Bring back the Rolodex

There's a ghost in my machine.

These hardbound address books from Idlewild Co. are a little larger and fancier than I had in mind, but I’m tempted. (Photo credit: idlewildco.com)

Listen, I know I can’t really prove this theory. But humor me anyway, if you would. ’Cause I’d like your help with something in a minute.

Ever since we switched from Outlook to Google enterprise, my iPhone contacts have been haunted, taunted, and messed with by a digital poltergeist, a vampire of zeros and ones whose fangs suck not blood but random bits and pieces of my stored address info. Sometimes whole contact entries are gone. Sometimes just one of a person’s multiple phone numbers is missing, or a mailing detail or notes on kids’ birthdays.

It’s like my digital filing cabinet is writing its own fanfic for Tom Perrotta’s The Leftovers. And it’s damn crazy-making.

I’m not a Luddite. I can turn it off and on again with the best of them. I’m comfortable being dependent on my digital calendar. And until fairly recently, I considered the contacts app on my phone to be a sliced-bread-level innovation of simplicity and convenience.

But lately the thing makes me feel like I’ve been gaslit. Screw cloud backups. I need an analog safety net.

It’s time for a paper address book.

One I’ll fill out in pencil so I can erase and update the info as needed.

So, I did what any mid-2020s consumer does and googled variations on “best analog address books” or “cool mini address books for design enthusiasts.” And I can only surmise that I’m part of a fairly tiny subset of searchers, or maybe my search terms are too weirdly human, too literary, too je ne sais quoi. Because unlike “best pillows for side sleepers,” none of the results are commerce roundup articles showcasing cool address books. Or address books of any kind, really.

☎︎ I’m looking for something small.

☎︎ Something that can tuck into a shallow desk drawer or maybe drop into my purse.

☎︎ I’m pretty sure I want something minimal. The sort of record book an architect might favor.

☎︎ But I probably should admit that I could also be swayed by something a little more decorative (see Idlewild designs, above).

I’ve sleuthed out a few contenders. The super-old-school Mead option is truly pocketable at 3x4" and reminds me of the tiny book my dad used to keep. (Side note: You can’t pick which of the three colors you get when you order—they just send you whichever one—and for some reason that seems apropos and oddly satisfying here.)

Also in the office supply standards category is the At-A-Glance mini with faux croc cover, but is it too old-school, with no acknowledgement of current entries like email?

The Leuchtturm pocket version is appealingly minimal and design-cool, but I might miss more visual divisions between entries to stay organized.

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So, here’s where I need your help. I’m hoping this digitally connected community can do a little humanly crowdsourcing and help me find a unicorn physical address book.

Whattayagot for us, analog travelers — do you use an address book that you love? Let us know!

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