The London Library

The London Library is alive with ideas. As part of the National Year of Reading, there’s never been a better time to immerse yourself in books, research and creative thought. The home of literary inspiration. Become a member to discover: londonlibrary.co.uk/join

🐣 Please note our Easter 2026 opening hours at The London Library: 📅 Closed from Friday 3 April to Monday 6 April 📖 We'll reopen with normal hours on Tuesday 7 April

Last night, The London Library hosted a sold-out evening: 'The Mitfords'. Carla Kaplan, Rachel Trethewey and Amy Rosenthal, in discussion with Rachel Holmes, each offered their own lens on the lives of these complex, rebellious and often contradictory women.

A space of your own, in the heart of London. The London Library is a home for anyone who loves the written word. From Charles Dickens to Kazuo Ishiguro, we've been the home of literary inspiration for 185 years. Become a member: londonlibrary.co.uk/join/join-onli…

We have once again partnered with The Sunday Times Charlotte Aitken Young Writer of the Year Award, which has just announced their 2025 winner as Harry Shukman for #YearOfTheRat. Congratulations Harry! 📚✨ #YoungWriterAward

Poets have long been part of The London Library’s history. This World Poetry Day, we’re celebrating just a few of the poets who have been part of the community over the years. 1. T. S. Eliot 2. Sylvia Townsend Warner 3. Edith Sitwell 4. Cecil Day Lewis

Tiny books, vast stories. Among The London Library’s collection of around one million books are miniature editions like these, proving that literary treasures don’t always take up much space. Just one of many interesting finds waiting to be discovered.

Congratulations to longstanding London Library member Tim Bouverie, winner of the Pol Roger Duff Cooper Prize for non-fiction for Allies at War. Around 700 books are published by Library members each year. Find out more about membership via the link in our bio. 📚

Last night at The London Library, Camilla Grudova, Mark Haddon and Amber Medland joined Irenosen Okojie to explore crafting the perfect short story. Inspired by Magic and Mechanics from Scratch Books, the evening unpacked the ideas and decisions that shape compelling fiction.

A quiet place to think, write and read. The Study at The London Library offers members a dedicated space for focused work. Immersed in the calm atmosphere of the building, it’s a place where ideas can take shape without distraction - in the heart of London.

🌍Happy International Women’s Day! Discover just a few of the remarkable women who have also been members of The London Library → 1. Christabel Pankhurst 2. Virginia Woolf 3. Vita Sackville-West 4. Helena Bonham Carter

Happy World Book Day! 🌍📚 At The London Library, discovery stretches a long way. Across 17 miles of open shelves and around one million books, members can browse, explore and stumble upon ideas they didn’t know they were looking for. Discover more: londonlibrary.co.uk/join

What does it mean for something to be 'emblematic'? Discover more about in our latest display in the Reading Room, featuring a number of books from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries on emblems. Available to all London Library members.

Twelve writers + a DJ = one of the best nights you’ll ever have in a library. Earlier this week, in collaboration with Sony Music, Inua Ellams brought his live literature phenomenon, the RAP Party, back to The London Library — celebrating 30 years of The Score by Fugees.

4. Valentine Ackland & Sylvia Townsend Warner – poets and partners for nearly four decades. There are many more whose stories remain layered, complex, and in some cases, partially hidden. #LGBTHistoryMonth #LondonLibrary #HiddenHistories #QueerHistory #LibraryArchives

3. Marie Corelli – novelist who lived with her lifelong companion Bertha Vyver for over 40 years.

At The London Library, history lives not only on the shelves, but within our membership. Discover some of the Library’s historical LGBT+ members: 1. Cecil Beaton – photographer, artist and designer whose work went on to influence queer visual culture.

17 miles to browse and borrow, around one million books and infinite possibilities. At The London Library, discovery happens between the shelves, in unexpected corners, and sometimes in the book you weren’t even looking for.

Swipe to see The Reading Room then & now 👉 From quiet study in the early 20th century to today’s writers, researchers and thinkers at work, the Reading Room at The London Library has long been a space for deep focus and discovery.