Category Archives: History

Through Thick and Thin

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t think that I’ve read Chaucer since high school, but I was still fascinated when I ran across an article on the many commonly used English phrases that he  coined (or popularized) a lot of phrases that we still … Continue reading →

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Walk This Way

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The ancient Roman Appian Way road network has become Italy’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site. The  Via Appia Antica, or Appian Way,  the oldest and most significant road built by the ancient Romans, has been named a Unesco world heritage … Continue reading →

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Literary London

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

As a great international capital, once at the hub of an enormous colonial Empire, London has long attracted visits by writers, artists and intellectuals from around the world. University College London is curating how London has been seen through the … Continue reading →

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Oldest Map in the World

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

If you stop by TBTP on a regular basis, you are likely aware that I am a bit of a map geek. It all began with a small globe on my childhood nightstand. I don’t discriminate when it comes to … Continue reading →

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Beautiful Bruges

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I count my self lucky to have seen the beautiful Belgian town of Bruges nearly five decades ago before it became overtouristed and Disneyfied. Still, when I have return over the years, I still am enchanted. This charming tilt-shift video … Continue reading →

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Rare Book Discovery

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I have a hazy recollection of a brief visit to Canterbury’s  The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge many decades ago on one of my first trips to England, but I was intrigued by a story about its current special … Continue reading →

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James Baldwin: Mountain to Fire

Posted on July 27, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

James Baldwin // “The world changes according to the way people see it, and if you alter, even by a millimeter, the way people look at reality, then you can change it.” To celebrate what would have been the 100th … Continue reading →

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The Original Swiss Army Knife

Posted on July 26, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I miss traveling with my handy Swiss Army knife. Since the advent of strict air travel security regulations, I stopped packing my trusty multi-function tool. Recently, I learned that the original version of the utility knife was invented by the … Continue reading →

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London is already great, and it can be even greater.

Posted on July 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Followers of Travel Between The Pages already know that I am an enormous Londonphile (if that’s even a word). Way back in the olden days of the 20th century I had the opportunity to spend some quality time getting to … Continue reading →

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Reading Room

Posted on July 13, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The British Museum in London has reopened its famous circular Reading Room for visitors with free tours .The historic Reading Room was built between 1854 and 1857 to a design by Sydney Smirke using cast iron, concrete, and glass. Much of … Continue reading →

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