rikard.me/blog/004.txt                                Thu 27 Jul, 2023


                     A Critique of File of Facts
                                   

Introduction

   As a Filofax user, and as someone who is interested in the Filofax
   as a product, Steve Morton's "File of Facts" [1] is a book I've
   been wanting to read for a long time.

   The book presents itself as a "comprehensive A-Z reference for
   everything Filofax".  The book is divided into 26 chapters, each
   representing a letter of the alphabet.  For each letter there is
   one or several sections.

   Steve has a deep and well documented knowledge of Filofax, which
   you would expect this book to reflect.  While there are promising,
   and even enlightening sections, I was largely left disappointed,
   and found many things lacking.

Lack of Details

   Most sections throughout the book are short and lacking in detail.

   The section on rings only describes the PER style ring mechanism
   which was common on older Filofaxes.  It does not describe the
   riveted PXR mechanism which is used on modern models.  (It does not
   even mention "PER", or that there are different styles of
   mechanisms.)

   The section on leather describes what leather is (a natural
   material made from the hide of animals, which I think everyone
   already knows).  It does not describe what types of leathers
   Filofax use for their models.  If it did, it would have been a very
   interesting section indeed, as there is discord abound regarding
   all the different qualities and treatments Filofax has used over
   the years.

Lack of Relevancy

   Many sections have no real relation to the topic of Filofax.

   The section on podcasts feel completely out of place, and serves
   mainly as an advertisement for Steve's own podcast.

   GTD and ZTD (Zen To Done) are given sections.  These are
   productivity systems, and while you can deploy them in a Filofax,
   they have intrinsically nothing to do with Filofaxes.  And what is
   baffling is that they have been given space in the book, but are
   barely described.  Someone reading about GTD in this book will not
   have an understanding of what its methodology entails.

Lack of Completeness

   Some sections I feel are missing.

   There are sections for the Holborn, Malden, Kensington and
   Westminster models, but no other models are described.  There is a
   list of models at the end of the book, but it's missing several
   which I have been able to find in the author's own sources (for
   example the American made Burlington model).

   There is no section on pen loops, even though there is a wide
   variety of varying quality and design.

Lack of Consistency

   Some sections act as reference material, whereas others serve as
   introductions to new Filofax users.

   The section on paper size gives a list of all paper sizes Filofax
   has used, with their market name, their dimensions, and number of
   holes.  Even the rare M2 size is mentioned.  This is good stuff!

   Right beneath this is the section on paper, which encourages the
   reader to explore what type of paper they are comfortable writing
   on.  I expected to read about the type of paper Filofax use for
   their inserts; their weight, their colours, whether they are
   fountain pen friendly, and so on.

   Similarily, the section on pens also encourages the reader to find
   "what's best for them".  There is no mention of the Filofax branded
   pens.

   Even the language used throughout the book is inconsistent.  Steve
   goes from referring to himself in third person to first person on a
   page-to-page basis, going from no-nonsense, matter of fact, to
   casual and humorous.  He thanks his wife, the book's publisher, for
   knocking his "text into order".  I'm sorry, Steve, but you should
   have asked for input elsewhere.

In Summation

   Overall I found "File of Facts" to be a disappointment.  It is
   disjointed, a messy hodge-podge of unsatisfactory and mostly
   incomplete descriptions.  It lacks in purpose, it does not know
   whether to be introductory or referential.  It feels lazy, and
   poorly researched, as if the author is dumping what information he
   has in his head onto paper, and not bothering with collecting and
   consolidating new data where there are gaps in his current
   knowledge.

   It does not live up to its promise of being "a comprehensive A-Z
   reference for everything Filofax".

   Steve Morton is a bright guy, with a vast knowledge of Filofax, but
   if you are interested in the topic you are better off reading his
   Philofaxy blog.

   This book is by and large a waste of paper.


[1] https://philofaxy.blogspot.com/p/file-of-fact.html