Gifts for Writers Who Love Pen and Paper
Most writers already own more pens than they can count, along with a notebook or two in progress, so the gifts they appreciate most tend to improve the kit they carry every day. We make leather pen holders that slide onto notebooks, and the ideas below pair our Quivers with the notebooks, pens and books we’d gladly give the writers on our own list.
A Quiver for the Notebook They Already Love
A Quiver slides over the front or back cover of a hardcover notebook and keeps a pen right at its edge. An elastic band holds it in place, so there’s nothing to clip on or glue down, and when the notebook fills up, the Quiver slides off and onto the next one. Each Quiver is handmade from full-grain cowhide leather and hand-stitched with marine-grade thread, and we guarantee it for 5 years of daily use.
Single Pen Quivers hold one pen and come in Pocket and Large sizes. Double Pen Quivers have room for two pens, or a pen and a pencil, and come in Pocket, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Brown and black leather are always available, and some sizes also come in limited black leather editions with red, orange, green or blue stitching while they last. Every Quiver is priced under $30, which makes it an easy stocking stuffer.
How to Choose the Right Size
Quivers are sized by the height of the notebook, so the one number you need is how tall their notebook is from top to bottom. If you can borrow it for a minute, a ruler settles it. If you can’t, look for the brand and size printed on the notebook’s paper band or back cover, since popular notebooks come in standard heights. Then match that height to one of our four sizes:
- Pocket Quivers fit notebooks 5.4 to 6 inches tall, like the Moleskine Classic Pocket.
- Medium Quivers fit notebooks 6.75 to 7.25 inches tall, like the Moleskine Two Go.
- Large Quivers fit notebooks 8 to 8.5 inches tall, including the Moleskine Classic Large, Leuchtturm1917 A5 and Rhodia A5 Webnotebook.
- Extra Large Quivers fit notebooks 9.25 to 10.5 inches tall, like the Moleskine Classic XL.
Quivers are made for hardcover notebooks, so check that theirs has a hard cover before you order. If you’d rather skip the measuring altogether, the gift set below already comes sized.
The Pocket Starter Gift Set
The Pocket Starter pairs a Pocket Moleskine notebook with a Pocket Quiver that fits it, so there’s no sizing to work out, and the set costs less than buying the two separately. You can choose the Double Pen or Single Pen version in brown or black leather, or in one of the colored stitching editions. Add one of the pens further down this list and it’s ready to wrap.
Notebooks Worth Filling
A good notebook is one of the few gifts a writer will use up and be glad to replace. Most of the notebooks below are hardcovers that work with a Quiver, and we’ve noted which size to pair with each one.
Leuchtturm1917 A5
The Leuchtturm1917 A5 has 251 numbered pages and a blank table of contents at the front, which helps when drafts and research notes all live in the same book. It measures 5.75 by 8.25 inches and takes a Large Quiver.
Rhodia A5 Webnotebook
Rhodia fills the Webnotebook with 90g ivory Clairefontaine paper, and fountain pen ink sits on it cleanly with very little feathering. The A5 is 8.25 inches tall, so it takes a Large Quiver as well.
Baron Fig Confidant
The Confidant comes in Flagship and Plus sizes with dot grid, ruled or blank pages. The Flagship fits a Large Quiver, which makes the two an easy pairing for someone who already writes in Baron Fig notebooks.
Moleskine Classic Hardcover
For the writer who has carried a Moleskine for years, a fresh one is a safe bet. We stock the Classic Hardcover in Pocket and Large with ruled, dotted or squared pages, and both sizes take a Quiver.
Field Notes Memo Books
Field Notes come in packs of three 48-page memo books that measure 3.5 by 5.5 inches and fit easily in a back pocket. They have soft covers, so they won’t take a Quiver, but they make a good stocking stuffer for a writer who jots notes on the go and saves a hardcover journal for longer work.
Pens Worth Carrying
A notebook gift feels complete with a pen to tuck into the Quiver, and each of these suits a different kind of writer.
Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen
The Metropolitan is a popular first fountain pen, and its brass body gives it more weight in the hand than its price suggests. It takes Pilot ink cartridges, so they can start writing right away without learning to fill from a bottle, and it pairs especially well with Rhodia paper.
uni-ball Jetstream
Jetstream pens use a hybrid ink that dries quickly and resists smudging. That quick drying time helps left-handed writers most, since their hand passes over each line right after they write it.
Fisher Space Pen Bullet
The Bullet Space Pen is compact when capped and grows to full length once the cap posts on the back. Its pressurized ink cartridge writes upside down and at any angle, even in extreme temperatures, which suits writers who take their notebook outdoors.
Books on the Craft of Writing
For the writer who likes to read about writing, these two books have been favorites among writers for decades.
On Writing by Stephen King
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft mixes King’s story of how he became a writer with practical advice on the work itself, including his case for reading widely and writing every day.
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Lamott took the title from advice her father gave her brother, who was stuck on a school report about birds: take it bird by bird. The book applies that idea to writing, with plenty of humor about getting a first draft down one small piece at a time.
Putting the Gift Together
Pair any notebook above with a Quiver in the right size and a pen they’ll enjoy using, and the writer on your list will have what they need to catch an idea wherever it shows up. If you’re unsure which Quiver fits their notebook, send us the brand and size through our contact page and we’ll point you to the right one.