Category Archives: History

I’m Not Waiting For The Paperback, This Time

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

The first dictionary of slang, out of print for 300 years, is being published by the Bodleian Library, Oxford from a rare copy unearthed in its collections.Originally entitled A New Dictionary of Terms, Ancient and Modern, of the Canting Crew, its … Continue reading →

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The Battle of the Century ?

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

The Battle of the Century — Newsweek magazine created this amusing “boxing poster-style” graphic heralding the world championship bout between traditional books and the e-book challenger.

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Dublin Has The Write Stuff

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

This week Dublin has become only the fourth city to be designated an “UNESCO City of Literature”. Joining Edinburgh, Melbourne and Iowa City, Dublin now shares the coveted distinction and honor. Mary Hanafin, Ireland’s Minister of Tourism, said that the … Continue reading →

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Library Redux

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

 A few European library favorites from our readers.    

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World Heritage Sites…update

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday, the World Heritage Committee began its annual meeting to consider requests for the inscription of new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The session is being held at Brasilia, Brazil, and runs until August 3rd. During this year’s session,35 … Continue reading →

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How Kafkaesque

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Franz Kafka instructed that all his manuscripts were to be burned after his death, but his friend Max Brod chose to disregarded the request, setting-up a complicated legal tussle over thousands of pages of manuscripts that has the literary world in a … Continue reading →

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It’s Always 1984 Somewhere

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

Shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, George Orwell volunteered to fight for the Republicans against Franco’s fascist Nationalist rebellion. He joined the far-left POUM ( Workers’ Party of Marxist Unification), in which he fought as an infantryman. In his … Continue reading →

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Mark Twain: A Skeptic’s Progress

Posted on July 7, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

If you are going to be in the NYC area this Fall be sure to plan on visting the Morgan Library for Mark Twain: A Skeptic’s Progress which runs from September 9, 2010 until January 3, 2011. The Morgan Library … Continue reading →

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The Atlas Obscura…don’t get lost there

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

 Welcome to the Atlas Obscura, a compendium of this age’s wonders, curiosities, and esoterica. The Atlas Obscura is a collaborative project with the goal of cataloging all of the singular, eccentric, bizarre, fantastical, and strange out-of-the-way places that get left … Continue reading →

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Celebrate A Philly Fourth

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Brian D. Butler

During the sweltering summer of 1776, fifty-six unlikely revolutionaries defied the King of England and gathered at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia to declare independence for the fledgling United States of America.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, … Continue reading →

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