Category Archives: USA

Follow The North Star

Posted on November 10, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, civil rights activist and progressive journalist Shaun King announced that he will be resurrecting the North Star, the abolitionist newspaper started by Frederick Douglass and Martin Delany 171 years ago, after receiving legal permission and a blessing from Douglass’ family. King … Continue reading →

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America’s 50 Favorite Bookstores

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Using data and reviews from Yelp (plus a little trickery) the website Hoodline has created a list of what they purport to be “America’s 50 Favorite Bookstores”. As you might expect, the the findings include some perennial top picks for bookshops, such … Continue reading →

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Love Your Bookstore

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

This week marks the launch of Love Your Bookstore, “the first and only retail holiday that celebrates all brick-and-mortar bookstores during the holiday season.” The event, which runs from November 10 through November 16, features the Love Your Bookstore Challenge. Book … Continue reading →

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Seeing Philadelphia in 1845

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

 Philadelphia: City Sights for Little Folks features illustrations of things you could expect to see on a journey through town in 1845. The title, which offers brief descriptions and occasional rhymes, was surprisingly written for children. The book was printed via stereotype, … Continue reading →

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Word on the street : VOTE

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

This past week street artist Joe Boruchow has been encouraging Philadelphia residents to get out the vote with wheatpastes around town.

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Bram Stoker: Library Miscreant

Posted on November 1, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

I have been a fan of Bram Stoker’s creepy classic Dracula ever since my first reading as a child. Here in Philadelphia, we are fortunate to have a fascinating collection of Stoker’s notes for the book at the wonderful Rosenbach Museum and … Continue reading →

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A Halloween Thriller

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Brian D. Butler
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Word On The Street : NYC

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

H/t to artist Wilson Tseng for his new street art campaign to address the MAGA trash in our cities.

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Another Reason To Heart SF

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, eleven independent bookstores in San Francisco received a surprising gift—a no strings attached cash grant from the city. San Francisco city government, in partnership with the nonprofit Working Solutions, awarded a total of $103,000 to fund “revitalization” of … Continue reading →

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And the winner is…

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird was chosen by voters as America’s #1 best-loved novel in  “The Great American Read.” The viewers’ voting results were revealed Tuesday night on PBS during the final episode of the eight-part television series and nationwide campaign, … Continue reading →

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