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Writers

Professor Ronald Greeley, 1939-2011

Ronald Greeley: A Gentleman and a Scholar

Some scientists are both great researchers and fine human beings. Ron Greeley was one of them

Some of the greatest writers in history have had works lost over time.

The Top 10 Books Lost to Time

Great written works from authors such as Shakespeare and Jane Austen that you’ll never have a chance to read

Seven Dials, in central London, was synonymous with poverty and crime, a black hole to most Londoners. Charles Dickens stormed it with pen and paper.

How Charles Dickens Saw London

Sketches by Boz, the volume of newspaper columns that became Dickens’ first book, invokes a colorful view of 19th-century England

Kenko had little trouble living with the idea that things were getting worse. "The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty," he wrote.

The Timeless Wisdom of Kenko

A 14th-century Japanese essayist’s advice for troubled times runs the gamut from quirky to prescient

Christie purchased Greenway in 1938. Years later, she recalled the spell that the estate had cast on her: "a white Georgian house of about 1780 or '90, with woods sweeping down to the Dart...the ideal house, a dream house."

Where Agatha Christie Dreamed Up Murder

The birthplace of Poirot and Marple welcomes visitors looking for clues to the best-selling novelist of all time

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Agatha Christie on the Big and Small Screen

Even though Dame Agatha may not have enjoyed adaptations of her mysteries, audiences have been loving them for decades

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Sarah Zielinski Wins Writing Award

Using Ancestry.com, Ted Gup was able to track down the recipients of his grandfather's generosity.

Ted Gup on “The Gift”

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E. J. Wagner on “The Tell-Tale Murder”

For Smithsonian's September issue, author Gioia Diliberto took on the story of Pearl Curran and her spirit writer Patience Worth.

Gioia Diliberto on “Ghost Writer”

Founding editor Edward K. Thompson guided the new magazine through its first decade.

From the Editor: Curveballs at the Un-Magazine

From the first issue 40 years ago, Smithsonian has blazed its own path through the media landscape

Kevin Kelly worries devices like Apple's iPad, shown here with Smithsonian's first cover, nurtures action over contemplation.

Reading in a Whole New Way

As digital screens proliferate and people move from print to pixel, how will the act of reading change?

The human race "has not been elevated" over the past 40 years, Carl Hiaasen says.

Carl Hiaasen on Human Weirdness

The satirist talks about the “curve of human weirdness” and the need for public outrage in the political arena

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Scientific Publishing Can’t Be Free

Two centuries after Shakespeare's death, a lowly law clerk named William Henry Ireland forged the Bard's signature and a seal that convinced skeptics.

To Be…Or Not: The Greatest Shakespeare Forgery

William-Henry Ireland committed a scheme so grand that he fooled even himself into believing he was William Shakespeare’s true literary heir

Michael Walsh is a New York Times bestselling author and most recently wrote an article on boxer Jack Johnson and musician Scott Joplin for Smithsonian.

Michael Walsh on “Great Expectations”

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Inviting Writing: The World’s Best Liver Sandwich

Biographers disagree over what kind of man Charles Dodgson really was.

Lewis Carroll’s Shifting Reputation

Why has popular opinion of the author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland undergone such a dramatic reversal?

The city, in all its brooding grandeur, takes center stage in stories featuring the master of deduction.

Sherlock Holmes’ London

As the detective stalks movie theaters, our reporter tracks down the favorite haunts of Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous sleuth

James "Pat" Daugherty, 85, served in the Army's storied 92nd Infantry Division, which was made up almost entirely of African-Americans.

Memoirs of a World War II Buffalo Soldier

In a recently published memoir written over 60 years ago, veteran James Daugherty details his experiences as an African-American in combat

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