'A restless, arresting new history of the notebook ... a fine book on a fabulous subject' - Daily Telegraph

'A different, fascinating, entertaining, witty approach to writing cultural history' - Irish Times

'A fascinating study of notebooks through history, ... beautifully written and a complete delight to dip in to or read from cover to cover' - Alexander McCall Smith

'With this fascinating exploration, Allen has written a very original, diverting and surprising history of a humble everyday object' - Saga

'Fluently and engagingly written' - Art Newspaper