Seven Seas "WRITER" A5 Journal Sanzen TRP 8th Edition

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Seven Seas "WRITER" A5 Journal Sanzen TRP 8th Edition

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Seven Seas
Seven Seas "WRITER" A5 Journal Sanzen TRP 8th Edition

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Tomoe River
Seven Seas "WRITER" A5 Journal Sanzen TRP 8th Edition

Price:

$28.00

Rating:

( 199 product reviews )

Shipping:

Calculated at checkout

Max Purchase:

12 unit(s)

This is the 8th edition Writer, with the Sanzen 52gsm cream Tomoe River paper. Please note that all review prior to 4/3/2025 are for earlier editions!

Thanks to its cult-like following, Tomoe River paper needs no introduction, so onward to the Seven Seas Writer!

We like to think of the Seven Seas Writer not as a great fountain pen notebook, but rather as a great notebook that just happens to be fountain-pen-friendly. Therefore, regardless of your chosen writing instrument, you will enjoy this notebook's substantial page count (480), pleasant heft, subtle printed lines, lay-flat capability and unassuming character.

The pages are "thread-bound", which is a very old and still the best production method of bookbinding. Thread-bound pages are sewn (with a special automated sewing machine) into signatures, which are gathered to form a text-block, which is then cased into a cover. This method allows the journal to lay flat with no stress to the spine, and for that reason it is the absolute best method for binding a book (including a library book) that sees the daily rigors of opening, closing and pressing down with the hands. It can even be folded back on itself. If you were to go on an around-the-world trip over the course of many months and needed to document your experiences in great detail, this journal would certainly be up to the task.

The paper size is A5 (148x210mm or 8.3x5.8 inches), and 15mm thick. The cover is made of impregnated cloth, stiffened through the use of a core board sandwiched between between it and the end sheets. You can use the book as-is, or put it inside a leather, cloth, paper, vinyl, fabric, etc. outer cover.

For more information, please read the Seven Seas Writer and Standard Notes and also the Seven Seas Tomoe River Journal Facts.

Tips:

The notebook will lay flatter if you bend it back on itself. Don't be afraid to do this - the binding is very strong. there is no way the pages can fall out by themselves.

If you use a fine-to-medium fountain pen, the ink will generally dry fast enough. If it doesn't, close the book on the included pink blotter sheet.

If you use a pencil, 2B and softer leads work well.

Pencil marks erase very cleanly from this paper. Use a high-quality plastic eraser.

If you find the book a bit thick for your writing style, please read this.

Recommended accessories:

Cheap Notebook Cover and Insert

MF Faux Leather A5 Notebook Cover with bookmark

Seven Seas + Gfeller Kip leather cover

Herz of Japan Italian leather covers

Super Clips and Mini Clips

Hard or soft writing mats - Order size A5; larger works well too

Blotter paper - Order size A5 (please note that the notebook already comes with one sheet)

Specifications:

Size A5, 210x148mm, 8.3x5.8 inches

Cream-color Tomoe River "Notebook" paper, 52gsm

480 pages (240 leaves) with rounded corners and 7mm lines

Lay-flat thread binding

Flexible, tough, thin water-resistant coated-fabric cover

Ivory-colored end sheets

Comes with one A5 blotter paper

Made in Japan

ABOUT MANUFACTURING VARIATION: We've found that Tomoe River paper, and thin paper in general, is unlike working with "regular" weight papers such as 20 lb bond, laid, wove, etc. papers (we have actually be unable to find any binders in the US that are willing to work with TR paper). Tomoe River paper is very sensitive to humidity, and when bound in a thick book by machine as ours are, some unexpected variations can occur. So far, we've experienced the following (also please see the pictures):

Rippled pages

A subtle "waviness" on the edge of the book block

Dog-eared pages (rare)

Except for a torn page, none of these issues affect the writing surface or quality of the writing experience, and it's not practical for us to go through each book page-by-page (these issues can be quite random). However, if for any reason you are not satisfied with the book you receive, please let us know (dave@nanamipaper.com) and we'll do our best to rectify the situation. Thank you for your understanding!

For more information and design goals, please read the Seven Seas Journal Fact Page.

If you'd like to compare this journal to the cost of other journals, please see our notebook value comparison table.

Did you know that Hemingway wrote with a pencil? We like to think that, had he known about the Seven Seas Writer, he would have used a fountain pen. Here's the full story.

Product Reviews

Previous | Showing reviews 51-60 of 199 | Next

Lovely notebook. Pleasure to write in.

Posted by Unknown on 1st Jun 2020

Very much love this. It is a notebook that will take you a while to fill. The paper is lovely and holds up well to fountain pens. Ghosting, since the paper is thin. But no bleed through. Worth noting the lines are very faint which.
Amazing quality

Posted by Unknown on 21st May 2020

The pages are very thin and smooth, but don't seem fragile. It lies quite flat when open, and I haven't felt like I've had to force it open or like I was going to destroy the binding. In fact, you can easily fold this notebook almost entirely back on itself.

Very well put together product. I'm especially impressed with the binding.
Solid Notebook With Excellent Paper

Posted by Brian on 13th May 2020

I use the Writer for personal journals. The bindings never crack, the paper is fantastic, and overall the build quality is excellent. It is by far my notebook of choice for all my writing needs. The only reason I'd change is because they stop making them.
The Only Notebook for Me

Posted by Michael McEvoy on 12th May 2020

Tomoe River paper (52gsm cream) has been my favorite paper for a few years now. I have purchased it in loose leaf form (A4 and A3) to craft my own journals. It's amazing paper, if a little expensive.

I love those journals I've made. The paper is just top-notch, thin, handles fountain pens like a champ, and is absolutely the best paper I've ever used. To top it off, after you've written on both sides of the page, it develops a "broken in" feel that is just amazing. (I've compared it with Rhodia, Clairefontaine, and others, and none of them perform for fountain pens anywhere close to the TR paper, especially when it comes to bleeding and shading and sheening.)

That said, there have been some down sides to my own journals:
1. The paper is thin, so ploughing (trimming) it to get crisp edges is difficult to do by hand. I have solved this by ripping a pseudo-deckle edge, which is kinda cool, but it loses a fair bit of paper, making the resulting journal smaller.
2. The paper is thin (see a pattern?), so trying to do any kind of printing (e.g., lines) has proven very difficult and slow.

This journal solves both of the major problems I've had with crafting my own journals, while delivering EXACTLY what I'm looking for:
1. TR 52gsm cream paper - best in the world (I do not prefer either their 68gsm or their white paper, though.)
2. Printed lines (I like the 7mm spacing much better than the standard 5mm dot spacing)
3. Stitched binding with cover
4. Clean edges

As a bonus, these features are delivered at a price that's not very much higher than buying the paper myself. Basically, I pay about $5-6 more to get someone to print the lines, bind the paper, add a cover, and trim it to size for me. YES, PLEASE!!!

After using my first one of these for about a week (so I'm about 20 pages in), I have decided to go all-in on these journals. I'll never buy or make another one as long as these are available for purchase.
Truly the Greatest

Posted by Autumn on 11th May 2020

I have been journaling daily for nearly 15 years. Nothing else is as awesome as the Seven Seas Writer. This journal has a simple, minimal appearance. The paper has a soft and smooth texture, in addition to a pleasing "book-like" smell. I like the way the pages sound when I turn them after writing. The included blotter sheet is thick and durable. The spacing on the pages is perfect. Honestly, there isn't anything about this journal to complain about. It's wonderful!
The Writer

Posted by Mary on 29th Apr 2020

I love Nanami Seven Seas products...I have Cafe Notes so thought I would try “The Writer”. I like the size of this, love the paper, the rounded edges, the cover...but....
For these (old) eyes, the lines are too faint. As I said, I have the Cafe notes and with the printing in it (grid), I can see how/where to write.

I’ll still use and love The Writer, but for me and my needs, I’ll look for a darker lined A5 notebook the next time. No worries; I’ll still get Cafe Notes from you! Thanks
THE Hollywood Square!

Posted by Unknown on 28th Apr 2020

Once you have landed on this notebook, you will tolerate no other. It makes every other notebook out there seem brutish, ugly, and stupid.
Can't Wait

Posted by Reed on 26th Apr 2020

Bought this to use when my current journal is full. Now I am in a quandary as it's going to be several months before that happens. I'm giving this five stars because from what I see so far, this is going a very pleasurable writing experience. This book exudes quiet quality - the paper just begs to be touched and written on. Maybe I'll sneak some writing on the last page to see how good it is...
one fairly large flaw

Posted by Fred on 22nd Apr 2020

The book is well constructed as expected. Proble is the printed lines of the Seven Seas "Writer" are so faint as to be virtually useless. (This is not the case with the version with the dotted lines the "Crossfield" which I ordered at the same time.)
I'm not sure if this is a one-off flaw or if all of them are like that. Disappointed.
Can't be beat for journaling

Posted by Jim Burke on 12th Apr 2020

I purchased another even though I am only halfway through the first I bought. The paper is amazing--thin, almost fragile feeling, but actually robust. I use multiple pens--fountain, felt tip, roller ball, pencil--none (save sharpie) bleed through. I appreciate the faint lines which give line guidance but don't intrude if I want to sketch note. This is really my favorite.

Previous | Showing reviews 51-60 of 199 | Next

Product Videos

Seven Seas Writer Review (06:59)

Seven Seas Writer notebook made with the amazing Tomoe River Paper. A5: 8.3 x 5.8 inches; 14.8 x 21 cm 480 Pages of 52 gsm paper; 7mm ruling Made in Japan Available at: http://www.nanamipaper.com/categories/seven-seas-tomoe-river-paper.html INSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/thejournaljoy/ Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the product nor do I receive any compensation for this review/ providing a link to the website.