Tag Archives: Paris

The best museum in the world ?

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

You may disagree, but TripAdvisor just named the Musée d’Orsay in Paris the “Best Museum in the World” for 2018. Housed in a stunning turn-of-the-century former railway terminal, this riverside gem hosts an eye-popping collection of European art works dating … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Europe, Museums, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Bookstore of the Moon

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

La Librairie de la Lune, Brassaï 1938  

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Bansky in Paris

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

It’s hard to believe, but the mysterious British street artist(s) known as Banksy just made a first foray into Paris. These images are the first to be discovered. Hopefully, we’ll see some more in the coming days.

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As Important As The Eiffel Tower ?

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Les Bouquinistes, the booksellers whose iconic green stalls have lined the River Seine in the heart of Paris for more than two hundred years, are campaigning to be recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural treasure. Jerome Callais, the president of … Continue reading →

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Wild Books

Posted on May 11, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

“Second hand books are wild books, homeless books; they have come together in vast flocks of variegated feather, and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.”                      … Continue reading →

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Frankenstein Deluxe

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

To commemorate the bicentennial of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein  this year, Les Éditions des Saints Pères in Paris has published a limited edition, deluxe facsimile of the original manuscript in the author’s own handwriting. “Frankenstein is a canon in the history of … Continue reading →

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Springtime in Paris

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Brian D. Butler
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Drolatic Dreams of Pantagruel

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The Drolatic Dreams of Pantagruel (Les songes drolatiques de Panatgruel) is a bizarre, Brueghel-esque volume of humorous and grotesque woodcuts published in Paris in 1565. Based on the satirical Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel by François Rabelais, the book … Continue reading →

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Un Bouquiniste et Notre Dame

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

The last few times that I’ve been in Paris I’ve been disappointed to find that the traditional bouquinistes or booksellers along the Seine have been slowly replaced by vendors of tourist tat. This photo from 1931 by Jean Pierre Yves Petit (aka … Continue reading →

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Reading 1932

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Brian D. Butler

Pablo Picasso, La Lecture (The Reading) 1932 : The artist’s “muse” Marie-Therese Walter asleep in a chair with a book in her lap.  

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