Category Archives: History

Historic Peregrinations

Posted on January 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Shifting Borders: A Journey to the Centre of our World(s) at the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery in Leeds, England, focuses on the world of travel, guidebooks, and historic maps as well as contemporary artists’ books. For my money the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, History, Maps, Middle East | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What’s That Smell: Europe’s Olfactory Heritage

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

It is commonly accepted that our sense of smell is linked directly to our emotions and our memories. The year-old project Odeuropa is applying state-of-the-art AI techniques to historical texts and image datasets that span four centuries of European history, … Continue reading →

Posted in Europe, History, Maps, Museums, Tech, Tourism | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Archives of the Planet

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In 1908, French financier Albert Kahn created a project that aimed to photograph the diversity of humanity across the planet. He hired 12 photographers to capture images of everyday life and culture around the globe. His staff traveled to 50 … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Asia, Europe, History, Middle East, Museums, Photography, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Promised Land

Posted on January 16, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Lost At Sea

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

On its maiden voyage en route from Southampton to New York, the RMS Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg. Among those who died at sea were American book collector and Grolier Club member Harry Elkins Widener who at 27 had already amassed an … Continue reading →

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History is made of maps

Posted on January 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

History Maps uses a combination of interactive maps, videos, illustrations and Wikipedia content to explain and guide the user through an impressive collection of historical events. Beware, it’s easy to fall down this rabbit hole and spend an unplanned hour … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Art, Asia, Canada, Europe, Film, History, Maps, Middle East, Museums, South America, USA | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

United For Ukraine

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

One of the largest creative agencies in the UK has launched an advertising campaign supporting the rebuilding of Ukraine through  #united24  The Pablo Agency, has created retro-style tourist posters that invite you to Ukraine. They show historical buildings and tourist … Continue reading →

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The Master of Mysteries

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In the newest addition to the Library of Congress Crime Classics series, Gelett Burgess’ Astro the Seer proves that he is “The Master of Mysteries.”  This collection of short stories, originally published in 1912, features victims of crimes who bring their … Continue reading →

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“The Best Things In Life Are Free”

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Today copyrighted works from 1927 will enter the US public domain. They will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon. These include Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse and the final Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Film, History, Music, Photography, Theater, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mystery of the Big Book

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, the photograph above has appeared on numerous blogs and websites, usually captioned as “man with large book at Prague Castle, 1940s” or “c. 1940s: Man with books.” However, bibliophiles and antiquarians have long questioned the image’s description … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Museums, Photography, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments