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Latest Features

A Gorgosaurus consumes its prey.

SCIENCE

Amazing Fossil Preserves Teenage Tyrannosaur’s Last Meal

Just before sunset, the peaks of Gokyo Ri in Sagarmatha National Park peek through the clouds.

TRAVEL

Soar Through the Himalayas With These 15 Breathtaking Photos of Nepal

“Whistler: Streetscapes, Urban Change” is on view through May 4, 2024, in the Freer Gallery of Art at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. (above: The Steps by James McNeill Whistler, 1880).

AT THE SMITHSONIAN

How James McNeill Whistler Captured Life in the Big City

Our ten favorite science books of the year covered everything from astronomy to undersea exploration.

SCIENCE

The Ten Best Science Books of 2023

Leo Lionni with profile cut outs, c. 1970

ARTS & CULTURE

How Children's Book Author Leo Lionni Urged His Readers to Be Change Makers

Lionel Licorish, a 23-year-old sailor from Barbados, spent 14 hours keeping a lifeboat afloat in stormy conditions and swimming through shark-infested waters to rescue survivors of the Vestris disaster.

HISTORY

The Black Sailor Whose Heroic Actions During a Shipwreck Made Him an Instant Celebrity of the Roaring Twenties

Norman Lear at home in Los Angeles in 1984

ARTS & CULTURE

Norman Lear Brought Big Issues to the Small Screen

Neanderthals have held our fascination ever since we first identified their remains.

SCIENCE

Here's What We Know About Neanderthals So Far

Current Issue

Smithsonian magazine December 2023 issue cover

Most Popular

1.

Smart News

The World's Oldest Living Land Animal, a Tortoise Named Jonathan, Turns 191

Even at his advanced age, the Seychelles giant tortoise shows “no sign of slowing down,” his vet tells Guinness World Records

2.

Smart News

This Simple Trick Will Help You Brew Better Coffee, According to Scientists

New research explores how moisture affects static electricity and clumping of ground coffee beans

3.

Science

The Ten Best Science Books of 2023

From stories on the depths of the ocean to the stars in the sky, these are the works that moved us the most this year

4.

Smart News

Wild Kiwis Born Near New Zealand's Capital for the First Time in More Than 150 Years

Conservationists discovered two brown kiwi chicks one year after the birds were reintroduced in a Wellington suburb

5.

Science

Here's What We Know About Neanderthals So Far

Today, thanks to new artifacts and technologies, findings about our closest relatives are coming thick and fast

Smithsonian Voices
National Museum of Natural History

Deck the Halls With Nature Crafts and More Natural History Programs This December

Smithsonian Books

What It Took to Broker a Treaty Between the Young United States and Native Nations

Smithsonian Associates

A New Year of Delightful Destinations

National Museum of Natural History

Meet the Archaeologist Leading the Museum’s Repatriation Efforts

Office of the Secretary of the Smithsonian

What Comes Next for the Smithsonian's New Human Remains Task Force

Your IMPACT | Your Smithsonian

A Contemporary Look at Asian Art

See All

Special Report
In our efforts to increase and diffuse knowledge, we highly recommend these titles this year.

The Best Books of 2023

By year's end, after all the new books hit shelves, Smithsonian magazine's editors and writers have clear favorites. Whether you are looking for some gift ideas or a great read to enjoy on the plane or cozied up over the holidays, consider our carefully curated lists.

View Full Report

Featured Stories

Smithsonian Scholars Recommend Their Favorite Books of 2023

The Ten Best Science Books of 2023

The Ten Best History Books of 2023

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Smithsonian Channel

Preview thumbnail for video 'The Best Small Towns to Celebrate Fall

The Best Small Towns to Celebrate Fall

Play
Preview thumbnail for video 'An Energetic Dog Is Best Friends With an Orphan Raccoon

An Energetic Dog Is Best Friends With an Orphan Raccoon

Preview thumbnail for video 'A Vervet Monkey Befriends Some Hostile Dogs

A Vervet Monkey Befriends Some Hostile Dogs

Photo of the day

A bison sits in deep snow. Bison Chilling in Snow

History

Lionel Licorish, a 23-year-old sailor from Barbados, spent 14 hours keeping a lifeboat afloat in stormy conditions and swimming through shark-infested waters to rescue survivors of the Vestris disaster.

The Black Sailor Whose Heroic Actions During a Shipwreck Made Him an Instant Celebrity of the Roaring Twenties

Lionel Licorish earned accolades for rescuing as many as 20 passengers from the wreckage of the S.S. "Vestris"

At the beginning of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant wasn’t an abolitionist, admitting that his beliefs were “not even what could be called antislavery.” By August 1863, he had changed his mind, writing, “Slavery is already dead and cannot be resurrected.”

Unraveling Ulysses S. Grant's Complex Relationship With Slavery

Half a century on, Kohoutek may be due a little more respect. Though it disappointed the media and the public, it proved to be a bonanza for serious scientists.

The 'Comet of the Century' Failed to Impress, but It Wasn't Such a Disaster After All

Science

Ketamine and esketamine are the only psychedelics currently being used clinically with eating disorder patients.

Are Psychedelics the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment?

The drugs have been shown to reduce depression and anxiety symptoms and make individuals more flexible in their thinking

This well-preserved track from Australia clearly shows the four toes of an ancient bird.

Australia's Oldest Known Bird Tracks Are 120 Million Years Old

An Indian cobra found in the farmlands of Kanchipuram, India. The country has the highest rate of snakebite deaths in the world.

An Inside Look at the Effort to Curb Deadly Snakebites in India

Innovation

The products range from measuring games to coding activities—and even include a robot that introduces children to artificial intelligence.

Ten Engineer-Selected STEM Toys to Give as Gifts in 2023

From coding to building to circuitry, these educational activities support basic skills to serve children in science, engineering and beyond

Pressurized water shoots from the drill’s head to cool the marble and prevent excessive dust (detail).

Can Robots Replace Michelangelo?

Illustration of the thalamus, a region of the brain linked to learning and memory.

Brain Implants Show Promise for People With Traumatic Brain Injuries in Small Study

Arts & Culture

Persimmons will hang at San Francisco's Asian Art Museum for a brief three weeks.

'Zen Mona Lisa' Travels to the United States for the Very First Time

Titled "Six Persimmons," the famous 13th-century work hasn't left Japan for hundreds of years

Left, a 1932 self-portrait by Lee Miller. Right, a 1943 portrait of Miller by American photojournalist David Scherman.

How Lee Miller, a Magazine Model and Muse, Became a Daring World War II Photographer

A glass of homemade eggnog dusted with cinnamon is a mouthwatering prospect to some—and an abomination to others.

The Uniquely American History of Eggnog, Everyone's Favorite—or Least Favorite—Holiday Quaff

Travel

This year's top titles include The Last Ride of the Pony Express, Elixir, Airplane Mode, and more.

The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2023

Take a trip without leaving home with these adventurous reads from this year

The northern lights cast an eerie glow upon an abandoned, wrecked airplane.

These 15 Photos Capture the Beauty of the Northern Lights

Luna Luna's creator, André Heller, stands on a merry-go-round designed by Keith Haring in June 1987.

When Keith Haring, Salvador Dalí and Jean-Michel Basquiat Created an Art Amusement Park

At the Smithsonian

The traveling exhibition "Simone Leigh" is now on view at the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden through March 3, 2024, before traveling to Los Angeles next summer (above: the artist in 2021).

The World Is Running to Catch Up With Simone Leigh

The celebrated artist’s crusading works, now on view at the Hirshhorn Museum, upend the stereotypes too often foisted on Black women

This year's titles include Daughter of the Dragon, Whalefall and Witness.

Smithsonian Scholars Recommend Their Favorite Books of 2023

A new musical piece is based on this composite image of the center of the Milky Way. The bright spot on the right is hot gas in infrared light, marking the approximate location of the galaxy's supermassive black hole.

Listen to the Center of the Milky Way Translated Into Sound