Category Archives: History

The Good Kind of Flood

Posted on December 22, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

If you follow TBTP on a regular basis you are well aware of my tremendous affection for Iceland and all things Icelandic. One of the most surprising things about the island nation is the love of books and reading. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Tourism, Writing | 1 Comment

Bookmarking it old school

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

How to use a medieval bookmark: 1.) Read. 2.) Spin the volvelle to mark where on the page you stopped reading (I-IV correspond to different sections on the page. 3.) Close book. 4.) Repeat as necessary. By the way, the … Continue reading →

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

Old Nieuw Amsterdam

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

I come from two old New York City families, but not nearly as old as these 17th century views of the city when it was still the Dutch  West India Company’s colony of Nieuw Amsterdam. Published in 1651, the image … Continue reading →

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

Art Mystery or Art Prank

Posted on December 10, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

You don’t have to be a street art sucker like me to be intrigued by the tale of the Cookie Monster “мир, земля, печенье” (“Peace, Land, and Cookies” in Russian) mural that popped up on a commercial building in Peoria, … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism: World’s Oldest Bookshop

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Although I have only visited Lisbon once, I had the serendipitous experience of staying in the Chiado district which is home to some of the city’s best cultural attractions, cafés, and the world’s oldest continuously operated bookstore. Livraria Bertrand, which … Continue reading →

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An Epic Story for a Hard Year

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

To be perfectly honest when I first was introduced to the 1,000-year old epic tale Beowulf in high school I was not a fan, but as they say it grew on me over the years. This year, the writer Maria … Continue reading →

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

The Freedom to be Free

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Penguin Great Ideas is a series of mainly non-fiction books published by Penguin Books. Titles contained within this series are considered to be world-changing, influential and inspirational. Topics covered include history, philosophy, politics, science and culture. The project has resulted in six series of twenty … Continue reading →

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

The Five-Minute Museum

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

British filmmaker and animator Paul Bush‘s  short film The Five-Minute Museum is a mindboggling tour through the history of Western Civilization at breakneck speed. The stop motion trip carries the viewer through the cultural history of civilization by way of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animation, Art, Europe, Film, History, Museums, Photography | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

When book-lovers dream of luxury…

Posted on November 4, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Drifting into dreamland after the ultimate reading experience… When book-lovers dream of luxury, they dream of Detroit’s Book-Cadillac Hotel–at least according to this fabulous ad copy from 1928. The curtains flutter, the readers snuggle, and service is swift and silent. … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, History, Hotels, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Writers Against Authoritarians

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Writers Against Trump is an association of American authors and writers working together to oppose Mango Mussolini’s regime and re-election, and to encourage voter turnout. They are planning a series of post-election events on November 5, in partnership with several independent … Continue reading →

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