# How did the black and white "marbled" design on composition notebooks originate?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-black-and-white-marbled-design-on-composition-notebooks-originate/460256>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 16, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-black-and-white-marbled-design-on-composition-notebooks-originate/460256 "2008-08-16T20:59:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-black-and-white-marbled-design-on-composition-notebooks-originate/460256/1 "2008-08-16T20:59:53Z")

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We all know those composition notebooks - like [this one](http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/297753/2/istockphoto_297753_composition_notebook_2.jpg) - with that “marbled” black and white finish that looks like static on a TV screen. This seems like a far-out design to be so standardized on such a mundane item. How did this originate? Was there one company that started making them all like this and then everyone else copied them? And who came up with the idea of making it look like that? Does anyone know?

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-black-and-white-marbled-design-on-composition-notebooks-originate/460256/2 "2008-08-16T23:21:45Z")

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[QUOTE=Argent Towers]  
We all know those composition notebooks - like [this one](http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/297753/2/istockphoto_297753_composition_notebook_2.jpg) - with that “marbled” black and white finish that looks like static on a TV screen. This seems like a far-out design to be so standardized on such a mundane item. How did this originate? Was there one company that started making them all like this and then everyone else copied them? And who came up with the idea of making it look like that? Does anyone know?  
[/QUOTE]

It is a printed version of [Marbled paper](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_marbling) that was once a sign of expensive handmade hardbacked books …

I prefer something like a meade product with sort of plasticy sort of hard covers in plain colors…

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-black-and-white-marbled-design-on-composition-notebooks-originate/460256/3 "2008-08-16T23:35:15Z")

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I’m intrigued by your question.

As a start, I’ll offer that I searched the [TESS -- Error](http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=r16n2k.3.57) (US Patent and Trademark Office website) and typed in “composition.” You get 88 hits. If you look at the hit #57(Serial #74217642, you see that the (REGISTRANT) American Scholar, Inc. CORPORATION NEW YORK , and Filing Date November 1, 1991 , but G & S: composition books. FIRST USE: 19680100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19680100

So, they say(and it’s usually _pretty_ accurate, that they first used it commercially in 1968.

Now, does that mean they invented it? And, without going to the hard copy at a USPTO library(of which, Akron, OH. is one), so I can see a depiction of their line drawing, it’s hard to ascertain if this was what you’re looking for, and whether it’s the first.

Maybe, if I’m bored tomorrow, I’ll drift down to the library and do this. It’s only a mile away, and I LOVE libraries. 🙂