Best Books of the Year
Menu

Smithsonian magazine

Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year 2023

Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year 2023 names 60 books across 6 categories. 9 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Children's

  1. 100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochellesource (opens in a new tab)
  2. A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimessource (opens in a new tab)
  3. A Whale of a Time by Lou Peacocksource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owensource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Do You Remember? by Sydney Smithsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. My Art Book of Adventure by Shana Gozanskysource (opens in a new tab)
  7. O Is for Ossicone by Hannah Eliotsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Once Upon a Book by Grace Lin and Kate Messnersource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Superpowered Animals by Soledad Romero Mariñosource (opens in a new tab)
  10. When You Can Swim by Jack Wongsource (opens in a new tab)

Food

  1. For the Culture by Klancy Millersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food by Fuchsia Dunlopsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. More Than Cake by Natasha Pickowiczsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome's Jewish Kitchen by Leah Koenigsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Simply West African by Pierre Thiamsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Ark of Taste by David S Shields and Giselle Kennedy Lordsource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Core of an Onion by Mark Kurlanskysource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Everlasting Meal Cookbook by Tamar Adlersource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Salmon Sisters: Harvest & Heritage by Emma Teal Laukitis and Claire Neatonsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food by Chris van Tullekensource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I by Tracy Bormansource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World by Mary Beardsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. I Saw Death Coming by Kidada E. Williamssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. King: A Life by Jonathan Eigsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Madame Restell by Jennifer Wrightsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woosource (opens in a new tab)
  7. On Savage Shores by Caroline Dodds Pennocksource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Sisterhood by Liza Mundysource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Wager by David Grannsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. The World by Simon Sebag Montefioresource (opens in a new tab)

Photography

  1. Believable: Traveling With My Ancestors by Lola Flashsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Ghostlight by Keith Cartersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. In This Brief Life by Eugene Richardssource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Painting Photographs by Alice Wongsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Remember Me by Preston Gannawaysource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Shark: Portraits by Mike Cootssource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Sneaker Freaker: World’s Greatest Sneaker Collectors by Simon Woodsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Still Life by Doan Lysource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Horses by Gareth McConnellsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Wires Crossed by Ed Templetonsource (opens in a new tab)

Science

  1. Better Living Through Birding by Christian Coopersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarbsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Fire Weather by John Vaillantsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. How Far the Light Reaches by Sabrina Imblersource (opens in a new tab)
  5. My Father's Brain by Sandeep Jauharsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomerysource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kiddersource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Starborn by Roberto Trottasource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World Out of Balance by Dan Egansource (opens in a new tab)
  10. The Underworld by Susan Caseysource (opens in a new tab)

Travel

  1. Airplane Mode by Shahnaz Habibsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Driving the Green Book by Alvin Hallsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Elixir by Kapka Kassabovasource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Oh My Mother! by Connie Wangsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Pride Atlas by Maartje Hensensource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Half Known Life by Pico Iyersource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Last Ride of the Pony Express by Will Grantsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Life Cycle by Kate Rawlessource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Unforgettable Journeys Europe by DKsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Unravelling the Silk Road by Chris Aslansource (opens in a new tab)

About the Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year

Smithsonian magazine's year-end "Ten Best" subject lists, one category per list: History, Science, Travel, Food and Children's for 2017-2025, and Photography for 2017 and 2020-2025. Each list has ten books; none is ranked. The 2018 and 2019 best-books hubs link no photography list, so those years have none. robots.txt allows all agents, but Cloudflare blocks scripted fetches of smithsonianmag.com, so pages were read from copies. 2017-2019 lists and all Photography lists come from Wayback Machine copies of the Smithsonian articles. 2020-2025 History, Science, Travel, Food and Children's lists come from booklisti.com, which copies each article's full list and links back to it. 2024 History was checked against the Smithsonian article itself: booklisti adds an 11th book, Jon Grinspan's Wide Awake, which the article only mentions in its intro, so it is left out. 2017-2019 articles name books only through Amazon widgets. Their titles drop Amazon's subtitles and series tags, and their authors are Open Library's first-listed author for the linked ISBN (co-authors and illustrators dropped). Exceptions: two 2019 Science authors come from the article text (both linked to Kindle editions), and three Photography books whose heading names no author use a retailer listing (Sneaker Freaker: Simon Wood) or Open Library (I'm So Happy You Are Here: Pauline Vermare; Life Dances On: Robert Frank). booklisti titles and authors are kept, with corporate credits (Atlas Obscura, Britannica) and degree suffixes dropped and three all-caps entries fixed against Open Library. Not included: 2014-2016, where the Wayback Machine has only scattered lists; the Smithsonian scholars' favorite-books roundups, which are staff picks; and one-off gift guides.

Organization: Smithsonian magazine. Official site (opens in a new tab)

The most recommended books of 2023