Category Archives: History

Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Here we are at the final day of the annual Banned Books Week and I just discovered that the beloved American children’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a banned book. In fact, for decades it was one of the most … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Freedom of Speech, History, Libraries, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The one where I compare myself with Leo Tolstoy

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

You may be dubious that a humble blogger, bookseller, and failed author could possibly have anything in common with the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, but hear me out. Both Tolstoy and I have roots in Czarist Russia. The legenday … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Writing | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Great Bibliohoax

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I love a good prank, especially if it is at the expense of the pretentious. While bibliophiles and antiquarian booksellers are not known for their hijinks, back in 1840 an infamous bibliohoax was perpetrated on wealthy collectors, librarians and booksellers … Continue reading →

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

Book of Hours

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In my ongoing deep-dive into obscure books, today we have the amazing 15th century Codex Rotundus.This medieval book of hour takes its contemporary name from its odd circular format. It was created in Flanders and is written in Latin as … Continue reading →

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“read some books, pay attention”

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“The line in the song ‘feed your head’ is both about reading and psychedelics. I was talking about feeding your head by paying attention: read some books, pay attention.” Grace Slick explains what she meant. Still good advice after all these … Continue reading →

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Chortle at some nonce words and neologisms

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Who knew that Dr.Seuss coined the term “nerd” way back in 1950 in his now canceled book If I Ran the Zoo. Well, it seems that Dr. Erica Brozovsky was aware of the origin of the now ubiquitous nonce word. In the … Continue reading →

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Treasures from the Library

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

One month from today, the New York Public Library will be launching its first ever permanent exhibition. Treasures will offer rotating highlights from the NYPL’s collection of 56 million items spanning 4,000 years of history. For more than 125 years, The New … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, History, Libraries, Maps, Museums, Photography, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Not the 36 Views of Mt. Fuji

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I imagine that most folks are well acquainted with the iconic series of Japanese woodblock prints titled Thirty -Six Views of Mount Fuji. Even those who are unfamiliar with the work of Katsushika Hokusai who was a 19th century Japanese … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Europe, History | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Inspired by Jose Saramago

Posted on August 10, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Frequent visitors to Travel Between The Pages are well aware of my appreciation for the writing of the late Ursula K. Le Guin. If memory serves, I first discovered her work in the magazine Amazing Stories. The first of her … Continue reading →

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Serpentine Saturday

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The wavy patterns on the edges, covers, and endpapers on this tooled and blind-stamped, half-bound book are from Carew’s Survey of Cornwall . This edition was printed in London by Thomas Bensley for J. Faulder and Rees and Curtis in 1811, although Carew’s … Continue reading →

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