Category Archives: Libraries

Who doesn’t love the Wizard of Oz

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Here we are at the final day of the annual Banned Books Week and I just discovered that the beloved American children’s classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a banned book. In fact, for decades it was one of the most … Continue reading →

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Always Return Your Library Books On Time

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Conan the Librarian has zero tolerance for tardy returns.  

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Open a Book, Open the World

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The Library of Congress National Book Festival  2021 will run Sept. 17-26 this year in Washington D.C.. It will feature more than 100 authors, poets, and writers in a range of formats, including Tana French, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Claudia Rankine.The … Continue reading →

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The Great Bibliohoax

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I love a good prank, especially if it is at the expense of the pretentious. While bibliophiles and antiquarian booksellers are not known for their hijinks, back in 1840 an infamous bibliohoax was perpetrated on wealthy collectors, librarians and booksellers … Continue reading →

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Book of Hours

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

In my ongoing deep-dive into obscure books, today we have the amazing 15th century Codex Rotundus.This medieval book of hour takes its contemporary name from its odd circular format. It was created in Flanders and is written in Latin as … Continue reading →

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A Very Special Atlas

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The Atlas of the United States Printed for the Use of the Blind was published in 1837 for children at the New England Institute for the Education of the Blind in Boston. The entire volume was printed without ink, the text … Continue reading →

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Treasures from the Library

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

One month from today, the New York Public Library will be launching its first ever permanent exhibition. Treasures will offer rotating highlights from the NYPL’s collection of 56 million items spanning 4,000 years of history. For more than 125 years, The New … Continue reading →

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An ideal library

Posted on August 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Petite Biblioteque Gratuite

Posted on August 12, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a sucker for any story about little free library concepts, especially when they involve repurposing old tech. The city of Geneva, Switzerland has done just that with some of its obsolete public telephone booths. This example can be found … Continue reading →

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Serpentine Saturday

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The wavy patterns on the edges, covers, and endpapers on this tooled and blind-stamped, half-bound book are from Carew’s Survey of Cornwall . This edition was printed in London by Thomas Bensley for J. Faulder and Rees and Curtis in 1811, although Carew’s … Continue reading →

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