Monthly Archives: July 2021

Serpentine Saturday

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The wavy patterns on the edges, covers, and endpapers on this tooled and blind-stamped, half-bound book are from Carew’s Survey of Cornwall . This edition was printed in London by Thomas Bensley for J. Faulder and Rees and Curtis in 1811, although Carew’s … Continue reading →

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Subtle Differences

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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THE STRANGE HISTORY OF A MYSTERIOUS BEING

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently fell down a rabbithole after seeing a reference to 19th century American “Hollow Earth” proponents who toured the country giving lectures on the purported existence of a society living within the earth’s center. Some of these so-called explorers … Continue reading →

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War of the Worlds

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have been intrigued by the H.G. Wells iconic science fiction novel  War of the Worlds since I first read the book as a 10 year-old. The terrifying tale was first serialized in nine issues of Pearson’s Magazine (1897/98) with … Continue reading →

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If I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear

Posted on July 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

TIL that Mary Shelley actually wrote her groundbreaking novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus while she was living in Bath, England. I also discovered that the new Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein, opened in Bath last week. The multimedia museum … Continue reading →

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trembling with the same cicada sound

Posted on July 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Here in the Northeastern U.S. we are experiencing the emergence of a brood of 17-year cicadas. Sitting in my garden listening to the noisy insects, I was reminded of this very short piece by the late American poet W.S. Merwin: … Continue reading →

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For a cat every day is caturday

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

While recently helping a friend plan a trip to Berlin, I encouraged him to visit the brilliant memorial at Bebelplatz in the Mitte District. On May 10, 1933, in the Bebelplatz in central Berlin, members of the Nazi Student Union … Continue reading →

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Books That Fill You With Sudden, Inexplicable Curiosity

Posted on July 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

An excerpt from If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino Translated by William Weaver So, then, you noticed in a newspaper that If on a winter’s night a traveler had appeared, the new book by Italo Calvino, who hadn’t published … Continue reading →

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London Calling

Posted on July 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Soon Come is a sweet short film featuring skateboarder Ezra Bruno rolling through a deserted London reminiscing poetically about what life was like before Covid-19. The film, produced by Outright Films, was shot in one day during April of this … Continue reading →

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