Books

Austin Reed learned to write as a juvenile prisoner. His handwritten manuscript runs 304 pages.

The Earliest Memoir by a Black Inmate Reveals the Long Legacy of Mass Incarceration

The story of "Rob Reed" is finally published, 150 years after his release

A First Folio kept at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, U.K.

Shakespeare’s First Folio Goes on Tour in the U.S.

Rare copies of the tome, containing 36 of the Bard’s plays, will visit every state for the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death

Gene Luen Yang becomes the first graphic novelist to be appointed as the national ambassador for young people's literature.

Meet the New National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

The Library of Congress' decision to appoint graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang to the post reflects a growing acceptance of comic books

Excerpt from the "Executive Coloring Book" by Brenda Jackson, Dennis Altman, Marcie Hans, Martin A. Cohen, and Ronald L. McDonald, published in 1961.

Adult Coloring Books Were Popular (and Subversive) in the 1960s

Coloring books made fun of corporate culture, conspiracy theorists and Communist fears

Does that book feel more like a doorstop? It's part of a growing trend.

Bestselling Books Are Getting Longer

But are they getting better?

None

The Best History Books of 2015

Beyond the boldface names are these chronicles from the past year that are well worth your time

A NOAA archaeologist examines the wreck of Two Brothers in Hawaii.

NOAA Made a Sequel to 'In the Heart of the Sea'

Because the story that inspired <i>Moby-Dick</i> is just the beginning

Maybe the white whale just wanted a hyphen.

Why Does Moby-Dick (Sometimes) Have a Hyphen?

The hunt for the true story behind Melville's hyphen is as mysterious as the famous white whale

It took Leo Tolstoy six years to write War and Peace.

There’s a ‘War and Peace’ Marathon Going On in Russia

It will take 1,300 readers four days and 60 hours to read the book out loud

This 19th-century cartoon depicts a corpse brought back to life through the power of "galvanism."

How Twitching Frog Legs Helped Inspire 'Frankenstein'

Galvanism sought to reanimate the dead—and in doing so provided the impetus for one of literature's most famously frightful books

A new Smithsonian Book by Gus Lee tells the untold story of Norman Schwarzkopf's work with young cadets at West Point.

How the Unflinching Norman Schwarzkopf Became One Man’s Guiding Light

In a new book, the general who successfully commanded one of the largest military operations in the Middle East is remembered by a man he mentored

The manuscript found in the attic

An Intern Saved a Museum by Finding This Revolutionary War Treasure in the Attic

The obvious lesson: never throw anything away

Best Gifts of 2015 for Museum Lovers

A host of gifts inspired by the Smithsonian collections, its scientists, curators, historians, photographers and gardeners

The Best Photography Books of the Year

These photographers see things differently and invite you into unfamiliar worlds

In Brazil, Subway Reading Means a Ticket to Ride

These books encourage reading by doubling as subway tickets

A Hemingway Book Has Hit the Paris Bestseller List After Recent Attacks

<i>A Moveable Feast</i> declares that "there is never any end to Paris"

Yes, we have no bananas: Bananas may be plentiful on store shelves today, but since Americans commercially eat only one variety, our banana supply (like many other foods) is vulnerable to disease or other dangers.

How Globalization and Climate Change Are Taking Away Our Favorite Foods

In a new book, author Simran Sethi argues that we are facing one of the most radical shifts in food ever.

In 1856, a Nantucket sailor sketched the killing of his crew’s “100-barrel” prize.

How Nantucket Came to Be the Whaling Capital of the World

Ron Howard's new film "In the Heart of the Sea" captures the greed and blood lust of the Massachusetts island

These French Vending Machines Sell Short Stories

Super-short fiction that's as good as any snack

The New Yorker Editor Who Became a Comic Book Hero

The amazing tale of a determined art director who harnessed the powers of the greatest illustrators around the world to blow kids' minds

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