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Writers

The Musée de la Vie Romantique has reopened in Paris after a lengthy renovation.

Museum Devoted to the Romantic Movement Reopens in Paris After Extensive Renovations

The Musée de la Vie Romantique, where the Dutch-French painter Ary Scheffer once lived, opened its doors on Valentine’s Day

A paperback copy of Wuthering Heights

Five Things to Know About ‘Wuthering Heights,’ Author Emily Brontë’s Only Novel

The famed 1847 book inspired numerous adaptations, including a new version directed by Emerald Fennell in theaters this week

Mass-market paperbacks reached their peak between the 1960s and the 1990s.

Have We Reached the Final Days of the Mass-Market Paperback?

One of the largest paperback distributors has decided to stop supporting the format, which has been making reading accessible to the masses since the 1930s

The bedroom is a reconstruction of the set of Fennell's film.

You Can Stay in Catherine Earnshaw’s Bright Pink Bedroom, Straight Out of the New ‘Wuthering Heights’ Movie

Airbnb is offering free three-night stays in the bedroom to three couples, who will also get lavish meals and a tour of England’s moors on horseback

The original scroll of Jack Kerouac's On the Road, up for auction in March, is 121 feet long.

You Can Buy Jack Kerouac’s Early Draft of ‘On the Road,’ Which He Typed on a 121-Foot-Long Scroll

The author taped pages together so he wouldn’t need to load paper into his typewriter. The original scroll of the Beat Generation classic is expected to fetch up to $4 million at auction

William Zachs stands before the Henry Raeburn and Alexander Nasmyth portraits, now on display together at the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Cool Finds

The Mystery of the Missing Robert Burns Painting Has Finally Been Solved—After 200 Years of Searches and Seances

The portrait of the renowned Scottish poet vanished without a trace in 1840. Since then, scholars and sleuths alike have been strategizing about how to get it back

Portraits of Oscar Wilde taken in New York in 1882

Oscar Wilde’s Portraits, Poems, Letters and Manuscripts Head to Auction 125 Years After His Death

Other rare items, available for purchase in February, include illustrations, theater programs, telegrams and newspapers

The mansion is located on the Grand Canal.

Claude Monet Painted This Palace Overlooking Venice’s Grand Canal. Now, the Legendary Mansion Is Officially for Sale

The Palazzo Dario has a rich history dating back to the 15th century—and, as the story goes, a succession of unusually unlucky owners

The volume was one of 2,000 copies printed during the original 1865 run of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

Lewis Carroll’s Personal Copy of ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ Returns to Its ‘Spiritual Home’ in Oxford

The book has been donated jointly to Christ Church and the Bodleian Library, which are both part of the University of Oxford

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Happy Public Domain Day to All Who Celebrate! You Can Now Use Betty Boop, Nancy Drew and ‘The Maltese Falcon’ for Free

On January 1, 2026, copyrights will expire for comics, books, movies, musical compositions and other creative works from 1930, as well as sound recordings from 1925

The protagonist of Louisa May Alcott's “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True,” embarks on a journey much like Ebenzer Scrooge's in A Christmas Carol.

A Forgotten Louisa May Alcott Story Showcases the Author’s Twist on Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

Written in 1882, “A Christmas Dream, and How It Came True,” covered many of the same themes as Dickens’ classic, albeit with a different audience in mind

Denmark's state-run postal service is dismantling its iconic red mailboxes and will end letter delivery service on December 30.

Denmark’s Postal Service Is About to Stop Delivering Physical Letters After 400 Years

As the volume of letters plummets, PostNord, the government-owned postal service of Denmark and Sweden, will stop transporting letters in Denmark on December 30, though it will continue distributing packages

A letter from Jane Austen to her sister, Cassandra, discussing the publication of Pride and Prejudice in 1813

Jane Austen’s Letters Are the Closest We Can Get to Her. What Do They Reveal About the ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Author?

This year marks the English novelist’s 250th birthday. Her hundreds of surviving letters—both real and fictional—offer valuable insights into her imaginative wit and enduring appeal

Jane Austen's second novel, Pride and Prejudice, was published on January 28, 1813.

Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ Was Initially Rejected by a Publisher. It Later Became One of the World’s Most Beloved Novels

The British author wrote six novels, but it’s her second published book that has resonated the most in the 250 years since her birth in 1775

A bust of Plato in the Long Room at Trinity College Dublin

Coastal Cities of Europe

Go Behind the Scenes at an Iconic Irish Library as Staff Move 700,000 Historical Treasures Into Storage

Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library will close for restoration and construction in 2027. What does that mean for the medieval manuscripts and books housed there?

Jessie Buckley stars as Agnes in director Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, a Focus Features release that arrives in theaters on November 26.

Based on a True Story

The Real History Behind ‘Hamnet’ and the Tragically Short Life of William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s Only Son

A film adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel, starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley as the Bard and his wife, imagines the lives of the Shakespeare family in fantastical and heartbreaking fashion

An original manuscript and cover sketch turned up in the archives of the University of California, San Diego’s Geisel Library earlier this year.

Three Decades After Theodor Geisel’s Death, a New Dr. Seuss Book Is Coming in 2026

“Sing the 50 United States!” will go on sale June 2, just in time to help celebrate America’s 250th anniversary

Harper Lee's best-known work, To Kill A Mockingbird, has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide.

You Can Now Read Eight Previously Unseen Short Stories by Harper Lee, the Famed Author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

Released this week, “The Land of Sweet Forever” includes stories the author wrote in the years before her debut novel became an instant classic in 1960

Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster from the classic 1931 horror film Frankenstein

In Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein,’ the Titular Scientist Laments His Nightmarish Creation. But the Real World Can’t Get Enough of His Monster

In the two centuries since the Gothic novel’s publication, the English writer’s tale of a science experiment gone wrong has captivated audiences around the world and taken on a life of its own

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How the Hardy Boys Book Series Cracked the Case of Getting Kids Hooked on Reading

One author has been credited with creating the virtuous teenagers’ thrilling adventures for almost a century. But there’s a story behind that, too

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