Read NYPL Insta Novels

By Lynn Ann Lobash, Associate Director, Readers Services and Engagement
August 22, 2019
Insta Novels

Insta Novels reimagine Instagram's Stories feature as a new platform for some of the most iconic stories ever written. 

Insta Novels launched in 2018 on the Library's Instagram account (@nypl) with a newly digitized version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.  

The New York Public Library joined forces with the independent advertising and creative agency, Mother in New York, to create Insta Novels. The program aims to make great stories available even more widely.

Five Insta Novels have been released: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Magoz (@magoz); Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," illustrated by Buck (@buck_design); Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", illustrated by Studio Aka (@studioaka); Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis , illustrated by Pelizer César (@cesarpelizer); and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Caitlin McCarthy (@c8l.in).

All stories are available to read in the Highlights section of the Library's Instagram account (@nypl).

Insta Novels - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Explore Insta Novels

The program has featured five stories.

Alice Cover

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Magoz (@magoz)

Yellow Wallpaper Cover

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's short story "The Yellow Wallpaper," illustrated by Buck (@buck_design)

The Raven Cover

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", illustrated by Studio Aka (@studioaka), released at midnight on Halloween

Metamorphosis

Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis , illustrated by Pelizer César (@cesarpelizer).

 

Christmas Carrol Cover

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Caitlin McCarthy (@c8l.in), released just before the holidays

​All stories are available to read on the Library's Instagram account (@nypl). 

 

How to Read Insta Novels 

Insta Novels Highlights

First, go to the Library's Instagram account (@nypl) and tap the name of the story in the highlights section, right under the bio.

Rest your thumb on lower right part of the screen to hold the page, and lift your thumb to turn the page. (The lower right thumb holder is designed to double as a flip book: if you lift your thumb and let the pages flip, you'll see an animation.)

 

All the Insta Novels Covers

Other Ways to Read the Stories

All the stories featured in Insta Novels are available on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app, available on the App Store or Google Play.

Anyone can access the full text of the stories on the Project Gutenberg website. NYPL cardholders can check out the books and audiobooks via the NYPL catalog. Also, you can find many of the stories by searching the online catalog of NYPL's Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library.