Claus, himself, and you deserve it.

Disclaimer: The notebook was purchased with my own funds at retail price. The opinions expressed in this review are my own; and I am not connected with either the retailers or manufacturers in any way.