Category Archives: Books

We’re dancing animals

Posted on January 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

It’s just Kurt Vonnegut talking to his wife about going out to get an envelope (we’re here on earth to fart around):  

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A Book of Marvels

Posted on January 26, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The Book of the Marvels of the World, an illustrated guide to the globe filled with oddities, curiosities, and wonders for the medieval armchair traveler exhibition opened this week at The Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. Running … Continue reading →

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Good News for Bibliophiles

Posted on January 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Latest figures from the online resource thebookguide which aims to list all the secondhand bookshops in the UK and the Republic of Ireland suggests secondhand bookselling has witnessed an impressive increase over the last 12 months. According to its latest figures, at … Continue reading →

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Kafka is not buried here

Posted on January 24, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“Frog in Prague” by Stephen Dixon They stand still. “And Kafka?” Howard says. “Kafka is not buried here.” “No? Because I thought—what I mean is the lady at my hotel’s tourist information desk—the Intercontinental over there—and also the one who … Continue reading →

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Orwell is turning in his grave

Posted on January 20, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I thought that I had stumble on something from The Onion when I saw a story about a £2 George Orwell commemorative coin being minted in the UK. Shockingly, it was a true story. The Royal Mint will honor author George … Continue reading →

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Oh, horror upon horror!

Posted on January 19, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

No writer has the ability to evoke a sense of horror and dread more effectively than Edgar Allan Poe, born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe’s parents were actors. Their brilliant and unstable son grew up to be a … Continue reading →

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“back when tigers used to smoke” (호랑이 담배 피우던 시절에)

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Once upon a time… korean: “back when tigers used to smoke” (호랑이 담배 피우던 시절에) czech: “beyond seven mountain ranges, beyond seven rivers” (za sedmero horami a sedmero řekami) georgian: “there was, and there was not, there was…” (იყო და არა იყო … Continue reading →

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Sacré bleu

Posted on January 15, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The 1937 phrasebook Collins’ Pocket Interpreters: France paints an alarming picture of a typical visit to France: I cannot open my case. I have lost my keys. I did not know that I had to pay. I cannot find my porter. Excuse … Continue reading →

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Who knew that we are climate heroes

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I have always contended that secondhand and antiquarian booksellers were the epitome of recyclers, but now we’re getting awards for our efforts. One of the most popular antiquarian and secondhand bookshop in the North East of England has won the … Continue reading →

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Would you pay a fee to visit a bookstore

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Bunkitsu (文喫) in Tokyo’s Roppongi neighborhood is a bookstore that stocks more than 30,000 titles. It also features something else: an admission fee. It costs 1,650 yen (USD $10.50) on weekdays and 2,530 yen ($16) on weekends. There’s also a … Continue reading →

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