The notebook originally referred to a small booklet used to record various matters. Before the invention of writing, humans often used knots in ropes to record numbers or events, conveying certain meanings to communicate information. From the remnants of paintings in primitive society, such as net patterns, rope patterns on pottery, and clay net weights, it can be seen that knotting for record-keeping (counting) was one of the widely used recording methods by primitive ancestors.

This notebook comes in various types, with cover materials commonly including genuine leather, PU leather, leather, PP, fabric, and metal. Binding forms include: paperback notebooks, loose-leaf notebooks, ring-bound notebooks, and hardcover notebooks.