In an 1891 essay, Oscar Wilde argued that people should be free to become fully themselves, and he put the whole idea into two sentences: “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” That line is debossed on this cover, a small challenge every time you open it.

The lined A5 insert keeps track of how you answer it: the plans you made, the ones you followed through on, the risks that paid off. Its 90 gsm paper is fountain-pen friendly, and when the insert fills, a new standard A5 notebook slides under the vertical elastic.

Our artisan partners in India, families we’ve worked with for more than ten years, cut and deboss each cover in brown repurposed leather. Vegetable dyes shift with the seasons, so no two batches come out exactly the same color.

Most people exist. Write down how you lived.

Product details

• What arrives: one debossed refillable leather journal with one lined 90 gsm fountain-pen-friendly A5 notebook insert
• Size: cover 6.22" x 8.82"; A5 insert
• Cover: brown repurposed leather with “To Live Is The Rarest Thing In The World. Most People Exist, That Is All.” debossed on the cover; geometric corner details and vertical elastic closure
• Paper: lined 90 gsm fountain-pen-friendly A5 notebook insert
• Paper Style: lined
• Binding: refillable; vertical elastic holds a standard A5 notebook insert
• Origin: handmade in India
• Variation: vegetable dye changes slightly from season to season, so color can vary from batch to batch