Books
What Is the Dominant Emotion in 400 Years of Women's Diaries?
A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015
Who Was Georgina Hogarth, Charles Dickens' 'Best and Truest Friend'?
Unpublished letters reveal new insights into the baffling relationship between the English novelist and his sister-in-law
Could Volcanoes Power Our Planet? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
See What Charles Darwin Kept in His 'Insanely Eclectic' Personal Library, Revealed for the First Time
On the English naturalist's 215th birthday, more than 9,000 titles from his expansive collection are now accessible online
Abraham Lincoln's Oft-Overlooked Campaign to Promote Immigration to the U.S.
A few weeks after the president delivered the Gettysburg Address, he called on Congress to welcome immigrants as a "source of national wealth and strength"
These Photos Capture Every First and Last Subway Stop in New York City
Photographer Rita Nannini traveled across 665 miles of track and snapped some 8,000 images
Millennia After Leonidas Made His Last Stand at Thermopylae, a Ragtag Band of Saboteurs Thwarted the Axis Powers in the Same Narrow Pass
A new book chronicles the 16-plus battles that took place in the Greek pass between the ancient era and World War II
Fifty Years After ‘Jaws,’ We’ve Learned a Lot About Great Whites
Though sport fishing tournaments and other activities led to population declines in the 1970s and 1980s, more recent science and conservation efforts have helped the sharks rebound
N. Scott Momaday Built the Foundations of Native American Literature
Smithsonian scholars offer their reflections on the author, who died last week at age 89, and his impact on a new generation of Native writers
The Real History Behind 'Feud: Capote vs. the Swans'
Ryan Murphy's new mini-series dramatizes the "In Cold Blood" author's betrayal of an insular group of Manhattan socialites
The Sensation Novelist Who Exposed the Plight of Victorian Women
Wilkie Collins drew on his legal training to dramatize the inequality caused by outdated laws regarding marital and property rights
ChatGPT Helped Write This Award-Winning Japanese Novel
After receiving the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, Rie Kudan spoke about why she used A.I. to write a portion of her work
The Couple Who Fell in Love in a Nazi Death Camp
A new book chronicles the unlikely connection between Helen Spitzer and David Wisnia, both of whom survived Auschwitz
Public Libraries Reveal the Most Borrowed Books From 2023
Titles that appeared on multiple lists include "Lessons in Chemistry," "Spare" and "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow"
Mickey Mouse and Many Other Beloved Creations, Including Peter Pan and 'Mack the Knife,' Are Now in the Public Domain
Almost a century after the cartoon mouse made his first appearance, he finally belongs to everyone—sort of
Unearth the Roots of Alice Walker’s ‘The Color Purple’
Gardeners discuss the oft-overlooked symbolism of nature that underlies the Pulitzer-prize winning novel
The Books We Loved
Smithsonian editors choose their favorite (mostly) nonfiction of (mostly) 2023
The Best Board Games of 2023
In this year's tabletop favorites, play as bees in space, Chinese emperors, fox breeders, women suffragists, fashionistas and much more
Paddington Will Take Center Stage in Musical Adaptation
The beloved bear dressed in a blue duffle coat and red hat is set to sing and dance with the Brown family in 2025
The Ten Best Children's Books of 2023
This year’s top titles include an art history primer, a collection of silly poems and a mathematical word problem in disguise
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