Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

A river runs through it

Posted on October 8, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

By now you all know that I love a clever map. And, there’s nothing better than a brilliant series of maps with a transit map theme. The map above is a terrific reimagining of North American rivers as a  classic … Continue reading →

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Europe By Rail

Posted on October 7, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The new Chronotrains – Europe Train Map allows you to select any city in Europe and view an animated isochrone layer show you how far you can travel by train over the course of 12 hours. As the timeline plays, the isochrone … Continue reading →

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Nine Billion Names of God

Posted on October 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Nine Billion Names of God” is a 1953 science fiction short story by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. The story was among the stories selected in 1970 by the Science Fiction Writers of America as one of the best science fiction short stories published … Continue reading →

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How to clear your to-be-read pile

Posted on October 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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from the screen to book cover

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Illustrator and designer Matt Stevens creates fanciful versions of pulp fiction book covers from films and TV shows that never originate as books. He imaginatively blends a variety of graphic styles and typography into book covers . Stevens began this … Continue reading →

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There was one dawn

Posted on October 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Aubade by Louise Glück There was one summer that returned many times over there was one flower unfurling taking many forms Crimson of the monarda, pale gold of the late roses There was one love There was one love, there … Continue reading →

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Sound and Vision

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Like all good fans, I’m hyped about the V&A’s 90,000-piece archive of David Bowie stuff — costumes, photos, drawings, lyrics, etc. The David Bowie Centre is a working archive with new reading and study rooms. The archive contains over 80,000 items, … Continue reading →

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Save our libraries

Posted on October 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Just in time for this year’s Banned Books Week, a documentary called The Librarians, directed by Kim A. Snyder (Death by Numbers, Us Kids, Newton, and more) and executive produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, is being released in the U.S. October 3. As … Continue reading →

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Censorship is so 1984

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It’s that time of the year again. Banned Books Week, scheduled for October 5-11, has been “celebrated” annually since its launch in 1982. For most of us in the formerly free USA, the 2025 rendition feels like the most crucial … Continue reading →

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Baltic Connections

Posted on September 28, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

While I was researching an upcoming trip in the Baltic nations, I stumbled on this interesting graphic which describes an exciting rail project in the region. The Rail Baltica project is set to finally integrate the Baltics into the European … Continue reading →

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