Category Archives: Europe

No Direction Home

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Amsterdam-based Austrian graphic designer Philipp Doringer’s obsession with Bob Dylan has resulted in the “Atlas Of No Direction Home”, a cartographic gazetteer of all the locations relevant to Bob Dylan’s career. The book contains all the locations relevant to Bob … Continue reading →

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Bowie’s Books

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Last weekend I noticed numerous stories online that celebrated the late, great David Bowie’s birthday. They reminded me of a list that made the rounds a number of years back of Bowie’s 75 favorite books. You may find some surprises … Continue reading →

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Sundry Sunday Seven

Posted on January 9, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

January 1, 2022 was Public Domain Day here in the USA. Among the works entering the public domain was Heminway’s great novel The Sun Also Rises. The Center for the Study of the Public Domain lists thousands of books and recordings … Continue reading →

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When In Rome

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years I’ve visited dozens of ancient Roman ruin sites around Europe, but I don’t recall ever seeing any preserved or restored latrines. I recently stumbled upon this fascinating video on personal hygiene and public sanitation in ancient Rome … Continue reading →

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Books Saved the Town, Now the Internet Is Killing It

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Four decades ago, the little Belgian town of Redu was revitalized by its transformation into the Village Du Livre. The village that had been shrinking fast as farm jobs disappeared and families moved away. But in the mid-1980s, a group of … Continue reading →

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Ring In The New Year

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, commonly referred to as The Chimes, is a novella written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It … Continue reading →

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Before the Law stands a doorkeeper

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Before the Law stands a doorkeeper. To this doorkeeper there comes a man from the country and prays for admittance to the Law. But the doorkeeper says that he cannot grant admittance at the moment. The man thinks it over … Continue reading →

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A Merry Underground Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

For more than a century, London Transport has used posters to promote travel around the winter holidays. At Christmas, festive posters would appear on the network to encourage travelling via Underground for Christmas shopping or to get to winter sales, … Continue reading →

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The Rise and Fall of the World’s First Social Network

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Up until quite recently, I was a habitual buyer of postcards during my travels. Mind you, I rarely ever sent the postcards to anyone, but rather keep them as reminders of the places that I had visited. When I was young, postcards … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Art, Books, Europe, History, Public Transport, Tourism, Travel Writing, USA | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Deadly Reads

Posted on December 16, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Some publisher could make a killing by reviving these hidden poison cabinets in the shape of books that were popular in the 17th century.  

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