Austen | Clark | A5 Trifold

When Chic Sparrow first debuted this design I snatched it up and immediately fell in love. The leather was so smooth and showed imperfections with pride, and it had a nice, thick, luxurious feel when I hold it and use it as a journal/sketchbook. The leather was structured but not too stiff.

So when they released Morland I knew I had to jump on it since black is my FAVORITE for traveler's notebooks. However, when I got the notebook, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

The Morland I received was very thin and floppy, not what I was expecting at all compared to the my Darcy. I read that they made the Austen leather thinner for this run but I didn't think it would be THIS thin. The front cover is so thin I keep ending up bending the corners upwards, like I'm dog-earing the page of a book, and I have to stop and roll it the other way so it doesn't stick out. The strap is also extremely thin. It doesn't have the same luxurious feel. With the Darcy I was very happy with my purchase, despite the price. But with my Morland, I felt like I got a little robbed.

It's been a year (I think) since I got my black notebook and I've only used it a handful of times. It's a shame, I was really hoping for the same instant love as I had with the Darcy cover. I think the leather is now just manufactured thinner.