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Books

Cool Finds

Found: One Lost Sherlock Holmes Story

It was in the attic, my dear Watson

Livraria Lello, Porto, Portugal

Charming and Unusual Bookstores Around the World

Curl up with a new book—or catch a reading or concert—at these thriving independent bookstores from Mexico City to Melbourne

“The Booths had an inherited strain of darkness in them,” an acquaintance of Asia’s wrote in the foreword to her memoir.

The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

The Closest Source We Have to Really Knowing John Wilkes Booth Is His Sister

In a post-assassination memoir, Asia Booth Clarke recalled her brother’s passion, his patriotism and his last words to her

What little-known facts could you learn about FDR?

Ten Fascinating Presidential Facts to Impress on Presidents’ Day

Learn a new side of the Commanders-in-Chief, from whiskey seances and magazine cover boys

Cool Finds

How One 138-Page Book Inspired the Creation of the Boy Scouts

How a little military textbook evolved into a movement that would captivate generations of young men

Journey back to the Paris of the Marquis de Sade by strolling around the Marais, one of the city's oldest neighborhoods.

Tour Paris With the Marquis de Sade as Your Guide

Traces still remain in the City of Love of the famed author and sex icon

Bound for Morotai Island, Private Bryan Carroll, Memphis, TN, relaxes on the deck of an LST with a book. He leans on a pile of his belongings, which include his helmet and mess kit.

How Books Became a Critical Part of the Fight to Win World War II

Author Molly Guptill Manning explains the importance of reading to the American victory

Here's the Tolkien nerd’s guide to the third Hobbit movie.

The Tolkien Nerd’s Guide to “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”

The final chapter in Peter Jackson’s trilogy strays furthest from the book, but there are still a few buried Easter eggs for die-hard fans to enjoy

King led a throng of 25,000 marchers through downtown Montgomery in 1965.

The Radical Paradox of Martin Luther King’s Devotion to Nonviolence

Biographer Taylor Branch makes a timely argument about civil right leader’s true legacy

Experience the magic of the holiday season on a historic train.

Six Historic Trains That Embody the Holiday Spirit

Trains have always been a part of holiday celebrations—so why not hop aboard this season? Here are six seasonally appropriate rides to consider

Cool Finds

The Library for Magicians Is Taking Appointments

The Conjuring Arts Research Center in New York City houses some of the world’s rarest books on the art of deception

From left: Princess Tiger Lily, Indian Chief and Peter Pan as depicted in the 1953 film.

The Racist History of Peter Pan’s Indian Tribe

Even in the early 20th century, though, critics saw Tiger Lily and her fellow “Picaninnies” as caricatures

Vice President Al Gore, with President George Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney

How the Office of the Vice Presidency Evolved from Nothing to Something

Vice President John Adams once said “In this I am nothing, But I may be everything.” A new book tells how the office has moved from irrelevance to power

Smaug now resides at the Wellington airport.

Cool Finds

Smaug the Dragon And Other Unexpected Airport Surprises

There’s more to the world’s airports than newsstands and food courts

Bill Nye enthusiastically greets students and faculty at Cal State Fullerton in California earlier this year.

Bill Nye on the Risks of Not Debating With Creationists

Bill Nye the Science Guy has a book out on evolution. Here’s what he has to say

J.K. Rowling isn't the only author who can't seem to get away from their most famous characters.

Authors Who Couldn’t Quit the Characters That Made Them Famous

Here is a list of famous writers, including J.K. Rowling, who couldn’t resist reconnecting with their creations.

The King receives members of Scott's expedition at Buckingham Palace in England here. Shown are Lt. Bennie, Paymaster Drake, Paymaster Drake, Commander Campbell, Commander Evans, Commander Bruce, and Sir Levick, 1913.

Cool Finds

Antarctic Explorer’s Journal Found In Melting Ice

George Murray Levick served as a photographer, zoologist and surgeon with the North Party

2014 Ingenuity Awards

The Amazing Results When You Give a Prison Inmate a Liberal Arts Education

Prison reform activist Max Kenner champions the transformative power of a college degree for inmates nationwide

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Cool Finds

This Photographer Set Out on a Quest to Rediscover the World’s Lost Species of Frogs

Some of the subjects are new to science, others haven’t been seen in 15 to 160 years

Cool Finds

Libraries Are Great at Lending All Sorts of Things—Not Just Books

Lending libraries are now lending more than books

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