Category Archives: History

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 →

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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

Breaking the Dickens Code

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

An international campaign to decipher the complex code that Charles Dickens used to write his notes has won a Times Higher Education Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in UK Higher Education. The University of Leicester, in collaboration with … Continue reading →

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A Ghost Story of Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I HAVE endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and … Continue reading →

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Psychedelic Santa

Posted on December 15, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

I have long held suspicions that all of this Santa stuff was somehow rooted in mindaltering substance use. This short animated video below explores how the Psychedelic Amanita Muscaria Mushroom may have inspired the Santa Legend of Lapland. NB: if … Continue reading →

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