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Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year 2025

Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year 2025 names 60 books across 6 categories. 4 of them also won or were shortlisted for an award.

Children's

  1. A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Broken by X. Fangsource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awansource (opens in a new tab)
  5. If You Make a Call on a Banana Phone by Gideon Sterersource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Let's Be Bees by Shawn Harrissource (opens in a new tab)
  7. On Our Way with Mr. Jay by Chelsea Lin Wallacesource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Three-Year Tumble by Dayeon Auhsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. There Are No Silly Questions by Mike Ramptonsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. To See an Owl by Matthew Cordellsource (opens in a new tab)

Food

  1. Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kishsource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Cellar Rat by Hannah Selingersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Good Things by Samin Nosratsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. On Meat by Jeremy Fox and Rachael Sheridansource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Parm to Table by Christian Petroni and Lesley Porcellisource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Recipes from the American South by Michael W. Twittysource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Korean Vegan: Homemade by Joanne Lee Molinarosource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Third Culture Cooking by Zaynab Issasource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Turtle Island by Sean Sherman, Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnellysource (opens in a new tab)
  10. We Are Eating the Earth by Michael Grunwaldsource (opens in a new tab)

History

  1. Medicine River by Mary Annette Pembersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. The Aviator and the Showman by Laurie Gwen Shapirosource (opens in a new tab)
  3. The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. The Gales of November by John U. Baconsource (opens in a new tab)
  5. The Last Dynasty by Toby Wilkinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Rembrandt Heist by Anthony M. Amoresource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Stolen Crown by Tracy Bormansource (opens in a new tab)
  8. The Trouble of Color by Martha S. Jonessource (opens in a new tab)
  9. Unabridged by Stefan Fatsissource (opens in a new tab)
  10. We the People by Jill Leporesource (opens in a new tab)

Photography

  1. Anna Atkins: Photographer, Naturalist, Innovator by Corey Kellersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Birds of a Feather by Claire Rosensource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Blue Sun by Genesis Báezsource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Christmas by Lee Friedlandersource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Feline by Tim Flachsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. MAKiNG iT: An Intimate Documentary of the Seattle Indie, Rock & Punk Scene, 1992–2008 by Bootsy Hollersource (opens in a new tab)
  7. Migration Patterns by Brandon Ruffinsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Sacred Place by Balarama Hellersource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Radiant Sea by Steven Haddock and Sönke Johnsensource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Trembling Earth by David Walter Bankssource (opens in a new tab)

Science

  1. Air-Borne by Carl Zimmersource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Battle of the Big Bang by Niayesh Afshordi and Phil Halpersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. Dinner with King Tut by Sam Keansource (opens in a new tab)
  4. Empire of AI by Karen Haosource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlanesource (opens in a new tab)
  6. Natural History by Brandon Kilbournesource (opens in a new tab)
  7. North to the Future by Ben Weissenbachsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Replaceable You by Mary Roachsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. The Explorer's Gene by Alex Hutchinsonsource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Vanished by Sadiah Qureshisource (opens in a new tab)

Travel

  1. Adventures in the Louvre by Elaine Sciolinosource (opens in a new tab)
  2. Free Ride by Noraly Schoenmakersource (opens in a new tab)
  3. How to Win at Travel by Brian Kellysource (opens in a new tab)
  4. On the Hippie Trail by Rick Stevessource (opens in a new tab)
  5. Route 66: The First 100 Years by Jim Ross and Shellee Grahamsource (opens in a new tab)
  6. The Edge of the World by Alden Jonessource (opens in a new tab)
  7. The Size of the World by Jeff Greenwaldsource (opens in a new tab)
  8. Things Become Other Things by Craig Modsource (opens in a new tab)
  9. This Beautiful, Ridiculous City by Kay Sohinisource (opens in a new tab)
  10. Written in the Waters by Tara Robertssource (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)

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