601 Items Tagged

Books

This Quran is small enough to fit inside a locket, and in your palm.

objects of intrigue

This Miniature Quran Bears Witness to an Immense History

It is an artifact of devotion, wealth, and empire.

Matthew Taub January 6, 2021

He was frustratingly skilled at slicing up maps.

How German Librarians Finally Caught an Elusive Book Thief

For decades, often using a fake identity, he stole antique maps worth thousands of dollars each.

Jeffrey Arlo Brown November 23, 2020

Caltech's copy of the <em>Principia</em> was owned in the 18th century by French mathematician and natural philosopher Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan.

There Are Way More Copies of Newton's Masterwork Than Anyone Thought

A new global census doubles the number of known copies of the scientist's treatise on gravity and more.

Luna Shyr November 23, 2020

Edinburgh, Scotland

Paperback Bookshop Rhinoceros

This small sculpture honors a shuttered bookshop that was the site of a fiery act of protest.

12 Places in Massachusetts Where Literature Comes to Life

50 States of Wonder

A selection of Tamil-language comics distributed by Lion-Muthu Comics.

How a Tiny Indian Publisher Brings a World of Comics to Tamil Readers

A four-person team translates Italian, French, and English comics into a language spoken by 70 million people.

Atlas Obscura October 7, 2020

New York, New York

The 'Goodnight Moon' House (Cobble Court)

Hidden behind a gate in Greenwich Village is a little farmhouse that once served as the writing studio of a bestselling author.

Elizabeth's letter includes a sign-off Heller saw in one of Austen's own letters: Initials, and a particular spelling of the phrase, "Yours affectionately."

How a Team of Calligraphers Brought Jane Austen's Fictional Letters to Life

You can now hold Mr. Darcy's dispatches in your hands.

Jessica Leigh Hester September 23, 2020

The first German edition, published in 1920 (left), and a suspiciously similar volume published several years prior, <em>The Journey of Lukanga Mukara Into the Innermost of Germany</em>, by explorer Hans Paasche (right).

The Hoax Book That Became an Anarchist and Hippie Bible

'The Papalagi'—supposedly written by a Samoan chief in 1920—offered a societal critique, but carried on a problematic racial trope.

Jordan Todorov September 8, 2020

Flateyri Bookstore

Flateyri, Iceland

Flateyri Bookstore

The oldest bookstore in Iceland.

The original (now empty) grave of Yoshida Shōin.

Kozukappara Execution Grounds

This infamous execution site inspired the beginning of Japan's modernization in the late 18th-century.

The diary's recipe for bûche de Noël, along with a few of the ingredients needed to make it.

Found: A Mysterious, Recipe-Filled Diary From 1968

The 150 retro recipes inside offer a taste of the past.

Deepika Nandal August 4, 2020

The tiny village of Flateyri has 200 residents and no fewer than five museums.

Why Doesn't Iceland Have a Museum of Napkins?

An investigation.

A. Kendra Greene July 6, 2020

Ian Kurtz and Reese Salen (pictured) built the bookwheel with fellow RIT engineering students Matt Nygren and Maher Abdelkawi.

How Students Built a 16th-Century Engineer's Book-Reading Machine

The bookwheel helps readers browse eight texts at once. The only problem? It weighs 600 pounds.

Claire Voon July 1, 2020

Caretaker Mike Barrington waits as the boat circles around to collect him. It can be difficult to navigate around the platform legs.

Meet the Caretakers of Sealand, the World's Most Stubborn Micronation

Maintaining an aging offshore platform is no easy task.

Dylan Taylor-Lehman June 25, 2020

Convento Praglia, Italy

Praglia Abbey

In this nearly 1,000-year-old monastery, monks painstakingly restore old books.

The Library-Themed Livestream Where Birds Stretch Their Wings

A little "library" that's literally for the birds.

Claire Voon June 12, 2020

London, England

Osterley Bookshop

Above an abandoned Underground station, this charming bookstore is home to strange antiquities and literary works.