Summer’s Almost Gone

Posted on August 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“Summer’s Almost Gone”
by
William Trowbridge
The squirrels are spreading the rumor: no more monkey business.
The Dow Jones hops up, then down, then back up, trying for attention,
           up against dog days.
The Capitol dome rattles like a witch doctor’s gourd. “More Republicans,”
           warn the talking drums.
The networks labor underground to stockpile T, A, and blood capsules
           for Sweeps Week, when all hell won’t be enough to save some.
Pedestrians slip into light coats of pollen and mold spores.
The Enquirer reports the sighting of Satan’s image over Chicago during
           the heat emergency. His words were, “For the hottest deals in town,
           see Sal at Mutto’s Chevrolet on East Wacker.”
The old elms shrug: “You think this is hot: we could tell you about hot.”
Walmart and Kmart burgeon into crooked towers of back-to-school
           candy. They’re heaven-bound, via the moon. Greeters offer
           themselves to the lowest common denominator. There’s a Blue-
           Light on moon caps.
Representatives from Tire City have announced they intend a hostile
           takeover and cleansing of their former territory, now known as
           Carpet City. Furniture City will not intervene.
The NFL’s negotiating for rights to the Baptist Church.
The carnies have packed up the Tilt-A-Whirl and Ferris wheel, leaving us
           up to our ass in free parking.
Everyone under 30 dreams of shoplifting some Air Jordans for school.
Everyone over 30 dreams of going to prison for shoplifting.
The hypochondriacs wake up noticing little dark spots in front of their
           eyes, think they could be in the middle of something serious.
“Winterize now,” say the prime-time commercials. “Spend, spend, spend!”
           cry the cicadas and katydids over the scorched, moonlit lawns.
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How Travelers Can Help

Posted on August 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

This week has left many of us wondering how we can help folks caught up in the many current crises around the world. The wonderful organization Miles4Migrants, a non-profit founded back in 2016, has been using donated frequent flyer miles to provide people impacted by war, violence, persecution and disaster with the opportunity to migrate safely. The group works with individuals and families who are legally allowed to travel, but can’t afford airfares. Miles4Migrants relies on public donations and also collaborates with other non-profits to make these difficult journeys a little easier. This past week the organization received 52 million frequent flyer miles and credit card points, $15,000 in travel vouchers and $100,000 in cash donations. If you’d like to donate and want to find out more about the project visit Miles4Migrants right here.

 

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Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter to the Future

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The recent United Nation’s report on climate change should be a wake-up call to humanity. But we have been warned about these challenges for decades and have done little about them. Way back in 1988, the great writer Kurt Vonnegut wrote a letter to the people of 2088 addressing these self-same issues. In the video below, everybody’s favorite Sherlock Holmes reads Vonnegut’s missive to the future to a contemporary audience.

It’s a straightforward message:

1. Reduce and stabilize your population.
2. Stop poisoning the air, the water, and the topsoil.
3. Stop preparing for war and start dealing with your real problems.
4. Teach your kids, and yourselves, too, while you’re at it, how to inhabit a small planet without helping to kill it.
5. Stop thinking science can fix anything if you give it a trillion dollars.
6. Stop thinking your grandchildren will be OK no matter how wasteful or destructive you may be, since they can go to a nice new planet on a spaceship. That is really mean, and stupid.
7. And so on. Or else.

NB: If the video does not appear on your version of TBTP, please click on the short url at the bottom of your email.

 

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there is no friend as loyal as a book

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I love these chalkboards from the folks at Barnes & Noble bookstores and the nook e-reader.

 

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Travel To Middle Earth

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

If you regularly visit Travel Between The Pages you will know that I am a life-long LOTR fan and that I love a good travel poster. This beautiful set of Tolkien themed travel posters is the work of LA-based artist and designer Beverly Arce. You can see the entire series and more right here. Why not purchase a poster or two from her shop while you’re at it.

 

 

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Not the 36 Views of Mt. Fuji

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I imagine that most folks are well acquainted with the iconic series of Japanese woodblock prints titled Thirty -Six Views of Mount Fuji. Even those who are unfamiliar with the work of Katsushika Hokusai who was a 19th century Japanese ukiyo-e painter and printmaker know the iconic print of  The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

Two centuries after Hokusai, his sublime prints continue to inspire. London-based artist Edward Luper grew up looking at one of his city’s landmarks: the BT Tower and his life-long love for Japanese woodblock prints eventually led him to create an homage to the master of the art form with his own series 36 Views of BT Tower.

Luper’s prints capture London’s BT Tower from various vantage points and throughout different weather patterns and seasons. And while these types of projects are often cartoony and derivative, Luper has transcended with his detailed and atmospheric work. I loved each of the thirty-six views.

Luper’s prints are available for purchase through the curated art platform Your Art Home where you can see the entire series.

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The Original Headless Horseman

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

When you are a bookseller potentially everything can remind you of a book that you’ve sold. Not long ago I saw a story online about the recent release of a new film adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight . Naturally it reminded me of an illustrated copy of the the book that I sold many years ago. That edition of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was published by the Limited Editions Club in 1971. The publisher’s announcement describes the book in detail:

“…twelve full-page ‘resist’ drawings, a two-page drawing for the title spread, and numerous tailpieces and incidental decorations, all printed in Sepia. Frank Lieberman designed the volume and drew the large initials which open each stanza. He chose Goudy ‘Thirty’ type for the Middle English text and Poliphilus for the modern English, both in the sixteen-point size… The light tan Arak paper is a rag wove watermarked stock made specially for this edition at the Curtis Paper Mill… The text was set by Westcott & Thomson in Philadelphia… The binding is in natural coarse Irish linen, stamped on the shelf-back with the title and a series of decorations reflecting the medieval text.”

This terrific edition was printed by the Meriden Gravure Company, with illustrations by Cyril Satorsky The book was published in an edition of 1500 copies signed by Satorsky.

 

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Improving on the Travel Notebook

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

If you are a writer, or a traveler, or even a travel writer, it’s quite likely that at one time or another you have utilized an iconic Moleskine notebook (or in some of our cases a very good knock-off). But unless you are au courant with the updated versions of Moleskine notebooks, you may not have seen some of the beautiful editions that they now offer. Which leads me to the wonderful series from the company called “I Am City.” Created by Milan-based illustrator and architect Carlo Stanga, the three books are love letters to New York, London, and Milan.

Stanga leads readers on tours of the great cities, paying tribute to local lifestyle, landmarks, parks, and architecture. His playful illustrations and intimate anecdotes showcase the personalities of cities and the idiosyncrasies that make them unique.

These notebooks/guidebooks may be too beautiful to write in.

 

 

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Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes

Posted on August 14, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently trying to remember the details of a camping trip in Denmark many summers ago and ran across this wonderful series of short time-lapse videos of the four seasons there. Filmmaker Casper Rolsted beautifully captures the magic of the changing of the seasons in the beautiful little country.

 

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Another Reason To Visit Queens

Posted on August 13, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Very few tourists who spend time in New York City bother to visit the Borough of Queens. Those who do are usually in search of the amazing variety of ethnic food on offer. But it would be well worth the effort for street art aficianados to make the short trip across the East River to the Queens neighborhood of Astoria to check-out the amazing Welling Court Mural Project, which has produced hundreds of compelling pieces of public art over the last 11 years.

The art work which covers much of the gritty Welling Court neighborhood is produced by local up and coming street artists, as well as world known figures in the public art scene.

 

The most recent additions to the project are pieces of art work that reimagine and update three historic fire emergence alarm boxes. Completed secretly by an anonymous artist, the colorful mosaics augment 19th century call boxes.

You can get the flavor of the Welling Court project from the short video below that was filmed just a few weeks ago.

NB: If you get TBTP via an email server, it may be necessary to click on the short url linl at the bottom of the email to play the video. I still don’t know why this is happening.

 

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