Category Archives: History

Manhattan Cowcatcher

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I recently read Kim Stanley Robinson’s outstanding—but way too long—climate change, post-apocalyptic, science fiction novel “New York 2140.” Although much of the plot takes place in Manhattan’s Met Life Building, the characters frequently comment on the neighboring Flatiron Building. It … Continue reading →

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Look to the Skies

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

With the solar eclipse less than a week away, much of North America is looking to the skies.

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Miracle of Dunkirk

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I had the opportunity to see Christopher Nolan’s exceptional film Dunkirk this past weekend and have been ruminating on the experience since. I won’t spoil the film by commenting much on the content, however I strongly urge you to view it on … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Europe, Film, History, Maps, movies, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Total Eclipse of the Sun

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Here in North America, we are getting almost giddy about the upcoming solar eclipse which will occur on Monday, August 21, 2017. Unfortunately for me, my region of the U.S. will only be in a partial eclipse zone. Way back … Continue reading →

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Scandal at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

As I have probably mentioned a few times, one of my favorite places in Philly is the amazing Philadelphia Museum of Art. In fact, I usually drag every out of town visitor there whether they express any interest in going … Continue reading →

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Detour for Free This Summer

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The very popular location-aware travel guide app Detour usually cost $5, but for the rest of this summer it’s absolutely free. With 16 U.S. and international cities currently covered, including NYC, Boston, San Francisco, Rome, Berlin, Barcelona, and Paris, the audio walking … Continue reading →

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Summer Reads Pt 1

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

For some reason, I receive requests for reading recommendations from followers of TBTP. It may be because I’m in the book trade, who knows why. Anyway, I thought that I would share a short list of books that I have … Continue reading →

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Happy Bookstore Birthday

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

This week New York City’s beloved Strand Bookstore celebrated its 90th anniversary. Although book shops seem to be going out of business daily in NYC, the Strand—and its 90 year-old owner Fred Bass—are still going strong.

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Time Travel

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

New York City’s Museum of Modern Art is currently showing an extraordinary short film titled “New York 1911”. Created from a restored nitrate print, the nine minute film enables the viewer to virtually time travel to turn of the century … Continue reading →

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Really Big Books

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Thanks to the British Library, bibliophiles and map geeks can now view the second largest atlas in the world online. The colossal book was a gift from Dutch merchant Johannes Klencke in 1660 to King Charles II of Great Britain. The massive … Continue reading →

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