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Books

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

New Research

Bestselling Books Are Getting Longer

But are they getting better?

None

Everybody Loves Lists

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.

Cool Finds

NOAA Made a Sequel to ‘In the Heart of the Sea’

Because the story that inspired Moby-Dick is just the beginning

Maybe the white whale just wanted a hyphen.

Cool Finds

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.

Trending Today

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."

Cool Finds

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

Cool Finds

In Brazil, Subway Reading Means a Ticket to Ride

These books encourage reading by doubling as subway tickets

Trending Today

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

A Moveable Feast 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.

Age of Humans

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

Cool Finds

These French Vending Machines Sell Short Stories

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

American Ingenuity Awards

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

Cool Finds

A Lost Story by Edith Wharton Has Been Discovered in Yale’s Library

“The Field of Honor” is about a failed marriage during World War I

Document Deep Dive

When the Empire State Building Was Just an Architect’s Sketch

How one of the world’s most famous skyscrapers was built

A 17th-century engraving of the revolutionary printer

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Venice

The Man Who Changed Reading Forever

The Venetian roots of revolutionary modern book printer Aldus Manutius shaped books as we know them today

Trending Today

Amazon Just Opened An Actual Bookstore in Seattle

And just like its online marketplace, Amazon’s brick-and-mortar shop aims to shake up the industry

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