Special Report
The Best Books of 2023
By year's end, after all the new books hit shelves, Smithsonian magazine's editors and writers have clear favorites. Whether you are looking for some gift ideas or a great read to enjoy on the plane or cozied up over the holidays, consider our carefully curated lists.
The Ten Best History Books of 2023
Our favorite titles of the year resurrect forgotten histories and illuminate how the United States ended up where it is today
The Ten Best Books About Food of 2023
Travel to Rome, Alaska, West Africa and beyond with this year’s best cookbooks, memoirs and historic deep dives
Smithsonian Scholars Recommend Their Favorite Books of 2023
Curators and staffers satisfied their endless curiosity with novels, short stories, biographies, art collections and journalistic reporting
The Ten Best Photography Books of 2023
Our favorite titles this year will make readers feel the power of visual storytelling
The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2023
Take a trip without leaving home with these adventurous reads from this year
The Ten Best Science Books of 2023
From stories on the depths of the ocean to the stars in the sky, these are the works that moved us the most this year
The Ten Best Children's Books of 2023
This year’s top titles include an art history primer, a collection of silly poems and a mathematical word problem in disguise