Posts filed under William Hannah

William Hannah A5 Pen Band: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

I’ve written a couple of reviews about William Hannah notebooks (see here and here), and it’s clear that I absolutely love them. But, one feature many William Hannah fans have been asking for is some kind of notebook closure. If you keep your notebook in a bag or backpack, the lack of closure means that the pages can get crumpled or snagged.

The solution David Round (the genius behind William Hannah) came up with is elegant and simple: a pen band. The pen band comes in all the regular color combinations of WH notebooks. You can even order a bespoke pen band, if you like. Mine is Agave and Petrol to match my A5 notebook.

The pen case portion of the band is made from the same luxurious leather as the notebooks. It is thick and the suede portion is soft. The stitching is beautiful and strong.

The band portion is made from thick matching elastic. This is not a wimpy band. It fits perfectly around the notebook--it’s not so tight that it mars the top or bottom edges, but it is snug enough that it doesn’t move around and it won’t accidentally fall off.

The pen case accommodates a good variety of pens, as long as you’re willing to let it stretch out a bit for larger pens. My band is still pretty stiff, so I had to work to fit my larger pens in it. The pens that fit well were all medium-sized pens: a Lamy 2000, a Platinum Century 3776, and a Leonardo Furore.

My Montegrappa Mia was a bit of a tight fit, but if I really wanted it to be the “chosen one” for my William Hannah, I could stretch the leather out.

The only pen that didn’t fit well was my Kanilea. I could get the pen in the case, but it stuck out quite a bit at the top.

And that brings me to what I don’t like about the pen band. Regardless of what pen you choose, some or all of the cap is exposed. If the point of the pen band is to keep the notebook closed when you toss it into a larger bag, you are taking chances that the top of your pen will get scratched. I wouldn’t put a delicate pen in the pen band for this reason.

Although I like the Pen Band, it’s not my favorite sort of closure. It requires removing the entire band to use the notebook, and I can see myself accidentally leaving it behind somewhere. Plus, I don’t typically use just one fountain pen, and I already carry a pen case that offers better protection for my pens.

I would much prefer a small leather piece that would attach to the William Hannah button on the front of the notebook.

Unfortunately, this would require a redesign of the entire notebook because the leather piece would need to be sewn into the back cover. The good thing about the pen band is that you don’t have to buy a new notebook in order to use it. Still, I’d prefer the option of a William Hannah notebook with a snap closure or a closure that integrates with the current metal button.

That said, if you haven’t taken a look at William Hannah notebooks, you’re really missing out. They are absolutely exquisite and the paper refill options are so useful (see here for a review of the wonderful Intentions Pages refill). The notebooks come in A5, A6, and pocket size.

You can purchase a pen band for the A5 and A6 notebooks. Both cost £29.00 (about $38 USD).

(I purchased the William Hannah Pen Band with my own funds.)


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Posted on January 17, 2020 and filed under William Hannah, Notebook Reviews.

William Hannah Intentions Pages Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Early in September, I began thinking about what planner I wanted to use in 2019. I’ve been using the Hobonichi A5 Cousin (review here) for several years now, and although I love it, I wanted to use my William Hannah A5 notebook more (review here). I thought about replacing my Hobonichi with the William Hannah notebook, so I ordered a set of calendar pages and something new called “Intentions Pages.”

William Hannah paper is amazing. It’s super thick (100gsm) and luxurious. There’s almost no show through, even with the wettest inks.

However, when my calendar and Intentions Pages arrived, I immediately discovered a problem. I couldn’t fit even one month of daily calendar pages and Intentions Pages in my notebook. The paper is just too thick! I like to have an entire semester’s worth of daily and monthly pages in one calendar for work, and my William Hannah couldn’t hold that much. So, I ordered another Hobonichi to use at work.

But, I immediately fell in love with the William Hannah Intentions Pages. What are Intentions Pages, you ask? Well, the Monthly Intentions Pages help you think through your goals for each month and to reflect upon them when the month is over.

The front page asks you to consider the following things:

  • This month’s goals (what and why?) - There’s plenty of room to write five substantive goals in the spaces provided.
  • What will I do more of this month? - Here you can write down a list or a paragraph of things you’d like to do more, which I think is an excellent thing to contemplate at the beginning of each month.
  • What will I do less of this month? - This is also a helpful question. I always find that I waste too much time doing things that don’t contribute to my goals or that take away from my happiness.

The next two pages provide a monthly grid where you can write important dates. There’s also a daily tracker at the bottom of the pages.

The back page asks the following reflection questions:

  • How would I summarise the month? - A large portion of the page is devoted to this question so you can write out your thoughts in paragraph form.
  • What will I do differently in the future? - The rest of the page challenges you to think about what needs to change in the coming days and months.

Daily Intentions Pages provide a guide for thinking through your goals, evaluating your mood, and contemplating other questions each day.

The front page has the following items:

  • A box where you can record the day’s “Happiness Level.” - You can either write down your mood or draw something to represent your happiness level in this box. I do this at the end of the day.
  • Check boxes to record meditation, exercise, and reading or learning (daily practices that all of us could benefit from, though I’ve been terrible at finding time to exercise or meditate this fall).
  • The remainder of the page lists the following items to consider at the beginning of each day:
  • I am grateful for
  • A positive from yesterday
  • Yesterday I learned
  • A creative or positive idea
  • A thought around one of my goals
  • Today’s critical action
  • Two further key actions
  • A stretch target for today
  • My intention for today

The back page provides a checklist for your critical action, key actions, and stretch target. There’s also room for the following:

  • Random Thoughts
  • What did I learn today?
  • A thought for tomorrow

I put my Monthly Intentions Pages at the beginning of the month followed by a month’s worth of Daily Intentions Pages. This much fits perfectly into my William Hannah notebook.

I’ve been doing Intentions Pages since September, and they’ve helped me to track my mood, record what I am grateful for, contemplate creative and positive ideas, record what I’ve been learning, and analyze how I’m progressing on my monthly and daily goals.

This fall has been one of the worst semesters I’ve ever experienced. We had major cuts at my university, and many of my friends and colleagues lost their jobs. In addition, my mentor of many years died. So, I had to deal with more grief and stress than normal. The Intentions Pages helped me work through my rollercoaster thoughts and emotions and also reminded me to record grateful, creative, and positive thoughts each day. This was really good for me because many days I didn’t feel positive or grateful, but when I dug down deep, I could find things that brought me a tiny bit of cheer.

I recorded my mood in terms of weather, because I discovered using a weather metaphor was easier for me than trying to come up with words to describe my mood each day. I have to admit that most days this fall were gloomy, often with thunder and rain. But, there were some sunny days as well.

Even though I was disappointed that my William Hannah notebook didn’t work out as my daily calendar, the Intentions Pages were a wonderful surprise. I journal regularly, but the Intentions Pages provide me with a structured set of questions and prompts that I work through every day. My William Hannah notebook sits next to me on the side table in the living room where I drink my coffee each morning and cuddle my kitties in the evening. I’ve been pretty faithful recording my intentions each day, and I think it’s benefitted me greatly.

You can purchase William Hannah A5 notebooks at William Hannah. Intentions Pages come in monthly (£8.00=$10.00 for 2019) and daily format (£10.00=$12.70 per 50-day pack).

(I purchased my William Hannah notebook and Intentions Pages with my own funds.)


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Posted on December 21, 2018 and filed under William Hannah, Notebook Reviews.

The William Hannah Pocket Notebook: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Long ago I reviewed my first William Hannah notebook--an A5 notebook in Agave and Petrol. I still adore that notebook, and I’ll be posting an article in November describing how I’m using it with the new Daily Intentions filler pages.

Because I love my A5, I decided to purchase a William Hannah pocket notebook in Whiskey and Kingfisher.

It only took about one week for my new pocket notebook to arrive from England. One thing I absolutely love about William Hannah products is the exquisite packaging. My pocket notebook arrived in a sturdy cardboard box with a hinge opening.

Inside, my pocket notebook was wrapped in William Hannah tissue paper.

The three pocket notebooks that come with the order were also neatly packaged in textured card stock.

I realize it’s just packaging, but there’s something special about the care with which each William Hannah product is presented. You can tell that someone (namely David Round, the owner) lovingly hand wrapped each piece.

The pocket notebook, like all other WH notebooks, is beautifully designed. The leather on the outer cover is smooth and gorgeous. The stainless steel WH button adds a touch of flair to the cover, and the stitching is immaculate. The William Hannah England imprint is subtle and tasteful.

The leather is luxuriously thick and soft to the touch. Not only is there an outer and inner leather cover, there’s also a suede lining.

For a pocket notebook, the William Hannah is pretty large, measuring 150mm (H) x 105mm (W) x 29mm (D). So, while it might fit in large pockets, it probably won’t fit in most shirt or pants pockets. I carry it in my backpack.

Inside, you’ll find two slots for cards (credit or otherwise). In addition, there’s an elastic pen holder which is removable, though I don’t know what you might put in its place.

Along with the notebook, you choose three pocket notebooks measuring 90mm x 140mm (3½ inches × 5½ inches). Each one has a textured card stock cover in a variety of color choices. In addition, you can choose from plain, lined, grid, and dot grid paper. I chose a lined notebook in Tabriz; a grid notebook in Cobalt; and a dot grid notebook in Mandarin.

William Hannah paper is amazing. It is a beautiful, pure white paper, and it is thick (100 gsm). Although I love Tomoe River paper, there’s something to be said for good, thick, white paper if you don’t want any show through.

I tested my notebook with fountain pens, and the paper held up beautifully. I encountered no bleeding or snagging, and the tiny bit of show through was too minimal to photograph.

I also did swabs. Once again, the paper performed perfectly. Even with thick swabs of ink, there wasn’t enough show through to photograph.

I practiced some calligraphy with Sumi ink, and the paper handled that easily.

Finally, I tried various writing instruments from rollerballs and ballpoints to highlighters and a Sharpie. Only the Sharpie exhibited show through, but that’s to be expected. And, honestly, I was surprised how little of the Sharpie ink /bled/ through the paper.

William Hannah notebooks are extraordinary. Nevertheless, there are a couple of weaknesses.

First, William Hannah notebooks do not have a closure system. This is not a deal-breaker for me, as I mainly use my A5 at home and keep my pocket notebook in my school backpack. However, this is, perhaps, /the/ main (if only) complaint people have about the WH notebooks. I tried using an extra elastic from one of my Travelers Notebooks as a closure. It’s a potential solution, but I think it mars the beautiful simplicity of the notebook.

Second, the pen loop is fairly small. Even though it’s elastic and will stretch to accommodate thick pens, you have to keep in mind the limitations of the notebook’s size. Thick pens make it more difficult to keep the notebook closed, and long pens can extend beyond the notebook’s borders. I decided to keep my Caran d’Ache Nespresso Ballpoint Pen in my WH Pocket Notebook. It’s the perfect size and length.

I’ve not found any notebook that comes close to the quality of William Hannah’s products. Of course, you do pay a premium for these notebooks. My pocket notebook was 79 pounds (approximately $102 plus shipping from England). I think it’s totally worth the price, considering the quality of the leather, the craftsmanship, the many color choices (both for the outer cover and inner suede lining), and the excellent paper in the pocket notebooks.

(I purchased the William Hannah Pocket Notebook with my own funds.)


Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on October 5, 2018 and filed under William Hannah, Notebook Reviews.