Category Archives: Books

Alice in Wonderland

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been a while since I shared another example from the seemingly endless versions of Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland. This version from the 1920s features 48 full-color illustrations by Margaret W. Tarrant. The illustrator: Margaret Winifred Tarrant (1888 – … Continue reading →

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We shall by morning Inherit the earth

Posted on December 8, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

MUSHROOMS by Sylvia Plath Overnight, very Whitely, discreetly, Very quietly Our toes, our noses Take hold on the loam, Acquire the air. Nobody sees us, Stops us, betrays us; The small grains make room. Soft fists insist on Heaving the … Continue reading →

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The Most Beautiful Bookstore in the World ?

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Over the past few decades nearly every listicle on the world’s “most beautiful bookstores” has included the incredible Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal. I am embarassed to admit that although I was briefly in Porto, I never made it to … Continue reading →

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Just a postcard from Kafka

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled on this postcard from the German National Library that is dated 1918 from Franz Kafka to his publisher Kurt Wolff. Personally, I never sent postcards to my publisher, but then again he was a terrible person. And … Continue reading →

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Games for Booklovers

Posted on December 3, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

 

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The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I discovered that America’s greatest living short story writer George Saunders published a children’s book more than 20 years ago. Issued in 2000 by Villard Books, an imprint of Random House, The Very Persistent … Continue reading →

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Chain Gang

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

When the public library in Rawicz, Poland needed to move its entire collection from it’s 70 year-old library to a new building 350 meters away it put out a call for help from the local community. On November 25, 2022, … Continue reading →

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Some You May Like, Some You May Need

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

What better way to start the week than unexpected photographs of animals being amusing from the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards. Who wouldn’t love to spend an afternoon riding a tourist train in Japan’s verdant countryside powered by leftover ramen broth. … Continue reading →

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Nation States

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered that one of my favorite sci-fi authors has been running a wonderful website for 20 years that allows users to create, grow, and administer their own nation state. Australian writer Max Barry’s website NationStates offers the opportunity to own … Continue reading →

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Just Another Caturday

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

   

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