Category Archives: Books

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

Biblio Trivia

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

  1. The rarest book in the world is a 1593 first edition of Venus and Adonis by William Shakespeare. The Bodleian’s copy “is the only known copy of this book in existence.” 2. The first book ordered on Amazon was a scientific tome called Fluid Concepts … Continue reading →

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

The Dwindleberry Zoo

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I discovered THE DWINDLEBERRY ZOO by G.E. Farrow (London/Glasgow/Dublin/Bombay: Blackie, 1909) Illustrated by Gordon Browne.  It seems that G.E. Farrow was one of the masters of the Victorian fantasy genre. In this tale a boy eats a … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad…

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. I first read One Hundred Years of Solitude during my first year at university when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, movies, South America, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Emulating Books

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I look forward to visiting the upcoming Emulating Books: Book Objects from the Lynn and Bruce Heckman Gift which is an intriguing new exhibition that features a wide range of items which look like books but aren’t. Running through July … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Museums | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Books and Roses Day

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Barcelona is all about roses, books and lovers on April 23rd each year. In Catalonia World Book Day also becomes an especially romantic festival. People celebrate the day of their patron saint, Sant Jordi (Saint George), with a curious tradition. … Continue reading →

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

New Literary Genres

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

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

Book Art/Art Books

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

Posted in Art, Books | Tagged , | 1 Comment

my hope is vertical

Posted on April 19, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

TODAY, MY HOPE IS VERTICAL Jane Hirshfield Today, my hope is vertical. Tomorrow it will be horizontal. The next day, cloudy. My hope is like a Greek myth: exchanging skin for bark, bark for scales, scales for the hollow bones … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Writing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Literacy for Life

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The Literacy Pen by The World Literacy Foundation and the Dutch firm Media.Monks is an amazing educational device designed to enable illiterate individuals to start writing and learning to read, instantly. Open source and compatible with all standard pens on … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, Books, Tech, Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments