After Jongbloed managing director Hugo van Woerden gave me a stack of dwarsligger/transetto/flipbacks last month, I mentioned my thrill at discovering John le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in the new format. The question you have to ask, when faced with such a startling departure from the traditional book concept, is whether it really works. Can you read a whole book this way, or is it just a clever gimmick? Over at my other blog, I answer the question based on my experience of the past couple of weeks. If you're interested, check it out:
A Pocket Book That Really Fits
While you're there, you can also find out why I hate the new Kindle ads and why some bookcases from the 60s have me sorting through my collection of books.
Where can I get a wallet like that? Looks small and durable.
Posted by: Matthew Ens | August 29, 2011 at 05:22 PM
Is it a Saddleback Leather small wallet?
Posted by: Reid | August 29, 2011 at 05:44 PM
I don't think it's a saddleback. I have the Saddleback small wallet and I love it.
www.saddlebackleather.com
Posted by: John S | August 29, 2011 at 06:30 PM
@John ... I think you're right. That isn't the Saddleback logo on the bottom right of the wallet. (I also have a SBL small wallet and love it.)
Posted by: Reid | August 30, 2011 at 06:11 AM
No, it's definitely not from Saddleback Leather. As Reid points out, you can see the Coach logo in the lower right-hand corner when you look at the photo full-size. As you might suspect, I have almost as many wallets as I do Bibles -- I should start a leather goods blog someday -- but I don't have one from Saddleback. I did have one of their original briefcases. You can see photos of it here:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=24906199@N00&q=saddleback
I ended up selling it. While I love the style, the rough execution just wasn't what I'd hoped for. In better leather, with more meticulous craftsmanship, it would be a winner. Since the wallet seems to be getting all the attention, here's a recent round-up (by somebody else) of card-holder wallets that lists lots of similar options:
http://thesilentist.tumblr.com/post/9254383081/slim-card-holder-wallet-roundup
Posted by: J. Mark Bertrand | August 30, 2011 at 08:23 AM
Hi Mark, Could you expand on your opinion of Saddleback leather? What was its pros and cons from your experience? Since you sold your Saddleback bag I'm curious why you thought that the cons outweighed the pros. I've heard from a variety of sources (the web, youtube) that the Saddleback bag is one of the best made bags available (they boast a 100 warranty). I'm asking since I'm considering the purchase of their classic briefcase. What did you replace the Saddleback bag with?
Posted by: Christopher Eby | February 09, 2012 at 07:32 AM