In the News: A Blueprint for Early America: Owen Biddle’s 1806 Book, The Young Carpenter’s Assistant.

In the News: A Blueprint for Early America: Owen Biddle’s 1806 Book, The Young Carpenter’s Assistant.

By Susan Christiansen | June 27, 2023 | Comments Off on In the News: A Blueprint for Early America: Owen Biddle’s 1806 Book, The Young Carpenter’s Assistant.

Raptis Rare Books was recently featured in the July/August 2023 issue of The Magazine Antiques in the article: A Blueprint for Early America: Owen Biddle’s 1806 Book, The Young Carpenter’s Assistant by Benjamin Davidson and Pippa Biddle. Read the full article here.            

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Alexander Hamilton: Father of American Finance.

Alexander Hamilton: Father of American Finance.

By Drew Mercantini | February 20, 2023 | Comments Off on Alexander Hamilton: Father of American Finance.

Born in the mid-1700s in relative poverty, Alexander Hamilton rose to prominence as one of America’s founding fathers and the first treasury secretary of the United States. He founded the nation’s financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, the New York Post newspaper, and he was the main author of the economic…

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Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father, Philosopher, and Scientist

Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father, Philosopher, and Scientist

By Drew Mercantini | November 19, 2022 | Comments Off on Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father, Philosopher, and Scientist

Born on January in either 1705 or 1706, Benjamin Franklin is one of the most well known Founding Fathers in American history. A polymath, Franklin was well known for both his political and scientific contributions to colonial America. Along with these pursuits, he also established the first newspaper chain, the first public library in America,…

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Ulysses S. Grant: Statesman and General

Ulysses S. Grant: Statesman and General

By Drew Mercantini | November 8, 2022 | Comments Off on Ulysses S. Grant: Statesman and General

Born in 1822, Ulysses S. Grant was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War in 1865 and thereafter briefly served as Secretary of War. Later, as president,…

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Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom

Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom

By Victoria Maseda | June 20, 2022 | Comments Off on Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom

In celebration of Juneteenth, we invite you to browse some of the rarest, earliest, and most important works of African American and Civil Rights leaders literature currently in our collection.     January 1st, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in his famous Emancipation Proclamation, “that all persons held as slaves are, and henceforward shall be…

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The Portraits of George Washington: Icon of American Patriotism.

The Portraits of George Washington: Icon of American Patriotism.

By Susan Christiansen | June 16, 2022 | Comments Off on The Portraits of George Washington: Icon of American Patriotism.

The first President of the United States, George Washington served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and later presided over the 1787 convention that drafted the United States Constitution. He is popularly considered the driving force behind the nation’s establishment and came to be known as the “father of the…

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The Political Life and Legacy of Ronald Reagan.

The Political Life and Legacy of Ronald Reagan.

By Susan Christiansen | May 18, 2022 | Comments Off on The Political Life and Legacy of Ronald Reagan.

Widely considered one of the most influential American Presidents to date, Ronald Wilson Reagan remains one of the most iconic figures within the American Republican Party. As the leader of the modern conservative movement, Reagan altered the the political dynamic of the United States and his policies and beliefs have been frequently invoked by several…

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Celebrating Black History Month and Early African American Literature.

Celebrating Black History Month and Early African American Literature.

By Susan Christiansen | February 3, 2022 | Comments Off on Celebrating Black History Month and Early African American Literature.

In celebration of Black History Month, we invite you to browse some of the rarest, earliest, and most important works of African American literature currently in our collection.     The earliest book published by an African American, Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published in 1773, three years before American…

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Collecting Americana: the Founding Texts of American History.

Collecting Americana: the Founding Texts of American History.

By Susan Christiansen | May 22, 2021 | Comments Off on Collecting Americana: the Founding Texts of American History.

One of the most fascinating genres to collect, Americana encompasses a broad range of titles, the most rare and desirable being the earliest texts printed in America. Containing resounding messages that played a significant role in the foundation and political history of the United States, among the most important books in American history are Thomas…

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Celebrating President’s Day and America’s Founding Fathers

Celebrating President’s Day and America’s Founding Fathers

By Susan Christiansen | February 12, 2021 | Comments Off on Celebrating President’s Day and America’s Founding Fathers

Celebrated on the third Monday in February in honor of the first president of the United States, George Washington, President’s Day was first established as a federal holiday in 1879 by an Act of Congress and continues to be a day of celebration, commemorating the presidency as an institution and America’s Founding Fathers. In observance…

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