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Books

"Ray's Rock" on Omaha Beach, where medic Ray Lambert was part of the first wave during D-Day

One of the Few Surviving Heroes of D-Day Shares His Story

Army medic Ray Lambert, now 98, landed with the first assault wave on Omaha Beach. Seventy-five years later, he could be the last man standing

Anne Frank wrote the letters between 1936 and 1941, a period predating the events of her famed diary.

Letters Anne Frank Wrote to Her Grandmother Will Be Published for the First Time

The notes are featured in a soon-to-be released volume of Frank’s collected works

Illustration from woodblock-printed text on the life of Gautama Buddha

Library of Congress Digitizes Taiwanese Watercolors, Rare Chinese Texts

The library’s rare Chinese book collection includes 5,300 titles, 2,000 of which will ultimately be included in the online portal

The Library of Congress has digitized rare children's books

Rare Children’s Books Digitized by the Library of Congress

Festive felines and wayward rockets come to life online in honor of the 100th anniversary of Children’s Book Week

Pioneers' Flatboat, originally published in black and white in The Century Magazine (volume 92, May to October, 1916).

Recounting the Untold History of the Early Midwestern Pioneers

In his new book, historian David McCullough reveals how the New England settlers made their mark on the U.S.

The scene after a fire at Ashdown Forest in East Sussex

Fire Tore Through the Forest That Inspired Winnie the Pooh’s ‘Hundred Acre Wood’

Officials are confident England’s Ashdown Forest will recover from the blaze

The Bible is similar to one brought to North America by Pilgrims traveling aboard the Mayflower

17th-Century Bible Stolen From Pittsburgh Library Recovered in the Netherlands

The 404-year-old religious text was one of more than 300 artifacts stolen from Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Library over a two-decade period

Cool Finds

‘A Clockwork Orange’ Follow-Up Found in Burgess Archives

‘The Clockwork Condition’ was intended to be a philosophical examination of themes raised in his most popular and problematic novel

Wainright watches over Livingstone's body on the trip back to Britain.

Cool Finds

Diary of Livingstone’s Intrepid African Attendant Jacob Wainwright Digitized

He traveled with the Scottish missionary and explorer searching for the source of the Nile, and he’s responsible for bringing his remains to Britain

The Baker Hotel’s lobby was one of the most magnificent in the nation, but after years of decay it has been left in a moldy and derelict state.

American South

These Photographers Venture Into Derelict Buildings in Texas So That We Don’t Have To

In a new book, Shane and Jessica Steeves capture some of the state’s abandoned churches, schools and hotels

"I certainly see ourselves moving in a direction where conception through sex will come to be seen as natural, yet dangerous," says Metzl.

How To Prepare for a Future of Gene-Edited Babies—Because It’s Coming

In a new book, futurist Jamie Metzl considers the ethical questions we need to ask in order to navigate the realities of human genetic engineering

A 19th-century illustration of 'Sleeping Beauty' by artist Gustave Doré

Barcelona School Commission Evaluates 600 Children’s Books for Sexist Content

One-third of the books were removed for promoting gender stereotypes at a critical point in childhood development

The cathedral as Victor Hugo would have seen it when he wrote The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.

‘The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’ Shoots to Top of France’s Best Seller Lists

Victor Hugo wrote his famed novel at a time when the cathedral was in crisis

Beta Writer’s debut work consists of about 250 pages of compiled research, sorted into chapters based on subject matter.

Publisher Releases First Textbook Written Entirely by an Algorithm

“Beta Writer” isn’t the next great American author, but its debut work shows promise for AI-assisted research

Cool Finds

Bonn Library Recovers More Than 600 Books Looted After World War II

The trove was flagged after a Belgian woman unwittingly tried to auction the stolen books

Cool Finds

Book of Lost Books Discovered in Danish Archive

The index is part of the Libro de los Epítomes, an effort by Christopher Columbus’ illegitimate son to create a searchable index of the world’s knowledge

New Research

Computer Analysis Says ‘Beowulf’ Is the Work of a Single Author

Academics have argued about the origins of the Old English epic for two centuries

Adam Smith and William Shakespeare

How the Invisible Hand of William Shakespeare Influenced Adam Smith

Born more than 150 years apart, the two British luminaries each encountered rough receptions for their radical ideas

These illustrations come from a miniature book of classical Persian poetry.

The Library of Congress Has Digitized 155 Persian Texts Dating Back to the 13th Century

Offerings include a book of poetry featuring the epic Shahnameh and a biography of Shah Jahan, the emperor who built the Taj Mahal

Vending Machines Dispense Short Stories in London’s Canary Wharf

The free stories come in one, three or five-minute reads

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