Let me first say that I love these Moleskines. I totally believe they are a battery for storing ideas and I use several of them for many different reasons. I am not sure about this particular shade of blue, but some packs have two different colors of blue. One odd thing I found out about these Volant notebooks is that in the heat, like in my car, the plastic cover curls up a lot and makes a semi circle. As soon as the book returns to room temperature, it goes flat again. So, I guess it is not a problem so much as an oddity. These DO NOT have the closure strap or a pocket in the back. The cover is made of some plastic type of material and is textured, so you will not be able to write on the cover of these, but they will also not fray either like the cardboard cahiers can after a lot of rough use.