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Joe Orton at home in Islington, London, 1966.
libraries

The Strange, Sad Story of Joe Orton, His Lover, and 72 Stolen Library Books

After being imprisoned for a reading-related prank, the couple never recovered.
Natasha Frost August 9, 2017
Washington, D.C.

U.S. Naval Observatory Library

A hoard of sky catalogs, astrophysical journals, even the works of Galileo and Copernicus.
Read and learn.
animals

Lessons From a Victorian-Era Cat Dictionary

"Purrieu," "ptlee-bl," and other vital feline vocabulary words.
Cara Giaimo August 8, 2017
The <em>Who's Who</e> began in Britain in 1849.
books

The Weird, Vain History of Who's Who Books

From an early pet project to mockery and scams.
Ernie Smith August 3, 2017
books

The $30,000 Adult Coloring Book

It features illustrations from the creator of an Elton John album cover.
Michael Waters July 28, 2017
Library theft was made a criminal offense in 1982.
libraries

The Rare-Book Thief Who Looted College Libraries in the '80s

By passing as a professor, James Richard Shinn made off with over $100,000 worth of books.
Susan Falciani July 20, 2017
architecture

A Parthenon of Banned Books, Built at a Former Book-Burning Site

A replica of the Greek structure has been constructed out of forbidden titles.
Michael Waters July 19, 2017
Vincas Juška (1860-1939).*
crime

The 19th-Century Lithuanians Who Smuggled Books to Save Their Language

They banded together against book burnings to fight an empire.
Michael Waters July 19, 2017
Maurice Sendak died in 2012.
art

Found: An Unpublished Manuscript by Maurice Sendak

The illustrations and text were hiding in his files.
Sarah Laskow July 11, 2017
Pollyanna Statue
Littleton, New Hampshire

Pollyanna Statue

A town wears its heart on the sleeve of a smiling girl, arms flung wide open in a cheerful greeting for all who encounter her.
Demon ruler Bael, from the <em>Dictionnaire Infernal</em>.
occult

The Best Demon Illustrations of All Time

Even today, the 1863 edition of the "Dictionnaire Infernal" is the stuff of nightmares.
Eric Grundhauser July 10, 2017
Leibold's hand-drawn map for the Choose Your Own Adventure story <em>Grand Canyon Odyssey</em>.
maps

These Hand-Drawn Maps Helped Create 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Books

Author Jay Leibold shares the branching maps he created while writing his first CYOA stories.
Sarah Laskow July 5, 2017
Parties where playwrights like Moliere read aloud were precursors to rowdy book clubs.
libraries

Even in the 1700s, Book Clubs Were Really About Drinking and Socializing

And "a considerable element of boisterous good humor."
Sarah Laskow June 26, 2017
Entrance to the Secret Room
Rochester, New York

Central Library's Secret Room

A room hidden behind a swinging shelf in the children's section.
Press with typesetting
Palmyra, New York

Grandin Printing Shop

The press that first printed the Book of Mormon.
books

We Asked, You Answered: The Kids' Books You Wish More People Remembered

Atlas Obscura readers took quite the trip down memory lane this week.
Sommer Mathis June 18, 2017
<em>Equal Areas, Their Triangular Square Root and Pi</em>, by Crockett Johnson
paintings

The Artful Precision of the Creator of 'Harold and the Purple Crayon'

After a long career as a cartoonist and illustrator, Crockett Johnson spent his final decade painting mathematical equations.
Eric Grundhauser June 16, 2017
gardens

A 257-Year-Old Coloring Book Was Discovered in St. Louis

It was intended for "Gentleman and Ladies."
Erik Shilling June 15, 2017