The Life and Works of Albert Einstein

The Life and Works of Albert Einstein

By Susan Christiansen | January 25, 2017 | Comments Off on The Life and Works of Albert Einstein

Perhaps best known for the development of his mass–energy equivalence formula, E = mc2, German born theoretical physicist, Albert Einstein’s surname has practically become synonymous with the term ‘genius’ in modern popular culture. Einstein received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1921 for his “services to theoretical physics” which included his development of the general theory…

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The Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner

The Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner

By Susan Christiansen | December 14, 2016 | Comments Off on The Florida Architecture of Addison Mizner

An architect who excelled at transforming an architectural fantasy into a practical, livable home, Addison Mizner was one of the most original and influential designers America has produced. The houses, clubs, and shops he built for the clients of Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Florida, evince a brilliant grasp of how to blend a building…

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For Rare Book Lovers, This May Be Coolest New Shop on Worth Avenue

For Rare Book Lovers, This May Be Coolest New Shop on Worth Avenue

By Adrienne Raptis | December 9, 2016 | Comments Off on For Rare Book Lovers, This May Be Coolest New Shop on Worth Avenue

By Barbara Marshall – Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Posted: 7:00 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016 (View the article on mypalmbeachpost.com here) Every day, Matt Raptis holds Western civilization in his hands. He can page through Captain James Cook’s illustrated account of his 18th century journeys to the South Pacific, follow Charles Darwin’s evolutionary reasoning…

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The Lives of the Sisters Brontë

The Lives of the Sisters Brontë

By Susan Christiansen | November 30, 2016 | Comments Off on The Lives of the Sisters Brontë

Raised in the mid 19th-century in the parsonage of Haworth in a small village in the countryside of Northern England, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë created what have come to be considered some of the greatest works of literature, despite the isolation and often devastating conditions that defined their short lives. The sisters experienced grief…

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The Life and Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Life and Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson

By Susan Christiansen | October 3, 2016 | Comments Off on The Life and Works of Alfred Lord Tennyson

Described by T.S. Eliot as “the saddest of all English poets”, Alfred Lord Tennyson is considered, to this day, to be one of Britain’s greatest poets. Heavily influenced by the strictly metered and often melancholic style of the English Romantic poets, Tennyson’s verse illustrated a mastery of rhythm and descriptive imagery drawing on both the…

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First Edition Novels by Thomas Pynchon

First Edition Novels by Thomas Pynchon

By Adrienne Raptis | July 8, 2016 | Comments Off on First Edition Novels by Thomas Pynchon

20th century American novelist Thomas Pynchon was known for his brilliant, yet maddeningly complex works including postmodern novel Gravity’s Rainbow, the powerful and popular The Crying of Lot 49, and V. Born in Long Island, his ancestry reached as far back in America to William Pynchon, who founded Springfield, Massachusetts in 1636. Ever since, his ancestors have accumulated wealth…

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The Adventurous Life and Works of Jack London

The Adventurous Life and Works of Jack London

By Adrienne Raptis | June 6, 2016 | Comments Off on The Adventurous Life and Works of Jack London

Jack London was the most successful writer in America in the early 20th century, and his books have been cherished by travelers, environmentalists, and activists for decades. Born and raised in the Bay Area, he was the first American novelist to achieve worldwide celebrity status from his fiction alone. His works surrounded radical topics at the time,…

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The Complete Works of Jane Austen

The Complete Works of Jane Austen

By Adrienne Raptis | May 19, 2016 | Comments Off on The Complete Works of Jane Austen

Renowned novelist Jane Austen died in 1817, and still today her works are common course material for grade school English and writing classes around the world. Her six major novels, including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, and Emma, serve as both social commentary and romantic entertainment for her readers. Her ability to pinpoint the unseen…

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H. G. Wells and the War of the Worlds

H. G. Wells and the War of the Worlds

By Adrienne Raptis | May 4, 2016 | Comments Off on H. G. Wells and the War of the Worlds

Herbert George or H. G. Wells, best known for his books The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, had enormous influence on our thinking of the future and the science fiction genre in general as his career took off during the turn of the 20th century. He is often referred to as the “Father of Science…

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Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

By Adrienne Raptis | April 21, 2016 | Comments Off on Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

English author Virginia Woolf was considered one of the greatest modernists of the 20th century. Woolf was born in London as Adeline Virginia Stephen by parents Julia and Leslie Stephen, a notable author, historian, and mountaineer. Her parents home-schooled her in a household of three children from three marriages total, as both parents had been previously married and widowed. Leslie’s prominence…

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