Category Archives: Libraries

When is a book art?

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

H/t to Bonnie Kuster Butler for this post. When is a book art ? A current exhibition at LA’s Getty Research Institute explores the many ways in which artists create objects that straddle the worlds of books and art.  The … Continue reading →

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Everybody Loves A Bookmobile

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

I have always thought of the bookmobile as an outreach tool for rural or suburban libraries, but even the great Brooklyn Public Library in New York City still sends them into the community. The little video below directed by Steve … Continue reading →

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Bibliophile Miscellany

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

If like me you frequent book blogs, it’s likely that you have seen the charming, book-celebratory art work and illustrations by Hawaii-based artist and bibliophile Jane Mount. Now she has a delightful new book titled Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany coming out next … Continue reading →

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Are You Ready For Insta Novels

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday the New York Public Library launched a brilliant new way to enjoy classic literature. Insta Novels brings short stories, novellas, and even novels to readers in a new digital format. All readers need to do is follow @nypl on Instagram to … Continue reading →

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The American Library Project

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Cleveland’s main public library branch is hosting an extraordinary exhibition created by renowned British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. The American Library consists of 6,000 books bound in colorful batik fabric displayed on back-to-back bookshelves. Many of the volumes are gold-stamped with the names … Continue reading →

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Lives In Transit

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

“This exhibition conceives of passports as the ruins of a modern dream now in terminal crisis – the dream of a globalized world. Drawing on the collections of Harvard Library, Passports: Lives in Transit addresses this major contemporary issue through … Continue reading →

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Is It Mold ?

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

As a seller of collectible, antiquarian, and secondhand books, I get some very interesting queries about old books. The most common questions revolve around the value of specific titles, but I also hear from folks concerned about damage, stains, foxing, … Continue reading →

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Scale the Stacks

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Another wonderful cartoon by Grant Snider for the NY Times.

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There was only one catch

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

California-based, award-winning photographer David Fokos has an ongoing exhibition at San Diego International Airport called The Book Pages Project. This terrific show is an appreciation of “real” books in their actual physical form—paper pages, fonts, ink, layout—and the powerful contribution books have … Continue reading →

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Actual Cultural Appropriation

Posted on June 25, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

These days we hear the term cultural appropriation in reference to everything from music to hair styles, but there are more serious instances where the phrase takes on real significance. For example, a recently completed exhibition at London’s British Library Ritblat Treasures … Continue reading →

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