Smithsonian Books

07/27/2024

INCREDIBLE ARCHAEOLOGY is a vacation in book form. Travel the world in its pages, visiting the most wonderful archeological sites!

Incredible Archaeology offers a journey through the best archaeological sites the world has to offer. With stunning photography, it serves as both a dazzling spectacle and travel inspiration, making it perfect for armchair travelers and world adventurers alike!

07/26/2024

Learn about the first ladies through their own words in THE SMITHSONIAN BOOK OF FIRST LADIES' QUOTATIONS! Foil-stamped in gold, this book will elevate any bookshelf or coffee table.

07/25/2024

Want to see the nation's capital as many of its public buildings were being constructed? The photography in MAGNIFICIENT INTENTIONS offers a singular look at Washington, DC in its early days.

07/25/2024

Happy National Moth Week! Celebrate the incredible creatures by learning about some of the strange things they've been known to eat.

SMITHSONIAN BOOKS The Bizarre Dining Habits of Moths “Blood, sweat and tears” is not only an idiom for hard work—it’s also what’s on the menu for moths David Lees and Alberto Zilli July 25, 2024 A convolvulus hawk moth (Agrius convolvuli) in Bulgaria. Charles J. Sharp Though adult moths ar...

07/24/2024

Today is National Amelia Earhart, which honors her birthday and celebrates the incredible life she led, which you can read all about in AMELIA EARHART: A BIOGRAPHY!

07/23/2024

Curious about the crossroad of faith and science? Our book DISCOVERY AND REVELATION will take you there!

An illustrated history of how scientific study and religious thought have influenced each other throughout the history of the United States.

07/23/2024

Happy birthday, Chandra X-ray Observatory! Today celebrates 25 years of the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. Spend with our book LIGHT FROM THE VOID, which offers a through some of Chandra's most gorgeous photographs. https://www.smithsonianbooks.com/store/aviation-military-history/light-from-the-void-twenty-years-of-discovery-with-nasas-chandra-x-ray-observatory/

07/22/2024

How much do you know about Afrofuturism? Our book of the same name is a great way to learn more about the fascinating topic, as entertaining as it is enlightening!

07/21/2024

Pack your bags and go to space with SPACE SHUTTLE STORIES! The astronauts share their experiences in their own words.

07/20/2024

Happy National Moon Day! Today marks the historic landing on the moon in 1969. Space exploration has largely turned away from the moon, but what if we returned? THE VALUE OF THE MOON explores our relationship with the moon and what it has to offer.

07/19/2024

Astronauts are the only ones who can tell us what it's like to go into space. Sit down, settle in, and read on as Fred Haise tells his story in NEVER PANIC EARLY.

In the gripping Never Panic Early, Fred Haise, Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 13, offers a detailed firsthand account of when disaster struck three days into his mission to the moon. An oxygen tank exploded, a crewmate uttered the now iconic words, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here,” and the w...

07/18/2024

When you're at the beach this summer, think about how "in the making of each sand grain, there is a journey. And each journey – and each sand grain – is individual." Read more about that journey in our book HOW TO READ A ROCK!

Rocks are time machines and the keepers of our history. This guide is a geological field trip through Earth’s incredible rock formations and the stories they hold

07/18/2024

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III offers his thoughts on the power and the contradiction of the Declaration of Independence.

The Smithsonian's secretary offers insight into one of the nation's most important documents

07/17/2024

Today is World Emoji Day! Use emojis to describe your current read!
Ours is ⛰️🥾🧊 for EVEREST 24.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of an enduring Everest mystery, this book sheds new light on the ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest expedition Features unseen and rarely seen expedition images and cultural perspectives on the world's highest mountain  

07/16/2024

If you love music and music history, you'll love BIOGRAPHY OF A PHANTOM!

07/15/2024

We're so honored that Living Blues Magazine named BIOGRAPHY OF A PHANTOM as the Best Blues Book of 2023 for their critics' poll! If you're a fan of the blues, you'll be sure to be a fan of this book!

07/15/2024

THE OBJECT AT HAND is the Smithsonian collections at its best. Look behind the curtain and learn about about the acquisition and history of incredible objects.

07/14/2024

Happy National Mac and Cheese Day! Check out SWEET HOME CAFE COOKBOOK for a delicious recipe and interesting culinary history! "Food historians debate whether Thomas Jefferson brought home a recipe for macaroni and cheese from England or from northern Italy. No one knows. What we do know is that a variant of the dish was served at a state dinner in 1802 and mentioned in reports as 'a pie called macaroni.'"

07/13/2024

Will you be visiting Washington, DC this year? Don't leave without our book WASHINGTON ON FOOT, which is a must-have for maximizing your experience of the beautiful city and all it has to offer.

07/12/2024

It's National Pecan Pie Day, and we have a divine recipe in SWEET HOME CAFE COOKBOOK for a Bourbon Pecan Pie to make your weekend even better.

07/11/2024

Need a little peace and quiet this summer? Beat the heat with our book MINDFUL EYE, PLAYFUL EYE, which invites you to find opportunities for mindfulness everywhere.

07/10/2024

All the adventurers in your life need EVEREST 24!

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of an enduring Everest mystery, this book sheds new light on the ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest expedition Features unseen and rarely seen expedition images and cultural perspectives on the world's highest mountain  

07/05/2024

Happy belated Fourth of July! Read about the path to independence in this excerpt from THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:

06/30/2024

Did you know you can visit the Smithsonian halls and beat the heat without leaving your house? Our book THE OBJECT AT HAND is an invitation to enjoy the best the Smithsonian collections have to offer.

06/29/2024

This summer, learn about the insects chirping and buzzing around you and gain newfound awe for them all with our book METAMORPHOSIS! It's the perfect book for nature lovers and popular science readers in your life.

06/28/2024

Looking for a unique activity to engage your children this summer? MINDFUL EYE, PLAYFUL EYE is perfect for the whole family. With this book in hand, your next museum trip will have a whole new element of fun.

06/27/2024

Enjoy this funny and enlightening excerpt from our book SLACKS AND CALLUSES, a memoir about two women who used their summer break in 1943 to support war efforts:

Learn about the experiences of women supporting World War II efforts in the memoir

06/27/2024

MAGNIFICENT INTENTIONS is a gorgeous tome of historical photography, and the most magnificent intention of all is an intention to read this book!

06/26/2024

EVEREST 24 is filled with incredible, rarely-seen photographs of the infamous 1924 Mt. Everest expedition and much more. Take in the beautiful mountain sights in its pages.

Commemorating the 100th anniversary of an enduring Everest mystery, this book sheds new light on the ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest expedition Features unseen and rarely seen expedition images and cultural perspectives on the world's highest mountain  

06/25/2024

Have yourself a frightful Summerween with STAGING THE SUPERNATURAL! If you love vengeful specters and the macabre, this book will delight you.