Monthly Archives: July 2019

Logical Unsanity at the 24 Hour Book Shed

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Yarran Jenkins owns a successful, traditional antiquarian bookshop in Brisbane, Australia called The Book Merchant Jenkins, but he also operates a shop called the Bardon 24-hour Book Shed. For the past five years, Jenkins has stocked his “pay-what-you-want-or-can” bargain book barn with inexpensive secondhand … Continue reading →

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There and back again

Posted on July 30, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I’m in the midst of planning a road trip around New Zealand for later this year and was exploring Lord of the Rings and Hobbit related film sites. In the process, I stumbled upon these wonderful cross section drawings of Bag End—the ancestral home … Continue reading →

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The City Within

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The City Within by Toronto-based artist Natalie Draz is a brilliant artists’ book and city map simultaneously. This kinetic piece is housed in a plain pine box with what first appears to be an irregularly shaped booklet , but expands … Continue reading →

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Surrealist Sunday

Posted on July 28, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

From French Surrealist writer and artist Gisèsle Prassinos’s early collection La Sauterelle arthritique (The Arthritic Grasshopper).  

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Reclaiming the Middle Seat

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Anyone who has ever been stuck in middle seat hell will applaud the S1 (AKA the “Slip-Slide Seat”) clever redesign of airline middle seats from Colorado’s Molon Labe Designs. It sits a little back from the seats to either side, … Continue reading →

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Arrivederci e grazie per le buone letture

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Sicilian author Andrea Camilleri, who died last week at age 93, is probably best known as the author of 27 novels and multiple short story collections starring police officer Inspector Salvo Montalbano, many of which take place in the fictional … Continue reading →

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Rules for Writing

Posted on July 25, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Thirteen simple rules for writing from the tragic genius Walter Benjamin. I. Anyone intending to embark on a major work should be lenient with themselves and, having completed a stint, deny themselves nothing that will not prejudice the next. II. Talk about … Continue reading →

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Philadelphia: Word on the Street

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

 Philly-based street artist Marisa Velázquez-Rivas  has launched a series of wheatpaste street art work around town titled Smash the Fash , which depicts Nazi and white supremacist symbols being crushed by a hand with some impressive nails. In a Facebook … Continue reading →

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Picture yourself on a boat on a river…

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

You all know that I’m a big sucker for clever mash-ups that include book cover art. Well, it will be no surprise that I love writer and graphic artist Todd Alcott’s crazy re-imaginings of classic Beatles tunes and paperback books. … Continue reading →

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The Reader Speaks

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I recently was asked by multiple followers of TBTP : “What are you reading these days ?” Actually, it was just two followers, but I thought “why not?” So, here’s a photo of most of the summer reading pile. There … Continue reading →

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