Blog
Search Blog Posts
Kurt Vonnegut was an author who found humorous and imaginative ways to write about disconcerting realities that face us every day, from the plagues of war to the looming presence of technology. In his first novel, Player Piano, Vonnegut brings the two themes together in the setting ten years after a third world war, a…
Read More >
“Think you’re escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home.” Those words were famously written by one of the most influential writers in the 20th century, James Joyce. The quote comes from Joyce’s work Ulysses, an epic novel that was originally published in parts throughout continuous issues of magazine The…
Read More >
Considered one of the greatest American architects of all time, Frank Lloyd Wright believed that structures should be designed in harmony with humanity and its environment. He coined this philosophy “organic architecture,” and it would eventually become what distinguished his innovative work. The best example of this philosophy is the Fallingwater house he designed in…
Read More >
Known for his magnum opus, The Human Comedy, Honoré de Balzac was one of those natural born talents that constantly went against the mold. As a child, his headstrong personality caused him much frustration as he navigated his way through grammar school. Shortly after graduation, Balzac took an apprenticeship in a law office but soon…
Read More >
[fusion_text]A rare book is a treasure that is meant to be preserved for your lifetime and beyond. Building your own personal library is a way to conserve a cultural heritage and create a lasting legacy for future generations. These books cannot be easily replaced, and it is vitally important that you understand how to take…
Read More >
1. The Christmas Books by Charles Dickens The only reason to shout “Bah! Humbug!” at this collection is when you’re trying to decide which book to read first! The entire first edition set of Charles Dickens’ Christmas Books include A Christmas Carol (first issue), The Chimes, The Battle of Life, Cricket on the Hearth, and…
Read More >
Written in 380 BC, The Republic is considered one of the Plato’s best works and a major staple for Western philosophical and political thought. The work was alternatively titled On Justice by ancient readers, as the main theme aims to find the perfect definition of justice in regards to both the individual and the city-state.…
Read More >
Alexander Pope taught the world that to be inspired by greatness could earn you your own name in history. In addition to his credentials as the third most quoted literary figure by The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, topped only by Shakespeare and Tennyson, and a celebrated poet and essayist, Pope is best known for his…
Read More >
“First and greatest classic of modern economic thought”: First Edition of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations American economist and historian Robert L. Heilbroner writes about Adam Smith’s influence on capitalism: Adam Smith’s enormous authority resides, in the end, in the same property that we discover in Marx: not in any ideology, but in an effort…
Read More >
Considered “really the first scientific navigator,” Captain James Cook made invaluable contributions to European knowledge of the Pacific Ocean, which he sailed for 12 years in 3 voyages. His accomplishments include the first recorded contact with Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. Within these achievements, however,…
Read More >