Category Archives: Books

Lou Reed meets Edgar Allan Poe

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have long been a fan of the late great Lou Reed, but I only recently discovered that he created an updated version of the iconic poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. In 2003, he  set Poe’s most famous stories and … Continue reading →

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Take That Trip

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

It’s hard to believe that the inimitable Anthony Bourdain has been gone for five years. Unlike most folks, I discovered his writing through his first novel Bone in the Throat in the early 1990s and not via his culinary or … Continue reading →

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Utopia 14

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I learned that Kurt Vonnegut’s 1952 novel Player Piano was re-released in a paperback edition as Utopia 14 in 1954. Player Piano is the first novel by  Vonnegut, in it he depicts a dystopia of automation partly inspired by the author’s time … Continue reading →

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Do the Philly Crawl

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Dozens of indie bookshops in Philadelphia, Pa., are taking part this Saturday, August 26, in the first-ever Philly Bookstore Crawl, Philly Voice reported. The bookstore crawl will feature appearances from local authors, discounts, giveaways, and plenty of special activities. Iffy Books, for example, … Continue reading →

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feel the onward rushing power of the train

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Modern Classics Revived

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was happily surprised to learn that Penguin Modern Classics has revived its crime and espionage series with titles by the likes of Josephine Tey,  John le Carré, Len Deighton and Chester Himes, published with an updated version of their … Continue reading →

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Recommending A Book

Posted on August 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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So Long Simon and Schuster

Posted on August 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The recent sale of the U.S. publishing house Simon & Schuster to some soulless private equity company that will probably sell it for parts reminded me of the story of the creation of the firm’s colophon. Richard Simon and Lincoln Schuster … Continue reading →

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The Last Bookshop of the World

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently directed to a film that is likely to appeal only to bibliophiles, writers, and cinephiles. So, of course, I assumed that it was right up your alley as they say in oldtimey America. Most booklovers that I … Continue reading →

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This is just to say…

Posted on August 17, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

This Is Just To Say I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold -William Carlos Williams

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