Field Notes

Notes on Chicago Edition Field Notes

by Andrew

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Field Notes is constantly creating new editions. Sometimes it’s done for their subscription service, sometimes it’s done for a conference, and sometimes it’s done just for fun. That’s basically the explanation given when they put out the Chicago Edition notebook this winter. According to their website, “it’s just a little something we whipped up to keep ourselves busy and warm as our temperature drops below zero.”

But the Chicago edition is essentially a clone of the standard Kraft Field Notes, and, really, there’s nothing negative I can say about that. It’s a pocket-sized notebook that uses the “packing brown” cover stock with 50# graph paper innards. There is, however, one main difference; the Chicago flag, in all its municipal glory, is printed on the cover.

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Unlike most of the other special edition Field Notes, this one hasn’t been called “limited,” so it’s currently still available on the Field Notes website. It’s a neat edition for anyone who has a personal connection to Chicago, especially if you’re already a Field Notes fan. It would probably make a pretty good gift too, just remember that bringing a pack of these notebooks north of the Wisconsin-Illinois border is probably not a good idea.

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Additional Notes:

  • The Field Notes Headquarters also resides in Chicago, hence this edition.
  • … But even the Field Notes website admits, the Washington D.C. flag is better.
  • Of the 30 “Practical Applications” listed in the notebooks’ inside-back cover, my favorites are the following: #03. “CAH Card Ideas”; #17. “Threadless Tee Ideas”; and #27. “Rat Proliferation Documentation.”

Notes on Ambition Edition Field Notes

by Andrew

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Though special edition Field Notes seem to pop up quite frequently these days, I recently decided to go back in time to the Winter of 2014 when Field Notes released one of their more interesting notebook sets, the Ambition edition. Produced as part of Field Notes’ quarterly subscription service, the Ambition edition comes as a standard 3-book pack, except that each book within the pack contains different innards, which correspond to different colored covers. The “wine” book is a graph-ruled memo book , the “olive” book serves as a ledger,  and the “chocolate” book is a 52-week planner.

Right out of the package, the books look beautiful. With their gold, embossed logos and gilded pages, Ambition is probably the “fanciest” notebook set that Field Notes has ever made. In fact, it took me longer than usual to throw one of these notebooks in my back pocket, knowing that it would eventually get beaten up.

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I picked up the graph-ruled notebook first, because that’s the style I prefer. But it also wasn’t immediately clear how I’d use the other two books in this set. While the idea of a pocket datebook is interesting, I simply don’t use a datebook in this manner. Similarly, there’s no tallies or logs I need to keep track of that would necessitate a ledger-style notebook.

Eventually, I decided to use the datebook as a dream journal (though, it hasn’t really helped me remember any of those dreams), and I found that the ledger-style ruling was great for making lists. And after permanently losing the graph notebook at the Charlotte International Airport, the ledger book became my standard catch-all notebook, which ended up working great for that purpose.

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Ambition was definitely one of the most interesting Field Notes editions that I’ve used, but since it’s an older edition, it is sold out in retail locations. However, I’ve seen prices fluctuate anywhere from $25 to $45 per pack on the secondary market, which is a bit too pricey, in my opinion. Although, it may be worth the money if you find yourself loving those pocket-sized planners and ledger books.

Additional Notes:

  • Of the 30 “Practical Applications” listed in the notebooks’ inside-back cover, my favorites are the following: “#5. Bridges Burned”; “#10. Fax Machine: Pros and Cons”; and “#21. Crowds to Source.”
  • The original subscriber package came with a cloth bookmark, which you can see at the Three Staples review (along with a ton of other info).
  • A review at The Well-Appointed Desk reveals I’m not the only one who likes the ledger notebook. I was weary of the ledger at first, but it really grew on me.

Notes on XOXO 2015 Field Notes

by Andrew


The people at Field Notes, the producers of the popular pocket-sized notebooks, seem to enjoy making limited-run editions. They’ve made so many, in fact, that anyone trying to collect them all is likely to wind up both crazy and broke. Getting your hands on the rarer books can often just be a matter of right place, right time.

Case in point, for the past few years Field Notes has been creating custom notebooks for the XOXO Festival, an art and technology conference in Portland, Oregon. While these special notebooks can be easily obtained at the conference, it’s a mad rush when they are sold online afterwords. And for the 2015 XOXO edition, it only took about 45-minutes before they became out of stock on the Field Notes website. So, if you weren’t online during this 45-minute window or couldn’t make it to the festival, you are pretty much out of luck. Unless, of course, you’re willing to pay a premium.

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Originally sold for $10, a sealed 3-pack will currently fetch 40 to 50 dollars on eBay. Setting aside the artwork for a moment, there’s not anything particularly special about these books that make it worth that price. They contain 60# white paper with a light gray grid, they’re the standard 3.5 inch x 5.5 inch size, and they even use the usual “practical application” list on the inside back cover. Aside from hardcore Field Notes collectors who covet the notebook’s scarcity, there’s really nothing here to warrant a 400% price increase.

I will admit, however, that it’s hard to ignore those awesome cover designs, created by artist Brendan Monroe. If you’re so inclined, check out Monroe’s Instagram feed. He creates a lot of these black-and-white topographical paintings, and it’s easy to lose a chunk of time scrolling through his artwork. In fact, one big upside to carrying these designs in my pocket was that I got to color them in!

Overall, it’s a good special edition, if only for the artwork, and I hope to see Field Notes using other painters (or even more of Monroe’s designs) in the future. It really is a good way to discover artists, as I never would have otherwise heard of Brendan Monroe. Let’s just hope that next time they print a larger run.

Additional Notes:

 

Notes on Snowblind Field Notes

by Andrew

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Every quarter, Field Notes produces a limited edition run of their popular pocket-sized notebooks, and each time they attempt to do something creative, impressive, or just plain interesting. With the latest, the Winter 2015 edition, Field Notes managed to hit all those notes with their Snowblind notebooks. The catch: you need a little sunshine.

The cover desing – a glittery-white text on a “silk white” background – is supposed to resemble the color palette of a snowstorm. Bring out the notebook into sunlight, however, and thanks to photochromic ink, the white cover turns to a light, powdery blue.

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The chemical reaction in the ink only occurs with ultra-violet light, so your typical indoor light source wont work. But when you do take the notebook out into the sun, the color-change happens surprisingly quick. Step back in the shade, and the color will slowly fade back into its original white.

Obviously, anyone who spends more time outdoors will get a much bigger kick out of this Snowblind edition. Personally, I never got to see this color change very often, as my notebook spends most of its time in my back pocket. The dreary weather in my part of the country hasn’t helped either, so I’ve considered saving one of these notebooks for the summer when there is more sun to be had.

Then again, maybe the rarity of seeing the color change is the point. When it happens, it feels special. After a while it could start feeling gimmicky. For now, at least, it’s one of my favorite Field Notes editions.

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Additional Notes:

  • The Snowblind edition is the standard 3.5 x 5.5 inch Field Notes size with 60# grid paper and white staples (I like that attention to detail). It is number #29 of their quarterly (“color”) limited releases.
  • Of the 30 “practical applications” listed on the inside back cover, my favorites are (#10.) Wassail Recipes,  (#15.) Yeti Sightings, and (#20.) Polar Bear Plunges Plunged.
  • Check out this Instagram picture (by Jinnie at Three Staples). It goes to show, you can really have some fun with the color-changing cover.

Book Review: A Drive into the Gap by Kevin Guilfoile

by Andrew

Although Field Notes is primarily known for their pocket-sized notebooks, in the summer of 2012 they branched out into the business of book publishing. The first (and so far only) book printed under the Field Notes brand, A Drive Into the Gap by Kevin Guilfoile, was released alongside their limited Day Game edition of Field Notes notebooks. And while the notebooks have long since sold out, I quickly scooped up a copy of the book when I saw that it remains available on the Field Notes website.

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A Drive into the Gap is a short memoir of Guilfoile’s father, who spent his career in baseball, first as a public relations director for the Pittsburgh Pirates then as a director for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Now, later in life, his father has developed Alzheimer’s disease, and Drive seems to be Guilfoile’s attempt to recapture a piece of what the disease has taken away.

A Drive into the Gap is a very sentimental and well written book. In essence, it’s a story about stories – baseball stories, specifically. Guilfoile’s father loved telling them, often with entertaining embellishments. And at only 71 pages, it’s hard for me to say too much more without spoiling the whole thing.  Luckily, it’s the type of book that can be read in an afternoon, and I enjoyed it immensely, even though I don’t follow much baseball.

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Mine came signed!
As I’m writing, it’s been over 3 years since Field Notes released A Drive into the Gap, and it remains the only book they have published. I contacted Field Notes to ask whether they had plans for any other books. Unfortunately, I only got the vague response that nothing is currently in the works, but they aren’t ruling out the possibility of publishing something in the future.  After reading this book, I sure hope they do.