Books

The list includes The Other Madisons: The Lost History of a President's Black Family and The War Queens: Extraordinary Women Who Ruled the Battlefield.

Books of the Month

Five New Nonfiction Books to Read While You're Stuck at Home

We're highlighting newly released titles may have been lost in the news as the nation endures the coronavirus pandemic

Virtual Travel

Ten New Travel Books to Read When You’re Stuck at Home

Don’t let the coronavirus quarantine hold you back from becoming an armchair traveler

The program for the National American Woman Suffrage Association procession in the capital city. This march occurred before the rift between the more moderate NAWSA and the less conciliatory National Woman's Party.

The Thorny Road to the 19th Amendment

Historian Ellen Carol DuBois chronicles the twists and turns of the nearly 75-year-path to securing the vote for women in her new book

Anya Taylor-Joy plays the manipulative-but-well-intentioned titular character Emma in Autumn de Wilde's adaptation of the oft-revisited Austen novel.

What Autumn de Wilde's 'Emma' Gets Right About Jane Austen's Irony

By turns faithful and deeply irreverent, the newest Austen adaptation offers an oddly delightful mix of 19th-century satire and Wes Anderson

Vegas Vicky, Las Vegas, Nevada

Virtual Travel

A Vibrant Tour of America's Neon Signs

In his upcoming book ‘Neon Road Trip,’ photographer John Barnes captures a luminous part of advertising history

Winston Churchill visits bomb-damaged Birmingham, England, during the Blitz.

How Winston Churchill Endured the Blitz—and Taught the People of England to Do the Same

In a new book, best-selling author Erik Larson examines the determination of the ‘British Bulldog’ during England’s darkest hour

An author of blockbuster books and a pioneering photographer, she braved the wilderness to collect these moths and butterflies.

As Popular in Her Day as J.K. Rowling, Gene Stratton-Porter Wrote to the Masses About America's Fading Natural Beauty

Despite her fame, you wouldn't know about this beloved writer unless you visit the vanishing Midwestern landscape she helped save

Charles Darwin, left, and his conservative publisher, John Murray III, right.

Charles Darwin's Publisher Didn't Believe in Evolution, but Sold His Revolutionary Book Anyway

The famed naturalist and conservative stalwart John Murray III formed an unlikely alliance in popularizing a radical idea

Richard Booth's Bookshop on Lion Street in Hay-On-Wye, Wales

Attention Bibliophiles: These Book Towns Should Be Your Next Vacation Stops

From Australia to Malaysia, these villages are prized for their abundance of bookstores

Scientists seeking extraterrestrial life in the universe (above: a radio observatory in New Mexico) seek the answer to what is called the Fermi paradox: “Where is everybody?”

If Aliens Existed Elsewhere in the Universe, How Would They Behave?

In a new offering from Smithsonian Books, James Trefil and Michael Summers explore the life forms that might exist on a dizzying array of exoplanets

Farley Granger and Jeanne Crain star in 'The Gift of the Magi', one of five stories by O Henry grouped together under the title of 'O Henry's Full House.'

The History of O. Henry's 'The Gift of the Magi'

The beloved Christmas short story may have been dashed off on deadline but its core message has endured

The 1966 Honda CB77, or Super Hawk, that Robert Pirsig rode on his 1968 trip from Minnesota to California that inspired the book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

The Cycle From 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' Comes to the Smithsonian

The 1966 Honda Super Hawk featured in Robert Pirsig’s book on values was recently acquired by the National Museum of American History

Louisa May Alcott is no longer regarded as a sentimental author for girls, but as a pioneering writer of the first rank.

The New 'Little Women' Brings Louisa May Alcott's Real Life to the Big Screen

More so than in previous film adaptations, writer and director Greta Gerwig weaves the American writer's own experiences into the classic story

Maya Angelou’s breakthrough memoir, published 50 years ago, launched a revolution in literature and social awareness.

Published More Than 50 Years Ago, 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings' Launched a Revolution

Maya Angelou’s breakthrough memoir forever changed American literature and helped carve a new space for black self-expression

With the help of the Seeger family, Libba Cotten recorded an album, toured around the world, and eventually at the age of 90, won a GRAMMY.

Hitting the High Notes: A Smithsonian Year of Music

The Magnificent Musical Life of the Upside-Down Guitar Player Libba Cotten

Musician and author Laura Veirs brings this musical icon back to the stage in her recent children’s book

The Ten Best Children's Books of 2019

This year's top titles deliver strange animals, mouth-watering foods and biographies of unsung heroes

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Gift Guides

The Best Books of 2019

In our efforts to increase and diffuse knowledge, we highly recommend these 65 titles released this year

Smithsonian Scholars Pick Their Favorite Books of 2019

Reading proved a bedrock in a year that saw a new Smithsonian secretary and celebrations of dinosaurs, Apollo 11 and women's history

The Ten Best Books About Food of 2019

These titles are bound to satisfy your cravings for delicious dishes and food knowledge

“The guide I have spoken of is the only one we have had yet who knew anything,” Twain reported in the Venice chapter of the book.

The Museum Tour Guide Who Shaped Mark Twain’s Views on Race

While traveling in Venice for what would be his best-selling memoir, the author’s encounter with an African-American art expert forever changed his writing

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