Articles tagged as Books | Smithsonian Magazine

Edith Wharton had presumably outgrown her rattle by the time this photo was taken in 1877.

Cool Finds

For Sale: Edith Wharton’s $16,500 Baby Rattle

Fanciest. Teething device. Ever.

October 19, 2015

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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

October 16, 2015

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Venice

What to Read, Watch and Download Before Your Trip to Venice

Know before you go

October 14, 2015

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Chicago’s Newest Library Is on a Train

Bored during your morning commute? #BooksOnTheL can help.

October 13, 2015

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Learn Physics From Nobel Prizewinner Richard Feynman for Free

The physicist’s legendary lectures are now available online

October 13, 2015

“They have been at a great feast of languages, and stol’n the scraps.”

October 12, 2015

The Belarusian journalist is best known for her tragic investigations of war and disaster in eastern Europe

October 8, 2015

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The Card Catalog Is Officially Dead

Long live the card catalog

October 5, 2015

The American Library Association reported 311 formal, written challenges to books

September 30, 2015

As spores are found in the stacks, it’s time to battle a fuzzy foe

September 29, 2015

Matt Damon stars as Mark Watney, the titular "Martian" who gets left for dead on the red planet.

The Secret of “The Martian” Success? Scientific Peer Review

Andy Weir’s tale of a stranded astronaut got its start as a blog, complete with reader comments that helped shape the plot

September 28, 2015

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Supreme Court Justices Have a Thing for Shakespeare

The brief’s the thing

September 25, 2015

#PotterItForward was designd to warm the hearts of future readers

September 23, 2015

Scaled back so no two books share a page, the library still has 10 to the power of 4,677 books.

This Digital Library Contains Every Phrase That Could Ever Be Uttered

Inspired by an essay by Jorge Luis Borges, computer programmer Jonathan Basile has created a “Library” of Babel

October 2015

Toni Tipton-Martin's book The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks gives readers a new look at African-American cooking history and culture.

What 200 Years of African-American Cookbooks Reveal About How We Stereotype Food

In a new book, food journalist Toni Tipton-Martin highlights African-American culinary history through hundreds of pages of recipes

September 16, 2015

The first edition of The Guinness Book of Records had a waterproof cover to protect it from pub spills.

The Guinness Book of World Records: A Promotional Stunt That Became an International Phenomenon

The book that makes us ooh and ahh, and squirm in our seats is more than 65 years old

August 27, 2015

Innovative Spirit Health Care

Six Children’s Books That Use Psychological Techniques to Help Kids

The sleep-inducing “The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep” has become a mega bestseller. But it’s not the only story to lean on psychology

August 25, 2015

A painting of a bird from the 1633 Manual of Calligraphy and Painting.

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The World’s Oldest Multicolor Printed Book Was Too Fragile to Read…Until Now

The 1633 book has now been digitized

August 13, 2015

Players from the University of Sydney and McGill University grapple over the quaffle during the 2014 Quidditch World Cup in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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Muggles, Rejoice: Quidditch is Becoming a Serious Sport

The Harry Potter-inspired game is now played by more than 300 teams around the world

July 30, 2015

A blue Egyptian water lily, a potential inspiration for flower petals painted on a casket found in Tut's tomb.

How Flowers Changed the World, From Ecosystems to Art Galleries

A new book by entomologist Stephen Buchmann explores the beautiful and sometimes bizarre history of flowering plants

July 30, 2015