Billed as “an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music”, the Woodstock music festival was held August 15-18 1969 and attracted an audience of over 400,000 to Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. One of the biggest rock festivals of all time and a cultural touchstone for the late 1960s, theContinue reading “Celebrating the Enduring Influence and 50th Anniversary of Woodstock.”
Category Archives: For the love of books
Remembering Toni Morrison.
Prolific American author Toni Morrison published 11 novels, 9 works of non-fiction, 5 children’s novels and received over 30 awards throughout the course of her career including the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by Barack Obama, in 2012. Born on FebruaryContinue reading “Remembering Toni Morrison.”
Celebrating the Life and Work of James Baldwin.
American novelist and social activist James Baldwin was born today, August 2nd, in Harlem in 1924. The literary master’s deeply personal and provocative stories examined both the African American and homosexual experience when neither identity was accepted by American culture. His works would come to galvanize the nation and give a passionate voice toContinue reading “Celebrating the Life and Work of James Baldwin.”
Celebrating the Centenary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Birth.
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 ofContinue reading “Celebrating the Centenary of Sir Edmund Hillary’s Birth.”
Rare Book Highlights: Vesalius’ On the Fabric of the Human Body.
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 receivedContinue reading “Rare Book Highlights: Vesalius’ On the Fabric of the Human Body.”
The 50th Anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.
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. The story centres onContinue reading “The 50th Anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five.”
Friedrich August von Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom
One of the most influential and popular expositions of classical liberalism ever published first appeared in March of 1944. 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 the book’s popularity during this time of paper rationing, HayekContinue reading “Friedrich August von Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom”
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.
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.Continue reading “Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.”
Celebrating Black History Month and African American Literature.
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 andContinue reading “Celebrating Black History Month and African American Literature.”
In the News: Matthew Raptis and Antiquarian Books.
The following article was recently published in the Local Business Feature of the December 2018 issue of Boca Magazine. To read the full article follow the link and navigate to page 82 in the flipbook.