Category Archives: History

Great Scott

Posted on May 14, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

If you have every been to Scotland, you probably noticed that Sir Walter Scott is kind of a big deal there. In honor of the writer’s 250th anniversary this year Scotland is putting on a big celebration of its favorite … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Everything old is new again

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Tar and Feathers, is a disturbing novel in which the Ku Klux Klan, its principles and activities figure prominently. Based on real experiences, it was written by Victor Rubin and published in 1924 by Universal Press, Chicago. From the jacket … Continue reading →

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

NYC’s Tiniest Museum Reopens

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Coincidental with the recent announcement from New York City’s quasi-official tourism bureau that the city has “reawakened” for tourism, NYC’s tiniest museum has declared itself open for business again. Like every other visitor attraction hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the … Continue reading →

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Underground History

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Aboveground at Philadelphia’s famous Independence Mall visitors discover an impressive collection of monuments to American history. Often called the “Cradle of American Liberty,” the popular tourist site contains sculptures of Founding Fathers, buildings inside of which the U.S. Constitution was … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, History, Museums, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Divine Comedy

Posted on April 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In anticipation of the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri, Brooklyn artist George Cochrane has worked on a contemporary illuminated manuscript of Dante’s Divine Comedy—all 350,000 characters of the epic poem, plus illustrations, in the original Italian for nearly seven … Continue reading →

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When In Rome

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Rome over the last few days because of the news that a new archeological site will be opening in the coming year in the heart of the Eternal City. If you haven’t heard, … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Architecture, Art, Europe, Film, History, Museums, Photography, Tourism | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Ghost Words

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

What does palimpsest mean? 1 : writing material (such as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased. 2 : something having usually diverse layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface.   One … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Middle East, Museums, Tech, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Mystery, History & some Cartography

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

One of the joys of being vaccinated against Covid-19 has been the ability to return to bookstore browsing. On my most recent visit to our local indie bookshop (shout out to Newtown Bookshop ) I picked up a copy of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, History, Maps, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A little nostalgic story

Posted on April 7, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Books were an extraordinarily important part of my childhood and I tend to wax nostalgic when I run across a story online about one that I actually owned and read. This week, I happened on a piece about a book … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, History, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mad For Alice

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve been mad for Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland books since I borrowed my first copy from my local library as a young child. Any museum or library show on the beloved classics is sure to get my attention. So, I sat … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, History, Museums, Theater, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment