The John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy Winter White House

The John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy Winter White House

By Susan Christiansen | January 9, 2017 | Comments Off on The John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy Winter White House

The coastal Kennedy estate on North Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach, Florida served as the “Winter White House” throughout the John F. Kennedy administration from 1961-1963. Sworn in as president on January 20, 1961, 41-year-old John F. Kennedy became the youngest person to be elected president in American history; 31-year-old Jacqueline Kennedy became the third youngest First Lady. As…

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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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Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

By Susan Christiansen | October 25, 2016 | Comments Off on Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

19th century French novelist Jules Verne has often been referred to as the “Father of Science Fiction” as well as a ‘prophet of scientific progress’ for his uncannily predictive depictions of scientific innovations and inventions long before their time. Born the son of a prominent lawyer in the seaport of Nantes, Verne was raised with…

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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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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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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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Vellum Bindings

Vellum Bindings

By Adrienne Raptis | January 18, 2016 | Comments Off on Vellum Bindings

Vellum refers to parchment made from calf skin that can be found on old and rare books. Very old Bibles were printed on it, and so was the Declaration of Independence. Vellum is not like calf leather in that it is not tanned, but it does vary in softness and smoothness based on the quality of…

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Robert and John F. Kennedy

Robert and John F. Kennedy

By Adrienne Raptis | January 10, 2016 | Comments Off on Robert and John F. Kennedy

The famous Kennedy family first sailed to America from Ireland in 1849. Sometimes called the “Royal Family of America,” the Kennedy’s political influence began with P.J. Kennedy and was carried all the way through John F. Kennedy’s presidency, while his brothers Robert and Ted held positions as prominent senators. But while everyone knows the Kennedy’s in…

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