The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects by Richard Kurin

Other objects will be eye-opening new discoveries for many, but no less evocative of the most poignant and important moments of the American experience. Kurin sheds remarkable new light on objects we think we know well, from Lincoln's hat to Dorothy's ruby slippers and Julia Child's kitchen, including the often astonishing tales of how each made its way into the collections of the Smithsonian.

Ranging from the earliest years of the pre-Columbian continent to the digital age, and from the American Revolution to Vietnam, each entry pairs the fascinating history surrounding each object with the story of its creation or discovery and the place it has come to occupy in our national memory. Now Under Secretary for Art, History, and Culture Richard Kurin, aided by a team of top Smithsonian curators and scholars, has assembled a literary exhibition of 101 objects from across the Smithsonian's museums that together offer a marvelous new perspective on the history of the United States. It's the ideal gift not just for the resident history buff in your life, but for anyone who might enjoy a good yarn about the shaping of our collective culture.The Smithsonian Institution is America's largest, most important, and most beloved repository for the objects that define our common heritage.

Along with expected inclusions like the Declaration of Independence and Abraham Lincoln's stovepipe hat, there are unusual entries into the cultural lexicon like Julia Child's test kitchen and Star Wars' original R2D2. Kurin, an anthropologist who serves as the Under Secretary of History, Arts, and Culture at the Smithsonian, situates each object in its historical and curatorial context with some serious narrative-each chapter reads not with the stuffiness of biography, but rather with the suspense of fiction. For a curated tour sans the standard headphones, there's Richard Kurin's new History of America in 101 Objects (Penguin Press, $50), a hefty tome that shepherds readers through a behind-the-scenes crash course in American history via some of the Smithsonian's most storied artifacts. With 19 museums and nine research centers, working your way through every Smithsonian exhibit can seem like a monumental undertaking.

The Smithsonian's History of America in 101 Objects by Richard Kurin