Category Archives: Writing

An Audacious Throwback

Posted on October 5, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I only gave up my print subscription to the New York Times last year replacing it with the newspaper’s excellent digital version. But I still miss that satisfying feel of a big, foldable broadside edition. Now the new County Highway, which … Continue reading →

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if on a winter’s night

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

As a life-long fan of Italo Calvino’s writing, I was very excited to discover this marvelous BBC audio adaptation of his post-modern classic If on a winter’s night a traveler .  Released On: 24 Sep 2023 Available for 22 days Relax. … Continue reading →

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Le Petit Prince

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t think that I would be going out on a limb to speculate that almost every one reading this post has at one time read the iconic Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novel The Little Prince. In my case, I read … Continue reading →

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Freedom to Read

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently asked by a TBTP follower from Europe if the issue of book banning in the United States was being overhyped in the press. Sadly, if anything the scourge of book bans, and even book burnings, is not … Continue reading →

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Let Freedom Read

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The American Library Association has announced the theme for Banned Books Week 2023: “Let Freedom Read!” Banned Books Week will take place October 1 – 7, 2023. “As we’ve seen throughout National Library Week, as long as there are libraries, … Continue reading →

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Mainly Miscellany

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

You should check out Postcard Past: A site collecting contemporary photo recreations of scenes from old postcards, which neatly contrast the stylized presentation of the often-future-seeming architecture depicted in postcards of the past with the reality of today. To quote … Continue reading →

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A river of Portuguese red

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

While I was in Portugal earlier this month, I read a local news story about a tragic loss of thousands of liters of red wine due to a storage tank collapse. And in an odd coincidence, I just spotted a … Continue reading →

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The Exhaustive Output

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Starting with Common Sense

Posted on September 17, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Books That Shaped America is a new 10-part series – a joint original feature production from C-SPAN and the Library of Congress – will trace America’s history by examining masterpieces in literature that have had, and still have today, a major … Continue reading →

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Poet turned travel writer

Posted on September 12, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Not long ago, I was queried by a book buyer about the availability of a first edition copy of A Guide through the District of the Lakes, William Wordsworth’s travelers’ guidebook to England’s Lake District. Although I have seen early editions … Continue reading →

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