Category Archives: Europe

Napoleon’s Kindle

Posted on October 18, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Unlike our maniacal Emperor wanabee, Napoleon Bonaparte was a devoted book lover. He was such a serious reader that in 1803 he commissioned the creation of the wonderful traveling library pictured above to take on military campaigns. The leather-lines, velvet-trimmed … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Libraries | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bookstore Taboo

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Tabook is an amusing short film that takes on the silliness of cultural taboos. In Amsterdam-based director Dario van Vree’s animated short a young woman endures the pitfalls of book browsing in a puritanical society. The cheeky film was created with … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Film | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Monsters In Philadelphia

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

With Frankenstein and Dracula, Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker created two of history’s most memorable monsters. Two hundred years after Frankenstein was published, pages from Mary Shelley’s manuscript will make their only appearance in the United States, to be displayed for the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Museums, Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Isn’t It Romantic

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

England’s famed Lake District has recently been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage region, but it has long attracted literary tourists and nature lovers. The Craig Manor Hotel on beautiful Lake Windermere has produced the charming infographic below … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Hotels, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

This Is Real Street Art

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Isafjördur is a small city in the extreme northwest corner of Iceland. It’s a remote place with a population of just 2,600 year-round residents, but like the rest of the country it has been experiencing a tourism boom. And with … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Switzerland: Another Reason To Visit

Posted on October 7, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Just in case you needed another good reason to consider a trip to Switzerland, on October 21st the Camille Bloch chocolate company will open its new chocolate museum and tasting center near the firm’s headquarters in the village of Courtelay. … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Village After Dark

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

This year’s Nobel prize for literature was announced yesterday. I don’t usually pay much attention to these types of awards, but I really thought that this would be Margaret Atwood’s year. Still, even though I was surprised by the selection … Continue reading →

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

Fun With Kafka

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

If you are a regular reader of TBTP, you know that I’m a big fan of London-based cartoonist and illustrator Tom Gauld. Along with his weekly comic strips in the Guardian and the New Scientist, Gauld’s work regularly appears in … Continue reading →

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

Roll Away The Stone

Posted on October 4, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Last year, Reykjavik-based Studio Granda architectural and design group won an unusual competition, sponsored by Akureyri, Iceland’s second city, to create a monument to mark the spot where the Arctic Circle crosses Icelandic territory. The winning design, called Hringur og Kúla, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Maps, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Paris: Words on the Water

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

It will come as no surprise to learn that Paris’ newest floating bookstore specializes in travel and maritime literature. Librairie Peniche, which is housed in a beautifully restored and remodeled barge, is the passion project of Judith Rosa and Didier Delamare. … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Tourism | 1 Comment