/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/85/b2/85b2d79d-92a0-4e4c-8950-df54834b90cc/461381921_1060709736056936_2991101667800301079_n.jpg)
Step right up and see the spooky circus dolls—from creepy clowns to frightening fortune-tellers—in a Minnesota museum's vintage toy collection
:focal(1903x1278:1904x1279)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/48/1b/481b7398-db97-45ad-bb2e-561c87c35718/life-centralpark_002_tablescape-hz_97800632905701.jpg)
Supper clubs and immigrant-led cooking classes across the country bring people together, teaching diners to embrace their neighbors from around the world
:focal(357x530:358x531)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/fc/ca/fcca24de-2e27-40b2-9ccb-4cef9241f451/2befd2f0-42a6-48ab-a492-dfa22c074bea.jpeg)
It's the most wonderful time of the year, and ol' St. Nick is spreading holiday cheer for all to hear
:focal(693x413:694x414)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/27/17/27179a52-01ce-43bd-a5c4-b8978bdb747c/ben-franklin-arithmetick.jpg)
A 19th-century scholar claimed that "Cocker's Arithmetick" had "probably made as much stir and noise in the English world as any [book]—next to the Bible"
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/63/31/6331dfe8-d919-4125-8f86-d2ea800606cd/booklist-2024-childrensbooks.jpg)
This year’s top titles range from an alphabet book of quirky tunes to an authentic portrait of our nation
:focal(700x527:701x528)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e5/35/e53507bb-5250-4235-b7f1-2559f247fa6f/top-ten-2024.jpg)
The magazine's most-read articles of the year included a close-up look at the adorable yet venomous pygmy slow loris, a profile of a little-known 20th-century street photographer and a majestic journey with divers into Mexico’s underwater caves
:focal(2016x1517:2017x1518)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/32/bb/32bbda61-ed7c-461b-93d7-4d3147c98e99/pxl_20241109_1602203832.jpg)
With teams competing in outlandish physical challenges, the Zogo dell’Oca of Mirano showcases Italy’s flair for invented traditions
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/fa/7e/fa7eb6a3-4e36-42c2-bae0-94f8a5a00e5a/booklist-2024-photo.jpg)
These works are not just for casual readers—they are for those who seek to expand their horizons, enrich their lives, and connect with the world on a deeper level
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/a4/99/a49946c5-9143-462d-819c-c992c38db4f4/booklist-2024-cover-v2.jpg)
Whether you're doing some holiday shopping or looking for your own next read, consider our thoughtfully curated lists.
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b0/35/b0358356-56be-44ab-b518-9e8c6e5dbe62/booklist-2024-travel.jpg)
These top titles of the year whisk readers away on adventures and remind us of the many wonders in this world
:focal(750x432:751x433)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/52/ce/52ceaee9-63d5-486a-98e8-69b8058dd2ab/plant-based-egg-500x288.jpg)
With new ingredients and processes, the next generation of substitutes will be not just more egg-like, but potentially more nutritious
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/01/6e/016e6063-bec1-4c36-bae3-615f678c2853/booklist-2024-history-v3.jpg)
Our favorite titles of the year resurrect forgotten histories and examine how the United States ended up where it is today
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e2/5c/e25cd110-d806-4353-a51a-da81771986a1/booklist-2024-food-v2.jpg)
Travel to the American South, Vietnam and beyond with this year’s best cookbooks, memoirs and historic deep dives
:focal(512x327:513x328)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/20/d2/20d2c054-5468-4d02-ada0-46c53362e930/gettyimages-566417501.jpg)
Turkey may have been part of the holiday meal, along with venison, shellfish and corn, but pies and potatoes were decidedly not on the menu
:focal(595x459:596x460)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/ba/82/ba823b1b-7432-402f-ae07-8be98757d1c6/edmund_thomas_parris_1793-1873_-_queen_victoria_at_the_drury_lane_theatre_november_1837_-_rcin_405577_-_royal_collection_copy2.jpg)
The monarch set fashion trends during her time, and the flower holder became a sought-after accessory in Victorian society
:focal(1050x750:1051x751)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/a6/98/a6989523-97bb-4101-9b92-95302ac79f1f/tile.jpg)
At the oldest public art museum in the United States, miniatures, glassware and other intricately created works transport visitors around the world
:focal(742x540:743x541)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c6/30/c63012ec-3878-423e-9eb4-49576d444948/dec2024_k14_prologue.jpg)
How the dubious tradition of song-sharking led to a strangely beautiful repository of folk art
:focal(3307x2520:3308x2521)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/cf/5c/cf5c59b5-a79e-42c4-959a-36100a22d9be/istock-1699079746.jpg)
The thorny origins of the yuletide canoodling ritual
:focal(1680x1264:1681x1265)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/c0/ce/c0ce0f52-187a-42e7-89de-540d0e37ff6e/opener_-_dec2024_e13_slovenia.jpg)
In the young, tiny nation, inventive chefs are putting their own twists on classic regional dishes, using river trout, berries and other locally sourced delicacies to create some of the hautest cuisine around
:focal(1050x750:1051x751)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/5f/d9/5fd964f9-1817-4f26-b31b-39c56843696d/falling_water.jpg)
The architectural wonder re-established the designer as a titan of his generation and shifted the public's view of Modernism from a foreign movement to a part of the American character
:focal(800x602:801x603)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/2f/d2/2fd24be9-31e0-4a02-8e2a-faa0d9e3cd45/witchesofoz-v1.jpg)
The untold story of suffragist Matilda Gage, the woman behind the curtain whose life story captivated her son-in-law L. Frank Baum as he wrote his classic novel
:focal(1500x1120:1501x1121)/https://tf-cmsv2-photocontest-smithsonianmag-prod-approved.s3.amazonaws.com/54d51828-dab9-4304-a99d-126e35cbf8ee.jpg)
Longing!
:focal(300x264:301x265)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e4/30/e4302f6d-9787-4c7b-8525-ec644740ef06/0050_pollock_mask.jpg)
:focal(1867x1405:1868x1406)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/d2/82/d282337a-94f9-49b5-bc73-4887280a4e80/1_-_c6f76919-08e2-4cb4-b9bb-76e4e8967334.jpg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/34/45/34454fad-8e9d-4c65-a806-cac7e343e154/garden.jpg)
:focal(1148x863:1149x864)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/40/e3/40e31ef3-157a-4503-8cdf-d39acaebf1e1/gettyimages-2178756405.jpeg)
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/video/preview_image_tNR4alxMN8k_x8mvb_V_SV7yMza7avVJb7NW308.jpg "The Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe May Never Be Solved (3:41.0)")
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/video/preview_image_F_zwRPZJyio_U0tY95f4d0AiliZB2fZldjLSq1M.jpg "Ouija Board: The Mysterious Origins of a Cultural Obsession (3:19.0)")
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/videos/video/preview_image_DAuOeBCdF64_kIwm4IJtO3Q426bbUil8XAsIs1U.jpg "National Treasure: Sing a Song With Ella Jenkins, the Beloved First Lady of Children’s Music (4:39.0)")