Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Tell me what it’s like to live without curiosity

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Letter to the Person Who Carved His Initials into the Oldest Living Longleaf Pine in North America by Matthew Olzmann                                           … Continue reading →

Posted in USA, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“You’re a Genius all the time”

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Jack Kerouac’s 30-point list, entitled Belief and Technique for Modern Prose offers items like “You’re a genius all the time,” “No fear or shame in the dignity of yr experience, language & knowledge” and “Accept loss forever,” the list is … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A Series of Headaches

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

A Series of Headaches is a marvelous video from the London Review of Books documenting letterpress printer Nick Hand as he prints a page from the magazine using methods as close as he can get to those used to print … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Libraries | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Of myths and legends

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I always experience a frisson of nostalgia whenever I stumble upon a memorable book from my childhood library. It’s been a long, long time, but I still remember my battered copy of of The Wonder Book of Myths and Legends that I … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Libraries, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Free Comic Book Day

Posted on May 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Today is Free Comic Book Day, in which you can go to any participating comic book store and get certain designated comic books, absolutely free. Enter your zip code at this website and you can find the participating comics shop nearest … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Bookstore Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Literary Leviathan

Posted on May 3, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was saddened to read about the death of the great American writer Paul Auster, who succumbed due to complications arising from lung cancer, aged 77. Auster, who has been celebrated as one of the most important American authors of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Freedom of Speech, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dracula Returns (daily)

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Dracula Daily Returning May 3 You may remember DraculaDaily, which has been an annual paean to the beloved Gothic vampire classic first published in 1897. The novel Dracula by Bram Stoker unfolds over the course of six months, from May … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Bookstore Tourism : Iceland

Posted on May 1, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

About seven ago while visiting Iceland’s underappreciated northern town Akureyri, I stumbled across a charming used bookshop called Fróði fornbókabúð. The owner at the time told me that the name meant something like “learned bookstore”. The shop was a bit … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

When in Rome

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

When I visited Rome for the first time more than four decades ago, I quite randomly chose to pop in at the Museo della Civiltà Romana to see the massive model of the ancient city. The archaeologist and architect Italo Gismondi … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Film, History, Museums | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Philosophy Museum

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Brian D. Butler
Posted in Museums | Tagged | Leave a comment