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Books

A vision of ancient Carthage, attributed to the painter William Linton, c. 1830. 

The Story of Carthage Isn’t Necessarily What the Romans Committed to History

A new book by historian and archaeologist Eve MacDonald paints a more complete portrait of the once-great African society destroyed by Rome

The volume was one of 2,000 copies printed during the original 1865 run of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Lewis Carroll’s Personal Copy of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ Returns to Its ‘Spiritual Home’ in Oxford

The book has been donated jointly to Christ Church and the Bodleian Library, which are both part of the University of Oxford

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Happy Public Domain Day to All Who Celebrate! You Can Now Use Betty Boop, Nancy Drew and ‘The Maltese Falcon’ for Free

On January 1, 2026, copyrights will expire for comics, books, movies, musical compositions and other creative works from 1930, as well as sound recordings from 1925

The protagonist of Louisa May Alcott's “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True,” embarks on a journey much like Ebenzer Scrooge's in A Christmas Carol.

A Forgotten Louisa May Alcott Story Showcases the Author’s Twist on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

Written in 1882, “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True,” covered many of the same themes as Dickens’ classic, albeit with a different audience in mind

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best children's books of 2025 include The Three-Year Tumble, Let's Be Bees and Every Monday Mabel.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Children’s Books of 2025 Feature a Story of Untrustworthy Fish and a Tribute to a Beloved Bus Driver

This year’s top titles run the gamut and include an adaption of a Korean folk tale, a highly entertaining question-and-answer book and much more

A letter from Jane Austen to her sister, Cassandra, discussing the publication of Pride and Prejudice in 1813

Jane Austen’s Letters Are the Closest We Can Get to Her. What Do They Reveal About the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Author?

This year marks the English novelist’s 250th birthday. Her hundreds of surviving letters—both real and fictional—offer valuable insights into her imaginative wit and enduring appeal

The Poseidon Adventure debuted in theaters 53 years ago. This stupendously implausible work of fiction grew from the fertile soil of fact, drawing inspiration from the RMS Queen Mary's tendency to tilt dangerously.

Based on a True Story

How a Near-Shipwreck on a Luxury Ocean Liner Inspired ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ and a Decade of Disaster Movies

Paul Gallico was on board the RMS “Queen Mary” when it almost capsized in 1937. The haunting experience shaped his best-selling 1969 novel and its 1972 film adaptation

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best books about travel of 2025 include Adventures in the Louvre, On the Hippie Trail and Things Become Other Things.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2025

These top titles of the year conveniently bring the world and its many perspectives to us

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

The Best Books of 2025

The Best Books of 2025

Whether you’re doing some holiday shopping or looking for your own next read, consider our thoughtfully curated lists.

Smithsonian magazine's picks for best photography books of 2025 include Birds of a Feather, Blue Sun and Trembling Earth.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Photography Books of 2025

Our favorite titles this year invite readers to take in the beauty of nature and our cultural rituals

Jane Austen's second novel, Pride and Prejudice, was published on January 28, 1813.

Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Was Initially Rejected by a Publisher. It Later Became One of the World’s Most Beloved Novels

The British author wrote six novels, but it’s her second published book that has resonated the most in the 250 years since her birth in 1775

Visitors look at Library of Us, an installation by British artist Es Devlin, during Miami Art Week.

This Artist Put 2,500 of Her Favorite Books in a Massive Rotating Library on Miami Beach

The 20-foot-tall installation, titled “Library of Us,” featured titles that hold personal meaning for British artist Es Devlin—who invited visitors to sit on nearby benches and read

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best books about science in 2025 include Replaceable You, Dinner With King Tut and North to the Future.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Science Books of 2025

From “experimental archaeology” to the mysterious appeal of exploration, the wide-ranging subjects detailed in these titles captivated Smithsonian magazine’s science contributors this year

A bust of Plato in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin

Coastal Cities of Europe

Go Behind the Scenes at an Iconic Irish Library as Staff Move 700,000 Historical Treasures Into Storage

Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library will close for restoration and construction in 2027. What does that mean for the medieval manuscripts and books housed there?

From a book to robots, the products all focus on microelectronics.

Engineers Say These Ten Holiday Gifts Will ‘Make Kids Think’

A team of Purdue students and faculty recommends these microelectronic-focused toys for developing STEM skills

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best books about food of 2025 include Good Things, Cellar Rat and We Are Eating the Earth.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2025

From cookbooks to memoirs, these new titles will feed your hunger and leave you satisfied

The front cover of Superman No. 1, the first issue in the first comic book series devoted to Superman

Three Brothers Found a 1939 Copy of ‘Superman No. 1’ in Their Mother’s Attic. It Just Became the Most Expensive Comic Book Ever Sold

When their mother was 9, she and her teenage brother had pooled their money to purchase the 10-cent comic book. By the time she died several years ago, she had forgotten where it was

Smithsonian magazine's picks for the best history books of 2025 include We the People, The Stolen Crown and Medicine River.

The Best Books of 2025

The Ten Best History Books of 2025

Our favorite titles of the year resurrect overlooked histories and examine how the United States ended up where it is today

Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes in director Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, a Focus Features release that arrives in theaters on November 26.

Based on a True Story

The Real History Behind ‘Hamnet’ and the Tragically Short Life of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s Only Son

A film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley as the Bard and his wife, imagines the lives of the Shakespeare family in fantastical and heartbreaking fashion

Demonstrators at an anti-Vietnam War protest held at Bronx Science High School in New York in April 1968

Untold Stories of American History

Newly Declassified Records Suggest Parents Collaborated With the FBI to Spy on Their Rebellious Teens During the 1960s

As high school students across the U.S. embraced political activism, adults turned to the authorities to shield their sons and daughters from radical influences

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