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The library of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg served not only as a collection of books but as a window into her intellectual world and a testament to her extraordinary career. As one of the most influential legal minds of the 20th and 21st centuries, Ginsburg’s library was a reflection of her lifelong dedication to law,…
Martin Luther King Jr., a towering figure in the American civil rights movement, left an indelible mark on history through his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and nonviolent protest. King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. Raised in a middle-class family, he excelled academically and eventually pursued a doctorate in systematic theology.…
The following article was published on January 17. 2023 in South Florida Business & Wealth. January 17, 2023 by SFBW Staff Raptis Rare Books in Palm Beach Showcases MLK Jr. Artifacts to Students From Acton Academy The elementary students viewed and learned about historic MLK Jr. signed memorabilia To help celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther…
The following article was published on January 18, 2023 in the Palm Beach Daily News: Andrew J. Davis Palm Beach Daily News Elementary school students from Acton Academy visited Raptis Rare Books on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to view several historic artifacts associated with the civil rights leader. Among the items the students…
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…
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…
Rare King signed books at Raptis in honor of MLK Day The following article was posted by the Palm Beach Daily News Published 4:02 p.m. ET Jan. 15, 2022 To honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Raptis Rare Books is exhibiting several items Monday signed and inscribed by the slain civil rights icon. These items, which are…
Our current exhibition, Celebrating the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., features a curated selection of first editions and documents signed by Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as several of the most important works published related to African American history. One of the most important figures of the twentieth…
One of the most celebrated figures of the Harlem Renaissance, poet, novelist and social activist Langston Hughes is widely considered one of the most important American writers of the 20th century. Through his poetry and fiction, Hughes sought not only to portray the experience of working-class blacks in America, but redefine, expand, and celebrate African…
Wednesday, October 2, 2019 marks the 150th anniversary of the Father of the Nation of India, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. A national holiday in India, the day is celebrated worldwide as the International Day of Nonviolence. Born on October 2, 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was trained in law at the Inner Temple, London, and called to…
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 to…
Raptis Rare Books was featured on the front page of the Palm Beach Daily News Shiny Sheet today, July 19th 2018, in commemoration of the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela. View the Silver Gelatin Print signed by Nelson Mandela featured in the article here as well as the many other items signed and inscribed…
Wednesday, July 18th marks the centenary of the birth of Nelson Mandela, one of the greatest moral leaders of the 20th century and the proclaimed “Father of the Nation” of South Africa. The country’s first non-white head of state, Mandela led the political revolution to dismantle the institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination of apartheid South Africa. He came to be…
Initially proposed by a group of African American educators at Kent State University in February of 1969, 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…
The following article was originally published in the Palm Beach Daily News Shiny Sheet on Monday, January 15th. Worth Avenue bookstore shares lesson on Dr. King with local students. By Ian Cohen – Special to the Daily News Cindy Metzler pulled the folded sheet of paper from her purse. It was a copy of Martin Luther…
From CBS12 News: PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Raptis Rare Book Store is giving visitors a look inside the mind of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as he prepared to deliver a speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s staff retreat on Nov. 14, 1966. Matthew Raptis, the owner of Raptis…
In the Palm Beach Daily News By Gregory Cox – Daily News Staff Writer The corners may be slightly yellowed and tattered, but the blue handwritten ink on a rare, hand-corrected speech that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered Nov. 14, 1966, stand as bold as the message he delivered that day. The four pages are now…
From the Sun Sentinel, By Johhny Diaz: Before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his speech to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in South Carolina on Nov. 14, 1966, he scribbled some notes in the margins of a typewritten outline. That annotated outline is on display at Raptis Rare Books in Palm Beach. “It’s a…
African American history and culture should be recognized and celebrated every day of the year, not just in Black History Month. But during this time, we are excited to celebrate African American history and its figures through new lenses. It is interesting how much literature and authorship has had an enormous impact on the lives of many great African American figures.…
