Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

War is not an adventure…

“War is not an adventure. It is a disease.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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Doing it old school

I’ve shared stories about the beloved Arion Press, including a visit to their San Francisco home by Anthony Bourdain in 2015 for a online series called Raw Craft . I recently spotted  a video from Business Insider’s Still Standing series … Continue reading

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a mystery wrapped in an enigma in a vending machine

I love a good European train station story, and I’m always down for a wacky vending machine tale, if you mash the two together I have to share the tale. It seems that the central train station in the charming … Continue reading

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seulement des affiches

 

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Bookstore Tourism

Bookstar in San Diego, California is no ordinary bookshop. The 1945 Point Loma Theater was rescued from the wrecking ball by the Barnes & Noble chain. The theaters adaptive reuse capitalized on the existing theaters circulation path including the recreation … Continue reading

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scratch-and-sniff

Each May 16th, France celebrates Saint Honoré, the patron saint of bakers and pastry chefs. This year, the French postal service La Poste marked the occasion with a tasteful tribute in the form of a unique postage stamp. The “Baguette … Continue reading

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Cover Art

One of the privileges in collecting and selling antiquarian books is discovering the absolutely wonderful book cover art and design from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Although my specialty has always been books on travel, geography, and history, I … Continue reading

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The Book Mouse

 

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Just Another Mini Monday

The Fairy Tales from Grimm is a collection of children’s stories written by the Grimm brothers, many of which have been popularized by Disney. This miniature book includes several stories such as the tale of Snow White. Although the stories were … Continue reading

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Nobody Really Likes It

In our ongoing effort to keep you up to date on museum offerings around the world, we present the Cyril Callister Vegemite Museum. Launched in May 2023 with much fanfare in Beaufort, Australia the Cyril Callister Vegemite Museum was created to … Continue reading

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