Saturday July 20th marks the centenary of the birth of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
Born in Auckland, New Zealand on July 20th 1919, Edmund Percival Hillary made his first climb at the age of twenty, reaching the summit of Mount Olliver in the Canterbury Region of New […]
First published by Joannis Oporini in 1543, Sixteenth century Flemish anatomist and physician Andreas Vesalius’ On the Fabric of the Human Body remains the most important and influential book in the study of human anatomy and “one of the most beautiful scientific books ever printed”(Grolier).
Vesalius studied medicine at the University of Paris and received his […]
Raptis Rare Books was recently featured in the May 2019 issue of Modern Luxury Palm Beach. View the full issue here and view the rare inscribed first edition of The Babe Ruth Story featured here.
March 2019 marks the 50th Anniversary of the publication of Vonnegut’s most powerful novel, Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade, A Duty-Dance With Death.
Published 50 years ago this month, on March 31st 1969, Vonnegut’s science fiction-infused anti-war novel Slaughterhouse-Five became his first bestseller and made the 47-year old writer a celebrity.
First edition of Vonnegut’s masterpiece Slaughterhouse-Five; […]
One of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published first appeared in March of 1944.
First edition of F.A. Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom; signed by him
The Road to Serfdom was first published in London by Routledge & Sons in March 1944 in the midst of World War II, and due to […]
Sunday, March 10th marks the 50th anniversary of Puzo’s definitive masterwork.
A searing narrative of the Mafia underworld, Mario Puzo’s epic novel The Godfather made its debut on March 10th, 1969. Appearing at a time when America’s interest in organized crime was growing, the book was applauded for its authenticity and swiftly became publisher G.P. Putnam’s […]
Raptis Rare Books is pleased to welcome experienced journalist and acclaimed author Andrea di Robilant as he discusses his new book: Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse.
In this illuminating work, Andrea recounts the remarkable story of Ernest Hemingway’s love affair with both the city of Venice and the muse he found there […]
Raptis Rare Books is pleased to welcome back acclaimed speaker and historian Ed Lamont as he presents: Mary Lily Flagler’s Washington Birthday Ball.
At the turn of the 20th Century, Mary Lily Kenan Flagler emerged as Palm Beach’s first “grande dame.” Her Washington Birthday Ball peaked the Palm Beach social seasons for many years. Also known […]
Raptis Rare Books is pleased to welcome back acclaimed speaker and historian Lee Pollock of The International Churchill Society as he presents: At Churchill’s Table: Dining and Diplomacy with History’s Greatest Leaders.
Beyond his stature as a world statesman, Churchill is almost as well known for his love for—and consumption of—food and wine and for his […]
Black History Month was officially recognized by President Gerald Ford as a month of national observance in 1970 during the United States Bicentennial where he urged American citizens to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.
Many of the most celebrated and influential […]
