Category Archives: Asia

It’s still Constantinople to me

Posted on March 11, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

As is often the case in the antiquarian book trade, we can search for a title for weeks with no avail and then years later stumble across a copy when we are not even looking. Many years ago I had … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Maps, Middle East, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

There are places I remember

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The magazine Vanity Fair commissioned the wonderful 12-minute video tour below of places mentioned in Beatles’ songs. The video trip from Liverpool to Moscow is a treat for Beatles fans even with some errors and misinterpretations.

Posted in Asia, Europe, Music, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Theory of Time

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

The Indian artist known as Daku created this wonderful installation for the Start Goa Festival in the state capital Panaji. Suspended netting with inverted lettering used sunlight to project text onto the streets of the old colonial city. The project was alternately titled … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Asia, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Bookstore Tourism : Tokyo (with a twist)

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Conceived by a group of book loving entrepreneurs that includes Smiles and Morioka Shoten (the booksellers behind the “single room, single book, bookshop), Bunkitsu opened on December 11, 2018 in a sprawling space that was previously occupied by Aoyama Book Center in … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Library Porn

Posted on December 29, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Every bibliophile that I know would love to have one of these in their neighborhood. This stunning little library was designed by Shulin Forest Architects to be a serene reading space for the book-loving village of Liangjiashan in Zhejiang Province, … Continue reading →

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Work Your Fingers To The Bone Selling Books

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san or Skeleton Bookstore Employee Honda, is a very funny anime series based on an equally amusing manga created by the eponymous bookshop clerk Honda. If you’ve ever worked in a bookstore, or spend lots of your time hanging … Continue reading →

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Bookshelf Art

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

A big h/t to dedicated TBTP follower Bonnie B. for these fantastic bookshelf dioramas. The handcrafted wooden bookend inserts are created by Tokyo-based artist Monde with intricate details down to led lighting and shop fronts. Hopefully, they will be available … Continue reading →

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Book Sculpture Gone Wild

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

You can make sculptures with almost anything and everything: marble, stone, paper, wood … and even books . In Seoul, South Korea’s Starfield COEX Mall Library , which we featured back in January of this year, there’s an impressive example of book art. The Starfield Mall … Continue reading →

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When You Walk Through A Storm

Posted on July 15, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

“And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will … Continue reading →

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The Art of Shinkansen

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Who doesn’t love an anime inspired gif ? The Central Japan Railway (JR Central) has commissioned a series of fifteen fun gifs by Japanese and international artists and animators to celebrate the world famous bullet train. The Art of Shinkansen project illustrates … Continue reading →

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