Monthly Archives: April 2019

A Very Timely Reminder

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The American Library Association recently released its annual Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books, included in the ALA’s State of America’s Libraries Report 2019, an annual summary of library trends “that outlines statistics and issues affecting all types of libraries. Never … Continue reading →

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American Weirdo

Posted on April 9, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

This weekend I stumbled upon this terrific retrospective on the way under-appreciated alternative comics series created by R. Crumb in the 1980s. Weirdo bridged the cultural and generational gap between the “underground comix” of the 1960s and the later so-called “alternative comics”. … Continue reading →

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Street Art Fortified

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

What a brilliant setting for the second museum dedicated to street-art in France, located in the town of Neuf-Brisach (Haut-Rhin), and inaugurated on July 7, 2018, the Musee D’Art Urbain et De Street Art (MAUSA) is situated in the 18th … Continue reading →

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We Can Be Heroes

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Writer Todd Alcott has a brilliant side gig reimagining David Bowie songs as pulp fiction-style books. His clever bookcovers reference classic paperback books. You can see more of the covers at Alcott’s Etsy site and even purchase your own copies.

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Slow Down You Look Too Fast

Posted on April 6, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Today, art museums, galleries, and other institutions around the world are marking the annual Slow Art Day with a wide variety of tours, activities and events that all encourage visitors to take more time with art. The concept is quite simple, by … Continue reading →

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Friday Funnies

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Some of you may know that about a year ago I joined the ranks of the coffee-obsessives and began roasting my own coffee beans. So far, I’ve subjected my friends and family members to my experiments without too much complaint. … Continue reading →

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Look for the Book Label

Posted on April 4, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Over the many years that I have been collecting and selling antiquarian and secondhand books, I have been intrigued by the small booksellers’ labels that were once a fixture in the book trade. These are typically diminutive, usually small rectangles … Continue reading →

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Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower Rainer Maria Rilke Quiet friend who has come so far, feel how your breathing makes more space around you. Let this darkness be a bell tower and you the bell. As you ring, … Continue reading →

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Best Bookstore of the Year

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been named PW‘s Bookstore of the Year. Literati which opened in 2013 celebrated the store’s fifth anniversary last April.  Brooklyn transplant co-owners Hilary and Michael Gustafson posted on Facebook: “When we opened Literati we … Continue reading →

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Wordless Novel (no fooling)

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

To follow-up on my recent post about Lynd Ward’s wordless novels, I would like to introduce the German wordless novel, Die Sonne (the Sun), created by Franz Masereel (1889-1972), and published originally in 1919. This copy was re-issued in 1926 by Kurt … Continue reading →

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