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Books

Tove Jansson with Moomin dolls

A Bold Finnish Artist Brought These Precious Little Hippopotamus-Like Trolls to the World 80 Years Ago

Tove Jansson was a trailblazing illustrator and author—and the inventor of the beloved Moomins, the central characters of her whimsical children’s books

A 19th-century miniature portrait of Jane Austen by an anonymous artist

See Inside Jane Austen’s Lively Literary Mind Through Letters, Line Edits and Locks of Hair

To celebrate the author’s 250th birthday, a new exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City features original manuscripts, financial records and correspondence with family and friends

Portrait of Rashid Johnson, New York, 2025 

This Renowned Artist Brings Plants, Shea Butter and Black Soap Into His Groundbreaking Work

In Rashid Johnson’s largest show of art yet, the power of mixed media is on full display

The Brontë children were born near this fireplace, pictured mid-renovation.

You Can Now Visit the Small House Where Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë Were Born

The newly renovated Brontë Birthplace in Bradford, England, was the three sisters’ home until 1820, when the family moved to a nearby parsonage

Many of O'Connor's artworks drew on the rural Southern surroudings of her family farm in Milledgeville, Georgia.

See Flannery O’Connor’s Little-Known Visual Artworks That Had Been Collecting Dust in Storage

From childhood cartoons to thoughtful self-portraits, the acclaimed Southern writer was always a keen observer of her surroundings

Ever since its departure from England exactly 180 years ago, on May 19, 1845, the Franklin expedition has captivated the public’s imagination.

The Shipwrecks From John Franklin’s Doomed Arctic Expedition Were Exactly Where the Inuit Said They Would Be

In May 1845, 129 British officers and crew members set out in search of the Northwest Passage on HMS “Erebus” and HMS “Terror.” None returned

Behind the scenes of "Down the Mine," the pilot episode of "Thomas & Friends"

Cool Finds

You Can Now Watch the Long-Lost Thomas the Tank Engine Pilot Episode for the First Time Ever

Created in 1983, the five-minute episode introduced the signature elements of “Thomas & Friends,” including Ringo Starr’s soothing narration and hand-crafted model trains. But for decades, it collected dust in the archives

The two eagle sculptures—including one with the wizard Gandalf riding on its back—have soared over visitors at Wellington International Airport in New Zealand for more than a decade.

Say Goodbye to This Massive ‘Hobbit’-Themed Sculpture of Gandalf Riding an Eagle

For more than a decade, the eye-catching artwork had hung from the ceiling of Wellington International Airport in New Zealand, where “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” were filmed

The exterior is made of fruitwood adorned with mother-of-pearl inlay and silver banding.

You Can Buy Novelist Charles Dickens’ Personal Travel Writing Desk and Silverware Set

The ornate desk features a silver plaque with a personal inscription that references the English writer’s family nickname, “Venerables”

E.H. Shepard illustrated a map of the Hundred Acre Wood for A.A. Milne's The World of Pooh (1957).

See the Imaginative Illustrations on the Endpapers of Children’s Books Like ‘The World of Pooh’ and ‘Blueberries for Sal’

A new exhibition celebrates the often-overlooked endpapers of more than 50 works of children’s literature ranging from the mid-20th century to the present day

Sotheby’s will auction off the set in London on May 23.

This Complete Set of Shakespeare’s Four Folios Could Sell for $6 Million

In the 17th century, the Bard’s plays were preserved for posterity in the First, Second, Third and Fourth Folios. Now, all four volumes are being sold as a set

Cassandra Austen's 1795 hand-drawn copy of a plate from a 1786 drawing instruction manual

See the Forgotten Paintings Made by Jane Austen’s Older Sister, Cassandra

A new exhibition at the Jane Austen House in England includes six artworks that are going on public display for the first time

A book bound in Corder's skin has been in the museum's collections since the 1930s. The second copy was given to the museum several decades ago.

Recently Rediscovered Book Bound in Human Skin Goes on Display in England

Curators think the volume’s corners and spine are bound in the skin of William Corder, an infamous criminal who was convicted of murder in the late 1820s

An ancient vase depicting the death of Talos, the bronze automaton created by the god Hephaestus to guard the island of Crete

History of Now

Was Talos, the Bronze Automaton Who Guarded the Island of Crete in Greek Myth, an Early Example of Artificial Intelligence?

The mythical sentry was depicted as thinking like a human and showing some human-like tendencies

The North Wind, Emily Brontë, 1842

Rare Watercolor by ‘Wuthering Heights’ Author Emily Brontë Will Go on Public Display for the First Time

“The North Wind,” painted while Emily and her sister Charlotte were studying in Belgium, is now heading to the Brontë family home in Yorkshire

An adult male Hudsonian godwit perches in a white spruce tree in Churchill, Manitoba.

Inside the Epic Migrations of North America’s Most Fascinating Shorebirds, From Godwits to Curlews

Ornithologist Bruce Beehler tracks down what he calls the “Magnificent Seven,” a charismatic group of migratory birds, in his new book

Researchers investigated 12th- and 13th-century manuscripts from an abbey in France that were clad in furry outer covers.

Some ‘Hairy’ Medieval Books Were Covered in Sealskin, and Researchers Don’t Know Exactly Why

Historians were surprised when analyses revealed Catholic monks used pinniped hides for the protective outer layer on some manuscripts, rather than skins from the local boars and deer

Robert Caro, seen here in 1990, worked on a novel based on his time as a newspaperman.

We Rediscovered Robert Caro’s Abandoned Novel About an Intrepid Journalist Buried in His Archives

A deep dive into the legendary biographer’s papers leads to the surprising revelation of a work he has all but forgotten

Błażej Mikuła (left) and Amélie Deblauwe (right), of the Cambridge University Library, 3D scan the manuscript

New Research

High-Tech Imaging Allows Researchers to Read Handwritten Medieval Arthurian Tales Hidden in the Binding of a Property Record

The stories are part of a French sequel to Arthurian legend, and its binding was repurposed in the 16th century

Senator Joseph McCarthy “comes along really chronologically halfway through the story [in the early 1950s], and there’s a lot that happened before he was even on the scene,” says author Clay Risen.

Newly Declassified Documents Reveal the Untold Stories of the Red Scare, a Hunt for Communists in Postwar America

In his latest book, journalist and historian Clay Risen explores how the House Un-American Activities Committee and Senator Joseph McCarthy upended the nation

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