Tag Archives: Library of Congress

The Conjure-Man Dies

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

“The Conjure-Man Dies” is a product of the Harlem Renaissance and the most important work of long-overlooked writer Rudolph Fisher. First published in 1932, the book was the first full-length mystery novel to feature an all-Black cast of characters, including … Continue reading →

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Open a Book, Open the World

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The Library of Congress National Book Festival  2021 will run Sept. 17-26 this year in Washington D.C.. It will feature more than 100 authors, poets, and writers in a range of formats, including Tana French, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Claudia Rankine.The … Continue reading →

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Past Perfect

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I recently ran across the beautiful photochrome print from around 1900 of the Durango-Silverton Railway above the Animas River gorge in southwestern Colorado. It immediately reminded me of a trip that I took on the same railway line a few … Continue reading →

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Remember the sky that you were born under

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

  Remember Remember the sky that you were born under, know each of the star’s stories. Remember the moon, know who she is. Remember the sun’s birth at dawn, that is the strongest point of time. Remember sundown and the … Continue reading →

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How Books Have Helped

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

Washington D.C. is blessed with an abundance of excellent bookstores. One of my favorites has long been the wonderful Second Story Books in the Dupont Circle neighborhood. Now they have partnered with the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress … Continue reading →

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How to find that book without the title

Posted on May 23, 2020 by Brian D. Butler

If you are like me there are times that you are searching for a specific book but don’t remember or don’t know the title. The video below and this  article from the website Make Use Of has some great ideas … Continue reading →

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Library of Congress Crime Spree

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

  The U.S. Library of Congress has recently announced a new collaboration with Poison Pen Press to launch the Library of Congress Crime Classics Series. Beginning this Spring, classic American crime novels will see new life with the reissue of fiction … Continue reading →

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A festival for us (bibliophiles)

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Now that it’s officially August, I was checking to see when the National Book Festival was happening in Washington D.C. and I found the wonderful poster for this year’s event. If you can make it to DC, it’s always worth … Continue reading →

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In Bruges

Posted on June 4, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Bruges before it became completely Disney-fied by over tourism. Still, I never got to see the Belgian gem as viewed in these amazing Photochrom prints from the 1890s. This … Continue reading →

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Another Roadside Attraction

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Historian and self-taught photographer John Margolies spent the last three decades of the 20th century wandering the back roads, small towns, and old highways of the U.S. capturing images of a disappearing culture. His saturated Kodachrome images of kitsch signage, … Continue reading →

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