Posted February 16, 2010 by Leah Hoffmann
in Cabinet of Curiosities, Pens, Paper & People | 4 comments »
As long as we’re revisiting old Quo Vadis ads, I figure I might as well retell the story of our most popular planning format…
Though it seems like one of those things that must have been around forever, the idea of weekly time management—at least as it applies to planners—didn’t exist until 1952. The inventor? A French doctor named F.G. Beltrami, who invented the “one week on two pages” planner format when he stamped a grid onto the white pages of a notebook. (Up till then, appointment books were like diaries, with one day per page.)
Dr. Beltrami called his invention the “Agenda Planning Diary.” His friends and family were so enthusiastic about it that he eventually decided to switch careers and form his own company to manufacture his creation. In 1954, Editions Quo Vadis was formed in Marseilles, France—and has been turning out new Agendas ever since.
Curious about the name “Quo Vadis”? Read Karen’s post about the topic.
Posted January 5, 2010 by Leah Hoffmann
in Cabinet of Curiosities, Pens, Paper & People | 3 comments »
Which profession is our illustrious Minister planning format named after? If you’re like me, your thoughts probably turned to a member of the clergy.
But as Karen recently explained, the name takes its cue from the French word for “Secretary” – i.e., Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Education, etc. (We use the word in that sense in English, too, of course, but it’s not as common — at least, not here in the States.)
Inneresting, eh?
Posted October 3, 2008 by Leah Hoffmann
in Pens, Paper & People | 1 comment »
This year marks the 150th anniversary of Clairefontaine, the French company that makes the paper for Quo Vadis planners and notebooks. (If that sounds like a long time, consider the fact that a nearby monastery in the town of Étival-Clairefontaine made vellum and paper before that, in the middle ages.)
The photograph above, taken at a recent event in France, is of Christine Nusse, the great-granddaughter of Clairefontaine founder Jean-Baptiste Bichelberger. Here’s to 150 more years!
