Monthly Archives: October 2020

Modern and Vintage too

Posted on October 21, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

If you have ever spent any time browsing secondhand bookstores or used book markets, it’s quite likely that you have run across many editions from the old Modern Library series. Founded in 1917, the Modern Library was eventually subsumed by … Continue reading →

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Building Bridges

Posted on October 20, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve crossed the historic Charles Bridge in Prague dozens of times and never stopped to consider what an amazing feat of engineering it took to build this beautiful structure.The animation below details how the  famous 14th-century Charles Bridge was built … Continue reading →

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Tales for the Season

Posted on October 19, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Illustrations from Tales of Edgar Allan Poe. With an Introduction By Hervey Allen and Wood Engravings By Fritz Eichenberg. New York: Random House, 1944.

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Three-Paragraph Problem

Posted on October 18, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

“A Problem” by Jorge Luis Borges Translated by Andrew Hurley Let us imagine that a piece of paper with a text in Arabic on it is discovered in Toledo, and that paleographers declare the text to have been written by … Continue reading →

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Born to Read

Posted on October 17, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Tonight, you can celebrate the poetic genius of Bruce Springsteen and  also support the Book Industry Charitable Foundation by attending a the Crowdcast event “Born to Read–Booksellers Talk Bruce Springsteen. Through five decades, Springsteen has been as a cultural touchstone … Continue reading →

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It is a river, this language

Posted on October 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I can recall my amazement in reading Chaucer in high school English and marveling at the extent that the English language had changed over time. The short video below by A.Z. Foreman is an enlightening marvelous journey through thirteen centuries … Continue reading →

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Reading Art

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Autumn, The Smell of Leaves Burning

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Autumn By Louise Gluck The part of life devoted to contemplation was at odds with the part committed to action. * Fall was approaching. But I remember it was always approaching once school ended. * Life, my sister said, is like … Continue reading →

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Is CommonPass the answer to travel revival

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

If normalcy is to return to international travel, there must be new mechanisms in place to insure cooperation and safety. There may be  a solution soon based on a project involving the travel industry, nonprofits, and government agencies. The international … Continue reading →

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Accidentally Wes Anderson

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I have been a fan of Wes Anderson’s off-kilter films ever since Rushmore. I’d have a difficult time picking my favorite, but The Grand Budapest Hotel will do in a pinch. The creators of a wonderful Instagram account called  Accidentally Wes Anderson  which collects … Continue reading →

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