Topic: New York Public Library

Doodle 4 Google: Why a pirate stormed Google's homepage today

The annual Doodle 4 Google had students finish this sentence: "If I could travel in time, I'd visit..." The winning Doodle 4 Google drawing shows "Pirate times."

Patrons rally behind resilient public libraries

Even as libraries are facing steep cuts, Americans are using them more than ever – in more ways than ever.

9/11 anniversary: Why remembering in fits and starts is OK

Working on a book about 9/11 survivors, I found I could only immerse myself in interview footage in fits and starts, much as our nation remembers September 11. That's how mourning – public and private – works. To heal, we have to let ourselves both forget and remember.

Public libraries fight to stay relevant in digital age

Already facing tight budgets, public libraries are also contending with a cultural shift from traditional stacks of books to digital devices. But far from fighting the digital revolution, libraries are joining it.

Classic review: Bob Dylan in America

Sean Wilentz's study of enigmatic music icon Bob Dylan is at once a time-hopping biography; a catalog of Dylan’s myriad, eclectic influences; and a primer on American music.

"Eat, Pray, Love" author Elizabeth Gilbert steps back from the spotlight

After enduring the wild success of "Eat, Pray, Love," Elizabeth Gilbert now says she's retiring to a life of "slow fiction and even slower gardening."

The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism.

How did Margaret Marcus – a middle-class Jew from Larchmont, N.Y. – become Islamic ideologue Maryam Jameelah?

Interview with food historian Paul Freedman

A study of turn-of-the-century hotel menus reveals that Americans really liked macaroni.

Eating our words

Ever wonder when 'pad thai' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary? It was 1978.

8 questions for Greg Lawrence, author of "Jackie as Editor"

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent longer working as an editor than she did married to either President Kennedy or millionaire Aristotle Onassis.

Bob Dylan in America

Bob Dylan was not so much a sponge as an alchemist, taking common materials and creating new art.

Why Google's deal with Italy is a good thing for readers

Not every country has been so accommodating, but Italy seems happy to allow Google to digitize rare books.

The e-book, the e-reader, and the future of reading

As stone tablets gave way the codex, the future of reading is digital – but will the e-reader and the e-book change the nature of how we read?

Sony plans a Kindle rival with wireless downloads

Sony’s $399 Reader Daily Edition will go on sale by December.

Garden travel: A grand invitation to Delaware's Nemours Estate

After three years of renovation, the formal garden and house opens its doors to visitors.

World's most expensive new book?

Lessons from the library lions

The qualities embodied in the statues' nicknames came in handy during college and beyond.

The field narrows for e-books

As Microsoft backs away from digitizing old texts, some worry that a single company could privatize world knowledge.

USA

Truly, madly in love with science

The life of inventor Nikola Tesla was strange enough for fiction.

Tesla: Madly in love with science

The real life of inventor Nikola Tesla was strange enough for fiction.