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Smithsonian editors choose their favorite (mostly) nonfiction of (mostly) 2023
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The beloved medley of rice and meat is the national dish of Uzbekistan
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In this year's tabletop favorites, play as bees in space, Chinese emperors, fox breeders, women suffragists, fashionistas and much more
![“There’s something about these characters,” says department store historian Michael Lisicky. “So many of [them] are so wonderfully regional, and that’s why they’re still so powerful.” Featured characters include Uncle Mistletoe, Billie the Brownie, Christopher Candycane and Mr. Bingle.](https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/MOJBuuZAK0Rk3BAdXV1-xfd8LMw=/400x300/filters:no_upscale():focal(700x527:701x528)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/bf/7d/bf7d7ca5-5926-402d-8489-1364cea5b2e3/christmas-characters.jpg)
Created as department store marketing tools, many of these seasonal figures became beloved holiday traditions
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This year’s top titles include an art history primer, a collection of silly poems and a mathematical word problem in disguise
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The 1993 film also inspired its director, Steven Spielberg, to establish a foundation that preserves survivors' stories
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A new Shawn Michael Warren portrait of the legendary talk show host is now on view at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery
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Odeuropa is an online database of scents from 16th- to early 20th-century Europe culled from historical literature and art
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The painter’s streetscapes and neighborhood scenes mesmerize, but now he is being recognized for documenting a changing urban landscape
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The multidisciplinary artist wanted us to imagine how we can shape society and uplift our communities
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At his peak, the television icon, who died at 101, reached more than 120 million Americans with shows like "All in the Family"
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The celebrated artist’s crusading works, now on view at the Hirshhorn Museum, upend the stereotypes too often foisted on Black women
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Whether you are looking for some gift ideas or a great read to enjoy on the plane or cozied up over the holidays, consider our carefully curated lists
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Our favorite titles this year will make readers feel the power of visual storytelling
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In the birthplace of Italian sculpture, a powerful automated machine tries its hand at an ancient craft
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Curators and staffers satisfied their endless curiosity with novels, short stories, biographies, art collections and journalistic reporting
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Bordeaux. Napa Valley. Missouri? This vintner wants to put this once-booming wine region back on the map
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The bold journalist, who made a splash on both sides of the lens, is the subject of a new biopic starring Kate Winslet
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This Yuletide mainstay continues to warm cockles and ventricles everywhere
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You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
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