Category Archives: Writing

It’s In the Bag

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Musician and writer Nick Cave just released a new book that provides a visual chronicle of a 22-city 2014 North American tour. The Sick Bag Song is an absorbing collection of poetry, lyrics, drawings, doodles, and ideas all captured on … Continue reading →

Posted in Air Travel, Art, Books, Canada, Music, Public Transport, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Maybe They Should Call It Seussville

Posted on March 26, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Springfield, no not the home of the Simpsons, but Springfield, Massachusetts the home town of Dr. Seuss, has announced plans to open the world’s first museum dedicated to the beloved children’s book author. The Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum … Continue reading →

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Back to basics

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Visitors to the U.S. are often shocked to discover that we have only one truly nationwide bookstore chain remaining. That company, Barnes & Noble, has just 700 stores unevenly spread around the country. The past few years, B&N has strayed … Continue reading →

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Better a book than a green beer

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Continuing an annual tradition of celebrating Irish Literature on St Patrick’s Day for the fifth year, the Irish Arts Center of New York City will be handing out thousands of free books to school children and commuters. Volunteers will distribute … Continue reading →

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Vienna is calling all bibliophiles

Posted on March 12, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

On April 18th, the new Literature Museum of the Austrian National Library will officially open in Vienna. The institution will document the nation’s literature with rare manuscripts, books, letters, photographs, illustrations and related objects. Situated in the heart of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Books, Europe, History, Libraries, Museums, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Day In The Life

Posted on March 8, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

As part of its Living Knowledge campaign, the British Library released this wonderful video on a typical day in the life of the library. The original soundtrack, by DJ Yoda, was constructed by sampling the British Library’s enormous sound collection.

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It Was Snowing Butterflies

Posted on March 7, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

On its 80th anniversary, Penguin Books has launched Little Black Classics, a series of 80 titles priced at just 80p. The diminutive books include fiction and nonfiction works drawn from Penguin’s Classics list. The covers all sport a striking typographic … Continue reading →

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Cultivating Food For Thought

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

The other day, I stopped by a local Chipotle restaurant for my favorite fast food tofu burrito. I was happy to find that they had a full set of the Mexican food chain’s new Cultivating Thought packaging. The second installment … Continue reading →

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A book is an object fixed in time

Posted on February 28, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

Over at the Design Observer, librarian/curator/writer Timothy Young offers a damn good list of ten reasons why the printed book still matters. Here’s a stripped down version (see below) of the list. If you’re inclined, check out the fully unexpurgated … Continue reading →

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We are all in paradise, but refuse to see it

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Brian D. Butler

New York City-based illustrator Evan Robertson creates splendid black and white posters featuring moving quotes from notable authors such as Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Samuel Beckett, Anais Nin, Thomas Wolfe, Jules Verne and Kurt Vonnegut. You can see more of these terrific … Continue reading →

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