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Editors' Picks

At Auction: A 1766 Copy of ‘Aristotle’s Masterpiece,’ a Best-Selling Sex Guide Banned in England Until 1961

Banned in England until 1961, a copy of this 17th-century text is going up for auction

The Top 10 Books Lost to Time

Great written works from authors such as Shakespeare and Jane Austen that you'll never have a chance to read

Who Are the Geniuses Behind Your Favorite Poems?

A new exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery unmasks the titans of modern American poetry

Arts & Culture Beats

Jane Austen’s English Countryside

Follow in the footsteps of Mr. Darcy and the Bennet sisters and take in the manors and gardens of rural England
January 25, 2013 | By Nina Fedrizzi

New Books, Reviewed: Animal Emotions, Deconstructing Detroit and the Science of Winning

Taking a closer look at some of the newest releases in non-fiction
February 2013 | By Chloë Schama

Most of What You Think You Know About Grammar is Wrong

And ending sentences with a preposition is nothing worth worrying about
February 2013 | By Patricia T. O’Conner and Stewart Kellarman

The Gory Details of Artist Katrina van Grouw’s Unfeathered Birds

A British artist, with experience in ornithology, explains how she created anatomical drawings of 200 different species of birds for a new book
January 18, 2013 | By Megan Gambino

Smithsonian.com’s Top Books of 2012

Looking for a reading list for the holidays? Check out our favorite books that we featured on the site this past year
December 13, 2012 | By Megan Gambino

Texas’ New Library Won’t Have Any Books

In San Antonio, an entirely bookless library system
January 14, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

The History of Mapmaking, Jared Diamond’s Latest and More Recent Books Reviewed

Also on the docket, travelling by fire and understanding the concept of “antifragility”
December 2012 | By Chloe Schama

Langston Hughes is one of the many poets featured in the National Portrait Gallery

Who Are the Geniuses Behind Your Favorite Poems?

A new exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery unmasks the titans of modern American poetry
November 2012 | By Joseph Stromberg

Designing Lives and Building Stories, Chris Ware’s Comic Book Epic

In Building Stories, cartoonist Chris Ware presents the banality of everyday life as a stunning comic epic
October 18, 2012 | By Jimmy Stamp

At Auction: A 1766 Copy of ‘Aristotle’s Masterpiece,’ a Best-Selling Sex Guide Banned in England Until 1961

Banned in England until 1961, a copy of this 17th-century text is going up for auction
January 07, 2013 | By Colin Schultz

Ten Famed Literary Figures Based on Real-Life People

Who were the sources for characters such as Robinson Crusoe or Dorian Gray?
September 13, 2012 | By Jeanie Riess

What's the Perfect Book to Get Over a Breakup?

Alain de Botton has provided a valuable service: giving reading prescriptions for a "shelf-help" approach to everyday problems
September 10, 2012 | By Megan Gambino

Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat

The History of Cooking and Other New Books, Reviewed

Why should we consider the fork? And a new biography of the ill-fated George Armstrong Custer
November 2012 | By Chloe Schama

Spillover cover

The Next Pandemic, the End of Men, Edward Curtis and More Recent Books Worth Reading

The scariest thing about deadly diseases is how little we know about them
October 2012 | By Chloë Schama

The Hobbit You Grew Up With Isn’t Quite the Same As the Original, Published 75 Years Ago Today

The Hobbit was first published 75 years ago today - and it wasn't exactly the way you remember it
September 21, 2012 | By Rose Eveleth

Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies

D-Day Spies, Lost Antarctica, Eating Dirt and More Recent Books

A new history blows the cover on British spies in World War II
September 2012 | By Chloë Schama

From the Page to the Plate: Bringing Literary Dishes to Life

Authors like Roald Dahl or James Joyce never could have predicted that their words could be spun into these tantalizing meals
August 20, 2012 | By Jeanie Riess

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