Tag Archives: Antiquarian Books

Lost At Sea

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

On its maiden voyage en route from Southampton to New York, the RMS Titanic sank after colliding with an iceberg. Among those who died at sea were American book collector and Grolier Club member Harry Elkins Widener who at 27 had already amassed an … Continue reading →

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Bizarre Books

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

Brian Lake who manages Jarndyce Antiquarian Booksellers in Bloomsbury, London has compiled  a volume of truly odd and eccentric book covers in his new book Librorum Ridiculorum A Compendium of Bizarre Books. The books in the collection range from fairly … Continue reading →

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Christmas at the Bookshop

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

h/t Tom Gauld

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A Perfect Time To Visit The Haunted Bookshop

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

  What better time of the year to visited The Haunted Bookshop than at the Halloween season. Located in Cambridge, England and fittingly found down a dark, spooky alleyway, the diminutive bookstore more than lives up to its name. Packed … Continue reading →

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Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day

Posted on September 20, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Happy Monday! The floriated initial M in the above text comes from the 16th century alchemical book Della tramutatione metallica sogni tre by Gio. Battista Nazari Bresciano. Floriated, or decorative, initials are common in antiquarian books. Typically new sections of … Continue reading →

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The Great Bibliohoax

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I love a good prank, especially if it is at the expense of the pretentious. While bibliophiles and antiquarian booksellers are not known for their hijinks, back in 1840 an infamous bibliohoax was perpetrated on wealthy collectors, librarians and booksellers … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Tourism: London

Posted on June 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I have had the great fortune to spend both quality and quantity time in London’s wonderful bookstores. In fact, I have browsed 15 of the 17 bookshops featured in the video below. Compiled by Abebooks.com, the short film features some … Continue reading →

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Poison Book Project

Posted on August 31, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Just in case you needed another reason to wash your hands these days… The bright emerald green cloth on the books (above & below) gets its intense color from copper acetoarsenite, more commonly known as arsenic. The inorganic pigment was … Continue reading →

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Dog Days of Summer

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

July 12th to August 20th are the official “Dog Days of Summer,” the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which in astrology is connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck.Here … Continue reading →

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It’s fate

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Brian D. Butler
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