Category Archives: History

Winter Is Coming

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Tomorrow marks the  winter solstice —the shortest day and longest night of the year. In the northern hemisphere, the solstice also marks the official start of winter. Here on the east coast of the U.S., the solstice will be happen at … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Europe, History, Tourism | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Matter of Jerusalem

Posted on December 7, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

During the last few days, Jerusalem has once again been at the top of the world news. The clever short film below, which was inspired by a new exhibition on medieval manuscripts at Oxford’s Bodleian Library, reminds us that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Film, History, Libraries, Maps, Museums | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Underground Design

Posted on November 23, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Frequent visitors to Travel Between The Pages will by now indulge my interests in maps, public transportation systems, and design. This brand new series of very cool maps from Blue Crow Media was just launched with a brilliant two-sided cartographic … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, History, Maps, Photography, Public Transport | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It Takes A Train To Cry

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German rail operator, recently decided to name twenty-five new high-speed trains after historic figures. They crowdsourced suggestions and received more than 19,000 proposals. A jury then selected the final names, including one that has some folks scratching their heads: Anne … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Public Transport | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Dance Macabre

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

 La portentosa vida de la muerte (The Prodigious Life of Death) by Joaquín Bolaños, is a late 18th century Mexican novel that stars Death as a female protagonist ( la muerte in Spanish is a feminine noun).  The story begins in the Garden … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, South America, Writing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Monsters In Philadelphia

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

With Frankenstein and Dracula, Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker created two of history’s most memorable monsters. Two hundred years after Frankenstein was published, pages from Mary Shelley’s manuscript will make their only appearance in the United States, to be displayed for the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Museums, Tourism, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Isn’t It Romantic

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

England’s famed Lake District has recently been recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage region, but it has long attracted literary tourists and nature lovers. The Craig Manor Hotel on beautiful Lake Windermere has produced the charming infographic below … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, History, Hotels, Tourism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our Own Champs Elysees

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

This month, Philadelphia is launching a year-long+ celebration of the creation of our own version of the Champs Elysees—the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. While it may never be as grand as Paris’ great boulevard, it is a mile-long artery lined with … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, History, Libraries, Museums, Public Transport, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

How Meta

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I ran across the gif above on a book blog and was skeptical when it was described as a clip of Humphrey Bogart on the set of Howard Hawks’ 1946 film noir classic The Big Sleep. With just a little sleuthing, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, History, movies, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Another Roadside Attraction

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Historian and self-taught photographer John Margolies spent the last three decades of the 20th century wandering the back roads, small towns, and old highways of the U.S. capturing images of a disappearing culture. His saturated Kodachrome images of kitsch signage, … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, History, Hotels, Museums, Photography, Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment