Category Archives: Asia

Beyond the Great Wave

Posted on July 19, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was hoping to get to Boston this summer to see the “Hokusai: Inspiration and Influence” exhibition, but alas it only ran until last Sunday. However, while I was taking a deep dive into the show, an unusual print in … Continue reading →

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Summer Sunday Sundries

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“In its June 26, 1948, issue, The New Yorker published Shirley Jackson’s unsettling story “The Lottery,” and it’s not an overstatement to say that readers freaked out. They wrote letters in droves, angry or unsure about what this slowly unfolding … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, History, Museums, Restaurants, Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Living in the Real World

Posted on June 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Most reasonably educated adults—other than flatearth nincompoops—are well aware that the way we map our planet distorts the actual size of countries and continents. For centuries, we have generally ignored the wildly misleading maps that are used in most publications. … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Asia, Europe, Maps | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Restaurant of Mistaken Orders

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A very special restaurant in Tokyo offers its customers an honest message. You may or may not get what you asked for, but you are guaranteed a delicious meal that brings a spark of humbleness and openness, which customers are … Continue reading →

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If you build it, they will come

Posted on May 13, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A 57 year old poet named Jiang Libo in China has spent $116,000 building a bookshop in a remote village on top of a mountain. The Milestone Bookstore is located in a rural area of Zhejiang province in eastern China, … Continue reading →

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Saving Bookstore Alley

Posted on April 11, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 Busan Korea’s Bosu Book Street is a narrow, 200-meter-long alley lined on both sides with small indie bookstores. The bookshop enclave in Bosu-dong was created when a refugee family from  North Korea started selling secondhand books and periodicals there  when … Continue reading →

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More Than Just The Great Wave off Kanagawa

Posted on April 6, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

If you stop by here on a regular basis, you are probably aware that I am a fan of Japanese woodblock printing. Most folks are familiar with “Under the Wave off Kanagawa”  by  ukiyo-e artist Hokusai, created in late 1831 during the Edo … Continue reading →

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Bookseller’s Regret

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to Travel Between The Pages may know that I have been a bookseller for most of the 21st century and an avid book collector for many decades. Like many booksellers, I sometimes have pangs of regret over books … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, Middle East, Travel Writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Who reads what where

Posted on January 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a sucker for a clever infographic, especially if it pertains to books or reading. The graphic above shows which reading genres are most popular in 36 countries around the world. To collect the data, the folks at Study In … Continue reading →

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Historic Peregrinations

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Shifting Borders: A Journey to the Centre of our World(s) at the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery in Leeds, England, focuses on the world of travel, guidebooks, and historic maps as well as contemporary artists’ books. For my money the … Continue reading →

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