Category Archives: Europe

What Do Lou Reed and Agatha Christie Have in Common

Posted on May 20, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

What Lou Reed and Agatha Christie have in common is the American-born, but British-raised illustrator Tom Adams. When Reed was searching for an artist to design his self-titled album for the UK market in 1972, he chose Adams. Ironically, although … Continue reading →

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monday, monday can’t trust that day

Posted on May 18, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Clarice Lispector Franz Kafka From the Bodleian Library souvenir shop…  

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La Guerre des Mondes

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

During the past week, I stumbled on three different references to H. G. Wells’ iconic science fiction novel  The War of the Worlds, including a new French-British television  series (which was mediocre at best). The early sci-fi classic was originally … Continue reading →

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the more you use, the more you get back

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Regular visitors to TBTP may know that my most recent obsession has been roasting my own coffee beans. Fortunately it’s a pursuit that’s heartily supported by friends and family who benefit from the hours of exploration and experimentation. While researching … Continue reading →

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Plague Dreams

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Being an insomniac is not pleasant during the best of times, but during this bizarre pandemic it’s especially challenging. One of the ways that I soothe myself when I am unable to sleep is to recall some of the wonderful … Continue reading →

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High Up and Beyond the Crisis

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Last week,the renowned French street artist Guillaume Legros (aka Saype) created an enormous and emotionally moving work in the Swiss alps above the town of Leysin. Using his innovative technique that is based on spraying naturally derived , biodegradable pigments, … Continue reading →

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Keep a sharp lookout

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

“The Peasant and the Cucumbers” by Leo Tolstoy (trans. by Leo Wiener) A peasant once went to the gardener’s, to steal cucumbers. He crept up to the cucumbers, and thought: “I will carry off a bag of cucumbers, which I … Continue reading →

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An Unknown Hobbit

Posted on April 24, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Slovak illustrator Peter Klúcik was commissioned to illustrate a new version of J R R Tolkien’s The Hobbit in 1988. For the project he created 40 illustrations that were rich in detail and quite different from previous works for Tolkien … Continue reading →

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A Social Distance

Posted on April 23, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I found this simple film of everyday people from 30 countries most impacted by COVID-19 who filmed themselves in isolation to be surprisingly moving. This touching three-minute short was directed by Ivan Cash and Jacob Jonas, and it is accompanied … Continue reading →

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Mostly Miscellaneous Monday

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been using this down time to plan some travels. One of the top destinations on my list for next spring is a return to Iceland. I’ve been many time over the years, but … Continue reading →

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