Category Archives: History

Follow The North Star

Posted on November 10, 2018 by

Last week, civil rights activist and progressive journalist Shaun King announced that he will be resurrecting the North Star, the abolitionist newspaper started by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany 171 years ago, after receiving legal permission and a blessing from Douglass’ family. King … Continue reading →

Posted in apps, History, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bram Stoker: Library Miscreant

Posted on November 1, 2018 by

I have been a fan of Bram Stoker’s creepy classic Dracula ever since my first reading as a child. Here in Philadelphia, we are fortunate to have a fascinating collection of Stoker’s notes for the book at the wonderful Rosenbach Museum and … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

William S. Burroughs gets spooky

Posted on October 31, 2018 by

The Witches or Witchcraft Through the Ages, or Häxan, is a Swedish-Danish film that is a curious and groundbreaking mix of documentary and silent horror cinema, written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Christensen’s vision was unique, basing his film on non-fiction works, mainly the Malleus … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, Film, History, movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Writer’s Map

Posted on October 26, 2018 by

Just published, The Writer’s Map is a marvelous atlas of literary journeys made by authors. The book explores maps that inspired literary works as well as examples of cartography from famous works of fiction and film. Daniel Reeve recounts his creation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, History, Maps, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

There be monsters

Posted on October 22, 2018 by

Just in time for Halloween, the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto has opened De Monstris, an exhibition exploring the long cultural tradition of frightening monsters that inflamed imaginations and triggered irrational fears throughout history. De Monstris examines scary illustrations and writings from … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Canada, Europe, History, Libraries, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Circle of Classified Knowledge

Posted on October 6, 2018 by

Those of you who visit TBTP on a regular basis know that I am excessively fond of infographics of all sorts. I am particularly interested in early examples of the form. This wonderful set of graphics was created for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

European Heritage Journeys

Posted on September 17, 2018 by

In conjunction with European Heritage Days 2018, UNESCO has launched a new web platform solely dedicated to sustainable travel to European heritage sites. World Heritage Journeys is co-funded by the European Union and promotes sustainable travel to some of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, History, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Books for Fighters

Posted on September 16, 2018 by

The sign in the photo taken in Barcelona in 1938 reads “give books to fighters”. The campaign collected reading material for anti-Fascist volunteers in the Spanish Civil War.

Posted in Books, Europe, History | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Coffee Makes The World Go Round

Posted on September 5, 2018 by

Lavazza, the world famous coffee producer, has just opened it new headquarters at Piazza Nuvola in Torino, Italy. While that might not be exciting to some readers, those of us who think that coffee makes the world go round are … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, History, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Lives In Transit

Posted on July 23, 2018 by

“This exhibition conceives of passports as the ruins of a modern dream now in terminal crisis – the dream of a globalized world. Drawing on the collections of Harvard Library, Passports: Lives in Transit addresses this major contemporary issue through … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Libraries, Museums, USA | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment