Category Archives: Books

Get a New York Public Library Card (even if you don’t live there)

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

One of my favorite places to visit in New York City is the NYPL flagship branch in Manhattan. The grand Stephen A. Schwarzman Building is a must see for any book lover in the city. The grand Beaux-Arts design aside, … Continue reading →

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“LIBRARIAN – HAPPY EASTER X”

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“LIBRARIAN – HAPPY EASTER X”, just  three words and a signature X was all it took to once again open one of Britain’s most intriguing literary mysteries of the 21st century. In November 2000, a pair of notebooks belonging to … Continue reading →

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Nonbuyer’s Remorse

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I have happily been able to attend some regional book sales again after a two year hiatus. At a recent event I handled but didn’t purchase a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Master of Ballentræ .The 1965 Limited Edition … Continue reading →

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The Conjure-Man Dies

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“The Conjure-Man Dies” is a product of the Harlem Renaissance and the most important work of long-overlooked writer Rudolph Fisher. First published in 1932, the book was the first full-length mystery novel to feature an all-Black cast of characters, including … Continue reading →

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Library of Short Stories

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I recently discovered The Library of Short Stories  a website which compiles and shares out-of-copyright short fiction. The free site collects short stories across various genres. There’s classic Conan Doyle,Lovecraft, Dickens, Poe, and so much more. Here’s what the site … Continue reading →

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Be angry at the sun for setting

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

BE ANGRY AT THE SUN Robinson Jeffers That public men publish falsehoods Is nothing new. That America must accept Like the historical republics corruption and empire Has been known for years. Be angry at the sun for setting If these … Continue reading →

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Life Lessons From A Bookstore Owner

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Ryan Holiday learned some serious life lessons when he decided to open a small town bookshop in rural Texas during a pandemic. A year later, he decided to share his experience in a blog post and a Youtube video (below). … Continue reading →

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Hey Diddle Diddle

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

 

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In-flight Entertainment

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

On this date in 1925, the first in-flight film was shown on an airplane on an Imperial Airways flight. The film was The Lost World, one of the first science-fiction films. Based on a 1912 Arthur Conan Doyle novel, it … Continue reading →

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Pulp Fictions

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Novelist Richard Kadrey has been delighting his Twitter followers by giving old book covers seriously depraved make-overs. His #PulpSabotage  is sometimes NSFW, but always amusing.  

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