The journal has an extremely unpleasant odor for some time however if you have had leather journals before this will not be unfamiliar to you, I believe it to be the product of the tanning process. It will offgas for several days but afterwards it will be mostly odorless. The page quality is excellent and there is no bleedthrough even when written on with wet-ink dip pens or wirh fountain pen. The lock and stone make left hand pages a little odd to write on as it does not lay flush with the table/desk. The stone is appealing to the eye but looks somewhat cheap and feels nearly plastic. However for the price range this is both acceptable and expected. It is a smaller journal than most, however this also makes it very easy to transport. There is some wear where the pages are joined to the book and so there is some cause for concern that it may eventually tear off some pages.

I bought this fine leather-bound book as a prop for a short horror film I was making. I needed some spooky stuff with which to fill the pages so I sat up all night researching ancient languages, hyrogliphs and runes, spells and incantations. I found one with which I was particularly taken and in a fever began to enscribe it upon the first page.

The leather detail is insane and everything about it is perfect. I might even like the string closure better because it gives it a very rustic feeling. I've never had a journal that makes me so excited. The paper is heavyweight with light texture and I love the jagged edge mismatch. The leather cover makes the book flexible. The blue stone has very slight gold flecks in it and I've read that the stone varies from order to order. It has a very organic ancient feeling to it. I can't wait to throw some words and pictures in it! Thank you!

Just as described. Real leather (yes cheap split grain), nice stone, hand made. If you like a lot of reviewers on here don't understand what handmade means. It means they are not all going to be the same. Revel in the fact that you have something original in your hands. It's price is awesome! The dimensions are in the description and if you are truely a spiritual person as a lot of the awe poor me reviews say then maybe you should re think your spirit. You received a cool looking hand made journal that you can put your thoughts in at a great price. Love and namaste' to all!!

I received a book similar to the picture, but it came with the leather string wrap instead of the locking mechanism. In the product description it states "It has an antiqued brass swing clasp to keep your secrets from prying eyes." Mine did not come with the brass lock. It's not as sore a spot as you'd think because this thing is beautiful!