Five of the world’s hidden wonders are here in Massachusetts, according to a new Atlas Obscura book, due out Oct. 15.

“Atlas Obscura, 2nd Edition: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders” by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras, and Ella Morton, details unusual destinations around the planet. The first Atlas Obscura book, released in 2016, was a New York Times bestseller.

Five Massachusetts experiences made the cut: the Mapparium, Ether Dome, and James Allen’s Biography, all in Boston; the Museum of Bad Art in Somerville; and the Paper House in Rockport.

In Boston, the Mapparium is a famous three-story stained-glass globe inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library and “the only place in the world in which the surface of the Earth can be seen without distortion,” according to the authors. James Allen’s biography at the Boston Athenaeum, “Narrative of the Life of James Allen,” is a book bound in the skin of its author. And the Ether Dome at the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation at Massachusetts General Hospital, is where visitors can see where the first surgery using ether took place in 1846.


Over in Somerville, the Museum of Bad Art features artwork where “there is a glaring gap between the artist’s sincerity and skill level,” according to the authors. The museum is currently closed for renovations, according to its website, but you can view the art online.

In Rockport, the Paper House is a 1922 home made of newspaper.

The Paper House in Rockport. —Danielle Walquist Lynch / flickr

The book also features a Boston city guide, which briefly highlights the following 13 spots: