Photo: first-edition cover of "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1960) by the American author Harper Lee. Credit: Shirley Smith; Wikimedia Commons.

The 60th Anniversary of the Movie ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

By Jane Cook on June 7, 2022

In this article, Jane Hampton Cook tells some background stories about “To Kill a Mockingbird” – both the book and the movie have become classics... (Read More)

Illustration: "The Scarlet Letter" by Hugues Merle, 1861. Credit: Walters Art Museum; Wikimedia Commons.

Searching Sources for Hawthorne’s ‘The Scarlet Letter’

By Melissa Berry on August 31, 2021

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry writes about court cases that may have influenced Nathaniel Hawthorne when he wrote “The Scarlet Letter.”.. (Read More)

Photo: stacks of books. Credit: Heffloaf; Wikimedia Commons.

What I Learned about Genealogy from My Book Club

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on August 9, 2021

In this article, for National Book Lovers Day, Gena Philibert-Ortega shares some of the lessons she’s learned about genealogy from her two book clubs... (Read More)

Dr. Seuss, American writer and cartoonist, at work on a drawing of the grinch for "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," by Al Ravenna, World Telegram staff photographer, 1957. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

On This Day: Dr. Seuss, Beloved Children’s Author, Died

By Tony Pettinato on September 24, 2020

Today is the anniversary of the death of Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. “Dr. Seuss” (1904-1991), who died on 24 September 1991 at the age of 87... (Read More)

Photo: cover of the first U.S. edition of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," by Mark Twain, 1884. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Mark Twain Defends ‘Huckleberry Finn’

By Tony Pettinato on August 14, 2020

An article about the acerbic response Mark Twain wrote when the Denver Public Library banned “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in 1902... (Read More)

Portrait: Nathaniel Hawthorne, by Charles Osgood, 1840. Credit: Peabody Essex Museum, Gift of Richard C. Manning, 1933; Wikimedia Commons.

Writer Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Real-Life ‘Ghost Story’

By Melissa Berry on October 31, 2019

In this article, Melissa Davenport Berry tells an eerie tale about Nathaniel Hawthorne and a troubled spirit that came to him in a seance... (Read More)

Illustration: portrait of Benjamin Franklin by Joseph Duplessis, c. 1785. Credit: National Portrait Gallery.

On This Day: The Birth of Benjamin Franklin’s ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on December 19, 2018

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about one of Benjamin Franklin’s greatest creations: “Poor Richard’s Almanack.”.. (Read More)

Photo: Mark Twain, by A. F. Bradley, 1907. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

Words of Wit and Wisdom by Mark Twain!

By Mary Harrell-Sesniak on May 31, 2018

In this article, Mary Harrell-Sesniak searches old newspapers to find quotes from one of America’s favorite writers: Mark Twain... (Read More)

Photo: a plaque for Agatha Christie at 58 Sheffield Terrace, Holland Park, London, England. Credit: Edwardx; Wikimedia Commons.

Perhaps Her Best Mystery Story: Agatha Christie’s Own Disappearance

By Gena Philibert-Ortega on January 10, 2018

In this article, Gena Philibert-Ortega writes about a mystery in the life of that great mystery writer, Agatha Christie... (Read More)