“To a true collector,” the German philosopher Walter Benjamin noted in his 1931 essay “Unpacking My Library,” “the acquisition of an old book is its rebirth.” This is an apt way to ...

Anthropodermic bibliopegy —or binding books in leather made from human skin—is a practice that dates back to the 13 th century (although it didn’t truly take off until the 1500s and 1600s).

Author and historian Iain MacGregor profiles a diverse range of players in his latest book about the first atomic bomb used in warfare.