660 Items Tagged

Books

What fictional foods make you as excited as a hobbit in a pantry?

The Fictional Foods We Wish Were Real

Atlas Obscura readers weigh in on the fake snacks they'd most like to try.

Eric Grundhauser August 13, 2018

Mr. Lizard and the Gumnut Baby.

Melbourne, Australia

'Mr. Lizard and Gumnut Baby' Statue

Children's author May Gibbs's beloved stories about the tiny, human-like "Gumnut Babies" are immortalized in bronze.

I remember there was a person in it and they did something ...

The Crack Squad of Librarians Who Track Down Half-Forgotten Books

Reuniting stumped readers with the books from the edges of their memories.

Jessica Leigh Hester August 6, 2018

Bibliotheca Thysiana circa 1920.

Leiden, Netherlands

Bibliotheca Thysiana

This public library and its impressive collection of academic books have not changed since the 17th century.

Researchers posit that Dr. Seuss's Lorax may be based on a real creature, the patas monkey.

Is Dr. Seuss's Lorax Real?

New research suggests the creature is based on a particular monkey that the writer encountered in Kenya.

Cara Giaimo July 26, 2018

Ellen G.K. Rubin displays one of her pop-up books.

A Visit With the Popuplady

Ellen G.K. Rubin has more than 9,000 pop-up and movable books.

Lizzie Philip July 26, 2018

View of the "Castle of Light" from across the Daugava.

Castle of Light

Latvia's symbolic mountain-shaped national library is home to millions of cultural tomes.

"What did she ever do to you?" and other great margin notes.

The Best Notes Atlas Obscura Readers Found in Used Books

From painful spoilers to such trenchant criticism as "P.S. This book blows!"

Eric Grundhauser July 18, 2018

Video • AO Docs

At Home With an Extraordinary Collection of Pop-Up Books

The papyrus before conservation.

A 2,000-Year-Old Mystery Papyrus Reveals Its Secrets

For centuries, no one could read it.

Sarah Laskow July 13, 2018

An emphatic note in the margins of a book.

Send Us the Greatest Note You've Found Written in an Old Book

Whether it's funny, mysterious, or just plain astute, we want to see it.

Eric Grundhauser July 6, 2018

Some old books, which are probably safe, but you never know.

Found: 3 Poisonous Books in a University Library

Their green covers meant danger.

Sarah Laskow June 29, 2018

García Terres library.

Mexico City, Mexico

Biblioteca de México

This "City of Books" holds a museum, library, and the complete personal book collections of five of Mexico's greatest thinkers.

This volume of Christian parables and lessons, <em>Colloquios de la paz y tranquilidad christiana<em>, was compiled by a Franciscan missionary and translated into Otomi, an indigenous language of Mexico, around 1600.

objects of intrigue

Why Medieval Monasteries Branded Their Books

The fiery marks were a way to keep track of tomes on the move.

Jessica Leigh Hester June 22, 2018

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oudemanhuispoort

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.

Liverpool, England

Liverpool Central Library Entrance Riddle

The red letters in the literary pavement leading to the library form a mysterious code.

Edinburgh, Scotland

General Register House, National Records of Scotland

Every birth, death, and marriage is recorded in these color-coded leather-bound books.

Mafra, Portugal

Mafra Palace Library

At night, bats patrol this magnificent 18th-century space in search of book-eating pests.