With the new school year in full swing, I?ve been reminded by my nephews and nieces just how much fun buying school supplies can be. I?m sure there is a direct correlation between my love of buying random notebooks before the school year began and my current job in the luxury pen industry (even though the line is a bit jagged, by way of dropping out of law school, working as a timeshare salesman, and a food blogger for a few years). 
But the collateral damage of my occupation has meant that I have a bit more of a discerning ? read: judgmental ? eye about stationery. Sure, I?m not going to tell my seven-year-old nephew that his composition notebook is the worst type of paper for fountain pens and is prone to tearing and bleeding?but I am thinking it. You see, it?s hard to appreciate these annual, almost Proustian moments this time of year now that I?ve been exposed to higher quality journals over the past few years.
If there is anyone to blame, it would be Smythson for this chip I have on my shoulder. The British company, who has been making luxury stationery since 1887, is by all accounts a brand that puts craftsmanship, heritage, and aesthetics into every product ? and once you?ve had the best, it?s hard to go back.
History of Smythson
With London heritage evident in nearly every aspect of Smythson ? from their branding to products to cheeky little sayings on notebooks ? it?s evident how steeped the brand has been in British culture since its founding nearly 137 years...