Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Island Reading

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Residents of the tiny Greek island of Kimolos, located in the southwest of the Cyclades island group, have installed free lending libraries at all the major beaches of the island to make tourists’ visits even more enjoyable. The little free … Continue reading →

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Words and Music

Posted on June 10, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts has evolved from the humble  Worthy Farm Pop Festival in 1970 headlined by T-Rex and attended by around 1,500 people, to a renowned cultural phenomena—one of the biggest festivals in the world. Over the … Continue reading →

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La Sagesse

Posted on June 9, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

La Sagesse (1940-1941). Tamara de Lempicka (Polish, 1898-1980). Oil on panel. La Sagesse, or “Wisdom,” takes its inspiration from the Old Masters, all the while exuding Lempicka’s signature style. The layout and type of figure in this painting bring to … Continue reading →

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Another Roadside Attraction

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

About this time last year, I was on a roadtrip around the U.S. Southwest, which included a drive between Durango and Telluride, Colorado. That stretch was mainly on the beautiful Route 145 through the San Juan Mountains.  So I sat … Continue reading →

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Beloved Books

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

h/t Grant Snider watch this space for news on his first children’s book  

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Public Transit Manners

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

h/t Michael Pederson  

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A Bookstore on Wheels

Posted on June 5, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

After 25 years as a school teacher, Melanie Moore was ready for a change. She long dreamed of opening her own bookstore , but was put off by the enormous start-up costs involved in launching a bricks and mortar shop. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Libraries, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

In Bruges

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Bruges before it became completely Disney-fied by over tourism. Still, I never got to see the Belgian gem as viewed in these amazing Photochrom prints from the 1890s. This … Continue reading →

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Men of Other Planets

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

n 1953, astronomer and physicist Kenneth Heuer wrote Men of Other Planets (Pellegrini & Cudahy, NYC) where he speculated on the forms of humanoid life that was possible on the other planets, moons and asteroids of outer space. In the early … Continue reading →

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Don’t Forget To Remember

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Brian D. Butler
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