I've been journaling for years and this is one of the finest ones I have used. I may never buy from an alternate press again! The pages are lined on both sides, which I enjoy. The binding is not spiral, something I normally prefer, however the spine is strong and I have had no problem with loose leaves. The cover is made from a durable board, it does not look any worse for the wear I have put it through in the 6 months I've used it. I've also found that the paper used is very strong. If I use a felt tip pen or something else with a lot of ink the paper does not allow it to bleed through! I'm very pleased with this journal. It also has a nice name plate on the inside front page. I highly reccodmend it, along with other journals from peaceable kingdom press.