/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/f9/fa/f9faba63-791f-4a70-a9ea-77017119173f/civil_war_copy.jpg)
The Telegram That Broke News of the Civil War
After Confederate forces seized Fort Sumter, a U.S. Army officer dashed off this message to Washington
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A Black American’s Guide to Travel In the Jim Crow Era
For decades, The Green Book was the black traveler’s lifeline
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Why Marquis de Lafayette Is Still America’s Best Friend
A conversation with Sarah Vowell about her new book, the American Revolution and what we can learn from the Founding Fathers
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The Grisly Details of Early Anatomy Textbooks
These images detail the inner workings of human bodies in all their gruesome glory
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What Do the Most Innovative Chefs Keep in Their Fridges?
A new book gives a peek inside the home refrigerators—and minds—of some of Europe’s top culinarians
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These Brilliant Literary Maps Will Help You Understand Your Favorite Book
A lavishly illustrated atlas for Huckleberry Finn and other classics
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27 Percent of U.S. Adults Didn’t Read a Single Book Last Year
This new survey on reading habits isn’t all doom and gloom, though
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The Real-Life Places That Inspired Frankenstein
How Mary Shelley used ideas, events and places to invent her famous monster
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The Science of ‘Little House on the Prairie’
A mutual passion for Laura Ingalls Wilder inspired scientists in unrelated disciplines to investigate events from the famous author’s world
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Google Books Isn’t Copyright Infringement
A landmark court ruling allows the tech giant digitize library books
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The Origins of the King James Bible
A handwritten draft of the world’s most famous bible has been discovered in England
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Chicago’s Newest Library Is on a Train
Bored during your morning commute? #BooksOnTheL can help.
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Learn Physics From Nobel Prizewinner Richard Feynman for Free
The physicist’s legendary lectures are now available online
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These Brave Playwrights Want to Rewrite Shakespeare
“They have been at a great feast of languages, and stol’n the scraps.”
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5 Things to Know About Svetlana Alexievich, Winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Belarusian journalist is best known for her tragic investigations of war and disaster in eastern Europe
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In Honor of Banned Books Week, Here Are the Most Challenged Books of 2014
The American Library Association reported 311 formal, written challenges to books
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Mold Is Threatening Boston Public Library’s Rare Books
As spores are found in the stacks, it’s time to battle a fuzzy foe
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