Odysseus Wrecks

In the original Odyssey, the king and his crew have to get past the cyclops Polyphemus, whose name translates as Talksalot. You might not consider that loquaciousness such a bad thing, and if so you might fancy taking note while on your travels - which is where the small but perfectly formed Odyssey notebook comes in.

Small it certainly is, at the now almost ubiquitous Pocket Size (90 x 140mm), and all the more portable for that. It's eminently hardy, too, with a wipe-clean vinyl cover which can probably take a trek around the Med in its stride. That colour-coded sewn binding and the constellations (not all visible from Ithaca,  but never mind) complete the look. Pretty cool, in short.

Of course there's a price to pay for such magnificence, because it's filled with the widely-craved Tomoe River paper. As Amanda rightly points out, it's perhaps not a price worth paying if you plan to write in pencil; that's what Field Notes are for, frankly. But fountain pen fans will find that this can take the pressure - literally - and produces pleasing results even when attacked with the wettest of nibs. It'll take a while to dry, though, so best not engage in complex calligraphy exercises before taking on Scylla and Charybdis. You can't be too careful.