Literary Boston

The Boston Athenaeum is a library, museum, and cultural centre. It houses over half a million books, including published works from the 1800s, the latest best-sellers, and around 100,000 rare books.

Beacon Hill Books & Café is a newly opened bookstore in Boston’s iconic Beacon Hill neighbourhood. The shop pairs a curated selection of books with a warm atmosphere. Located Downtown, Commonwealth Books is a must-visit for all literary and history lovers. Along with its expansive book collection which holds an emphasis with the arts, architecture, history, literature, philosophy and religion, the bookstore also offers a large selection of antique prints and maps.

Known as the first published African-American poet, Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784) was born in Africa and sold into slavery as a child, coming to live with the Wheatley family in Boston. She learned to read and write while with the family, and wrote her first poem, “To the University of Cambridge, in New England,” at age fourteen. Her 1773 book of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral brought her renown, as she wrote about contemporary events and people, including George Washington.