I popped into Staples again this morning, on another errand. I guess at this point I have become purely a collector, since I had already gathered several of the different colors of the Markings notebooks. They told me it was a "promotion," so I figured that meant the endcap was going to disappear, so I thought if I wanted to have the lime green one, the turquoise one, and the orange one I had better nab them before the display went back to the manufacturer.

Sure enough, the display was gone - but there was a new one with more Markings notebooks... these have these same basic characteristics except for:

• They cost a dollar more ($6.99 versus $5.99)
• The covers are genuine bonded leather (black and brown in slick leather, other colors in suede)
• The covers are a little more flexible than the Moleskine or the other Markings books (still casebound, but not with hard board)
• The cover has stitching around the outer edge, giving it a nice, professional look.
• They smell good.

The big news is that they also come in the large size... the same height as a Moleskine, but an eighth of an inch narrower. Elastic closure, cloth bookmark, expandable back pocket, the whole nine yards, and only $9.99. Okay, so five bucks more gets you a real Moleskine - is this worth it? I don't know. They only come with lined pages (I would prefer blank or squared, but maybe they'll do that later).

Anyway, something else to distract us notebook mavens from doing any real work. I'm sure the siren's call will cause me to buy at least a few more before that endcap disappears as well. I'm guessing that these "promotions" help them determine if they are going to add a product to regular stock, so if you like these be sure to buy them while you can to encourage them.