Books
Smithsonian Scholars Pick Their Favorite Books of 2021
The writings of many fine authors support the research and ambitious undertakings of an Institution rising to the challenges ahead
The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2021
With many of our wings still clipped by Covid-19 this year, we needed to travel vicariously through these adventurous reads
When Benjamin Franklin Shocked Himself While Attempting to Electrocute a Turkey
The statesman was embarrassed by the mishap—no doubt a murder most fowl
Tiny Gold Book Found in English Field May Have Ties to Richard III
Experts say the 15th-century artifact bears striking similarities to the Middleham Jewel, a gold pendant found near the king's childhood home in 1985
A Literary Scholar Takes Us Around the World in Eighty Books
Harvard professor David Damrosch's new release has readers traveling to London, Paris, Nigeria, Tokyo and beyond without ever leaving home
Crayons Aren't Just for Kids
Mixed media artist Lisa Solomon describes how she and five other artists have embraced Crayola in their work
How the Ancient Romans Went to the Bathroom
A new book by journalist Lina Zeldovich traces the management of human waste—and underscores poop's potential as a valuable resource
The Real Betty Crocker May Never Have Existed, but She Still Became a Symbol for American Women
Created as a customer service tool 100 years ago, the fictional character marks the evolution of domesticity in the United States
What Did Tudor England Look, Smell and Sound Like?
A new book by scholar Amy Licence vividly transports readers back to the 16th century
The Victorian Woman Writer Who Refused to Let Doctors Define Her
Harriet Martineau took control of her medical care, defying the male-dominated establishment’s attempts to dismiss her as hysterical and fragile
Why 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark' Frightened So Many Parents in the 1990s
Launched 40 years ago, Alvin Schwartz's spooky series pitted school administrators against PTO members pleading to ban the books
Why Dragons Dominated the Landscape of Medieval Monsters
The mythical beasts were often cast as agents of the devil or demons in disguise
The Secret Excavation of Jerusalem
A British aristocrat looking for the Ark of the Covenant launched history's most peculiar archaeological dig—and set off a crisis in the Middle East
How Memphis Created the Nation's Most Innovative Public Library
You can play the ukulele, learn photography or record a song in a top-flight studio. You can also check out a book
In Defense of King George
The author of a new biography shines a humane light on the monarch despised by the colonists
The Unheralded Women Scribes Who Brought Medieval Manuscripts to Life
A new book by scholar Mary Wellesley spotlights the anonymous artisans behind Europe's richly illuminated volumes
Singer and Artist Solange Debuts Free Library of Rare Books by Black Authors
Readers in the U.S. can borrow 50 titles, including collections of poems by Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes and a sci-fi novel by Octavia Butler
'Shaft,' 'Super Fly' and the Birth of Blaxploitation
In this excerpt from ‘Music Is History,’ the drummer for the Roots and all-around music ambassador looks at a year when everything changed
The True History Behind 'The Last Duel'
A new film from Ridley Scott dramatizes the 1386 trial by combat of a medieval man accused of a horrific crime
Abdulrazak Gurnah, Chronicler of Migrant Experience, Wins 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Zanzibar-born author of ten novels tells richly detailed stories about people living "in the gulf between cultures and continents"
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