Notebooks

Odyssey Notebooks Lineup: Six Tomoe River Notebooks, Booklets and Pads Worth a Look

A closer look at six notebooks from Odyssey Notebooks, a US-based stationery brand working with Tomoe River paper, celestial cover designs and friendly prices.

Six Odyssey notebooks and a notepad in various colors arranged on a concrete surface

Introduction

Odyssey Notebooks is a US-based stationery company headquartered in Maryland, founded by a woman named Rainbow, and much of the line leans into celestial and mythological cover themes, with designs inspired by the moon, Earth, the Milky Way, Saturn and the sun. What ties the range together is the paper: most of these notebooks use 68 gsm Tomoe River paper, and the company received a large order of the original Tomoe River stock before the well-known changes to the brand.

Quick Overview of the Lineup

There are six products in this overview, and they cover a wide range of use cases: a large hardcover B5 notebook, slim A5 booklets, a tear-off notepad, a standard A5 notebook with around 280 pages, a smaller A5 with 200 pages, and a hefty 500-page A5 softcover. Price points run from eight dollars for a single booklet up to forty-four dollars for the B5, which makes this one of the more approachable Tomoe River lineups around.

Open notebook with a fountain pen laying across the page and a written ink sample

Most of the line is also available through Atlas Stationers in addition to the Odyssey Notebooks website, which makes it easier to find depending on where you shop.

Odyssey B5 Notebook

The B5 is the largest notebook in the lineup, with 272 pages of 68 gsm Tomoe River paper that, to the best of available knowledge, is the original Tomoe River stock. It uses a hardcover vegan leather binding with a lay-flat design, so it sits comfortably open on a desk for long writing sessions.

The cover carries one of the celestial designs, with the moon here and options like Earth, Milky Way, Saturn and sun available elsewhere in the range, plus a blank version. A built-in bookmark rounds out the package. Priced at 44 dollars, this is the premium pick of the lineup, and it suits writers who want a big canvas and a durable hardcover.

Odyssey 48-page A5 Booklet

The 48-page A5 booklet is the most affordable entry point at eight dollars, and it comes in dot, lined or blank versions. It uses Tomoe River paper and is slightly smaller than standard A5, which makes it easy to slip into a bag.

You can also buy these in three-packs or ten-packs, and the per-booklet price drops from eight dollars to six dollars at the ten-pack level. For testing inks, drafting letters, or carrying a slim notebook everywhere, the pack pricing makes this a genuinely practical buy.

Odyssey A5 Notepad

The notepad uses the same 68 gsm Tomoe River paper in individual tear-off sheets, and it is priced at 14.50 dollars. This is a natural fit for letter writing, since loose sheets are exactly what you want for correspondence.

Because the paper is thin enough for lines on a guide sheet to show through, you can slide a ruled guide underneath and write in straight lines without printing anything on the pad itself. The sheets tear out cleanly, so finished letters are ready to send.

Handwriting practice scene with loose notepad sheets and a lined guide sheet underneath

Odyssey Standard A5 Notebook

The standard A5 notebook comes in at 278 pages and is slightly larger than the smaller A5 models in the range. The version shown here is the sun design, and the notebook includes page numbers in the corners, a rear pocket, a color-coordinated bookmark, and an elastic closure.

Like the rest of the line, it is available in dot, lined or blank. At 25 dollars for 278 pages of Tomoe River paper, this is arguably the value sweet spot of the lineup for everyday journaling.

Two notebooks of different thicknesses side by side showing page count difference

Odyssey A5 200-page Notebook

The 200-page model is the smaller A5 size, which sits a step down in footprint from the standard A5. It has a black bookmark, page numbers in the lower corners, and a larger rear pocket than the half pocket on the standard model. The version shown is blank.

This one works well for anyone who prefers a slightly more compact notebook but still wants a substantial page count and the same Tomoe River writing experience.

Odyssey A5 500-page Notebook

The 500-page A5 is the standout of the lineup. It is available in red, purple, blue, brown and black, with a lightly textured softcover that looks a bit shinier in packaging than it does in hand. It holds 500 pages of lined paper, which gives the notebook real heft and makes it feel like a long-term companion rather than a disposable pad.

This is the kind of notebook you can carry everywhere and fill up over months, and while the cover is not a hardcover, it holds up to everyday wear and tear well. If you want one notebook to commit to, this is the pick.

Thick textured softcover notebook lying closed with a pen resting on top

Writing Experience and Ink Behavior

The Tomoe River paper does a very good job of making fountain pen inks pop. Testing with a flex-leaning nib, a medium stainless steel nib, a fine nib and a broad 2.4 mm parallel nib all went smoothly, and ink swabs showed rich, saturated color with clean edges. The low weight of the 68 gsm paper also means a 500-page notebook stays manageable despite the page count.

Overall Buying Advice

If you are new to Odyssey Notebooks, the 48-page booklet is the cheapest way to test the paper. For everyday journaling, the standard A5 at 25 dollars offers the best balance of page count and price. Letter writers should go straight for the notepad, while anyone who wants a single long-haul notebook should pick the 500-page A5 in their favorite color. The B5 hardcover is the splurge for desk-bound writing sessions.

Conclusion

Across six formats, Odyssey Notebooks delivers original Tomoe River paper, consistent celestial design themes, useful touches like bookmarks, pockets and elastic closures, and pricing that undercuts much of the premium Tomoe River market. Whether you need a slim booklet, a letter-writing pad or a 500-page companion, there is a sensible option in this range.

Further reading

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