Monthly Archives: March 2020

Million Cat Caturday

Posted on March 21, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

“Millions of Cats” is a picture book written and illustrated by artist Wanda Gag in 1928. The book won a Newberry award in 1929 and is the oldest American picture book still in print.            

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Library of Exile

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I first discovered the ceramic artist and writer Edmund de Waal through his best-selling book The Hare with the Amber Eyes. If you are not familiar with the memoir, it’s a compelling read that encompasses not only de Waal’s family history, … Continue reading →

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Bookmobile with an Italian accent

Posted on March 19, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

UNA NUOVA INIZIATIVA PER LA DIFFUSIONE DEL LIBRO proclaims the title at the top of the photo, or, in English, A New Initiative for Distributing Books. The early 1920s bookmobile was actually publisher’s method of selling books to the public, not … Continue reading →

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As above, So below

Posted on March 18, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Dutch artist and printmaker Jaco Putker uses both traditional and digital methods to produce his surreal images. He usually works with photopolymer, or solar plate, etching. This allows him to create photo-realistic depictions. His finished pieces are at once amusing … Continue reading →

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Conquest of Mars

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Here is copy number 55 of the first edition of Edison’s Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss. There were only 1,500 copies in the first edition, and only 1,450 of those were offered for general distribution. Serviss, an astronomer, wrote Conquest in 1898; … Continue reading →

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How to help indie bookshops survive

Posted on March 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

The new coronavirus presents a real challenge to bookstores. Here are some ways you can help keep your local bookstore open—during the pandemic and after—without leaving home.  1.  Pre-Order Books Online It’s likely that you know a book you want is … Continue reading →

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Unreal City

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I rarely post music videos, but I’m a fan of M.Ward, Clémence Poésy (ever since her role as Elise Wasserman in “The Tunnel”), and of course Paris. Filmed on the streets of Paris, the Beatrice Pegard-directed video for M. Ward’s … Continue reading →

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but oh the museums

Posted on March 14, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

At the End of the Endless Decade Mark Bibbins For years had anyone needed me to spell the word commiserateI’d have disappointed them. I envy people who are more excitedby etymology than I am, but not the ones who can … Continue reading →

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Free Books (really)

Posted on March 13, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

h/t to Stanislav and Milen for the extensive links FAMOUS AUTHORS Classic Bookshelf: This site has put classic novels online, from Charles Dickens to Charlotte Bronte. The Online Books Page: The University of Pennsylvania hosts this book search and database. … Continue reading →

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Making Reading a Religious Experience

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

A former Russian Orthodox church in Shanghai, China, built in 1932 and long abandoned, has been restored and retro-fitted as a library. Due to requirements placed on the architects by the local Historic Buildings Protection office, no major changes could … Continue reading →

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