books

The mysterious text has stumped codebreakers for decades.

From The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1069, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Emma Bovary has been described as "the original desperate housewife."

With flowing prose and a courageous pen, Virginia Woolf wasn't afraid to dissect any topic, whether it was the idiocy of warfare or the joys of sex.

Shortly before her death, the author sent her 8-year-old niece a New Year's greeting—written entirely backwards.

"Arguably it's darker than Season 1—if that's possible,” Elisabeth Moss says of the Hulu hit's upcoming second season.

Read an excerpt from 'The Stowaway,' the amazing story of Billy Gawronski, who was determined to join Richard E. Byrd's 1928 expedition—no matter how many times he had to sneak aboard.

The spooky TV ads for Time-Life's encyclopedia of the bizarre inspired the nightmares of countless '80s kids.

Where some people saw trash, garbage collectors saw potential.

The collection included first editions and original manuscripts.

Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

These lost literary works were rediscovered in private collections, archives, and in one case, an attic.

The first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary defined 414,825 words. The problem? They forgot one.

Make it the first stop on your magical vacation.

Rule one: Don't wear orange. Guards don't want to to confuse them for inmates in case of a riot.

The Wellington-wearing bear has been charming children and adults alike for 60 years.

Alice hunts for Easter eggs through the looking-glass.

Think you know everything about 'The Great Gatsby' or 'The Lord of the Rings'? You may have skipped over a few Easter eggs. They're easy to miss.

Made in North Korea highlights everyday packaging and other designs from the isolated nation that Westerners rarely see.

The author of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' might have also been busy disemboweling prostitutes. Or not.

Kevin Mac Donnell, a rare bookseller in Austin, Texas, safeguards over 8000 Twain-related items in a climate-controlled home archive.

When America went to war, the softcover book went with it.

What can a book about a boy wizard fighting a bad guy who drinks unicorn blood teach kids about the real world? A whole lot, according to a study conducted by researchers in Italy.