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Books

Interior of the British Library in London

The British Library’s Dirtiest Books Have Been Digitized

The collection includes around 2,500 volumes and many, many double entendres

Salinger’s son and widow first started preparing the works for publication in 2011.

J.D. Salinger’s Unpublished Works Will Be Released to the Public Over the Next Decade

The author produced a trove of unseen writings over a nearly 50-year period prior to his death in 2010

Detail from one of the fragments showing the name "Merlin."

Fragments of Early Arthurian Legend Found in 16th-Century Book

The seven manuscript fragments, which date to the 13th century, tell the story of Merlin leading a battle charge

Los Angeles-based Nate D. Sanders Auctions will sell the collection on January 31, for a starting price of $3,500.

Dr. Seuss’ Letters to the Friend Who Launched His Career Are for Sale

Mike McClintock helped Theodor Seuss Geisel publish his first children’s book, which had been rejected 27 times

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Canada Archives Acquire Book That Would Have Guided North American Holocaust

The report details the population and organizations of Jewish citizens across the U.S. and Canada

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Who Will Be Spared in Game of Thrones, According to Science

‘Highborn’ women who have switched sides seem to do best on the fantasy series, while ‘lowborn’ men tend to die violently

Ed Sullivan interviews Fidel Castro in January 1959, shortly after dictator Fulgencio Batista had fled the country.

Tony Perrottet's Cuba

When Fidel Castro Charmed the United States

Sixty years ago this month, the romantic victory of the young Cuban revolutionaries amazed the world—and led to a surreal evening on “The Ed Sullivan Show”

Cool Finds

Egyptian Schoolboy’s 1,800-Year-Old Lesson to Go on Display

The British Library took the exercise out of storage as part of an upcoming exhibition on the history of writing

Founded in 1975, the space boasts a collection of some 7,000 books, 1,500 periodicals, and reams of pamphlets and assorted ephemera

London’s Feminist Library Lives

A successful crowdfunding campaign saved the institution from closure and is financing its move to a new space

George Washington takes command of the Continental army.

The Plot to Kill George Washington

In The First Conspiracy, thriller writer Brad Meltzer uncovers a real-life story too good to turn into fiction

Damage to the Philippine Legislative Building as a result of World War II. At the time, the Philippines was a U.S. colony.

Telling the History of the U.S. Through Its Territories

In “How to Hide an Empire,” Daniel Immerwahr explores America far beyond the borders of the Lower 48

From L to R: Gymnetis drogoni, Gymnetis rhaegali and Gymnetis viserioni

These New Beetle Species Are Named After the ‘Game of Thrones’ Dragons

Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons—Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion—provided the inspiration for these three beetles’ new names

For the First Time in More Than 20 Years, Copyrighted Works Will Enter the Public Domain

A beloved Robert Frost poem is among the many creations that are (finally) losing their protections in 2019

The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2018

Our picks deliver feminist history, folklore reimagined and an adventurous romp through awe-inspiring destinations

The Ten Best Science Books of 2018

These titles explore the wide-ranging implications of new discoveries and experiments, while grounding them in historical context

A new exhibition featuring rare books from the Smithsonian Libraries examines the complex history and evolution of big game hunting.

The Complicated History of the Human and Elephant Relationship

With the new exhibition, “Game Change,” Smithsonian Libraries delves into 150 years of hunting and conservation

The Best Books of 2018

In our efforts to increase and diffuse knowledge, we highly recommend these 70 titles released this year

Smithsonian.com’s Chief Digital Officer Shares His Favorite Books of the Year

Our own William Allman describes the 2018 titles he found to be the most enjoyable and eye-opening reads

Dorothy Porter in 1939, at her desk in the Carnegie Library at Howard University.

Remembering the Howard University Librarian Who Decolonized the Way Books Were Catalogued

Dorothy Porter challenged the racial bias in the Dewey Decimal System, putting black scholars alongside white colleagues

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2018

Armchair travelers, rejoice: you don’t need a passport to experience the world through an author’s prose

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