Amongst the latest new titles to join the Library’s collection before the year ends are Books of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, Margaret Atwood’s long awaited memoir, Captive Gods: Religion and the Rise of Social Science, a profound exploration between religion and modern social science, and How To Survive Christmas, available in eBook form.

Become a member to explore these titles and thousands more with unlimited access to our print and digital collections.

Cosy up with reading recommendations this winter from our London Library Ambassadors, Harriet Evans, Rachel Holmes, Suzannah Lipscomb, John O'Farrell, Neil Pearson and Charles Saumarez Smith. Titles range from 19th Century gothic horror to a debut exploring modern womanhood, intertwined with fairytales and myths. Visit the website for a full list with most titles available on Catalyst.

We'll be announcing a sparkling array of events in the new year, so do watch this space for details, and in the meantime, you'll find a teaser of what's to come and some early bird tickets on our What's On page. 

As we open applications for the eighth year, we’ll be showcasing the exceptional talent to have already come out of The London Library Emerging Writers Programme, hosted by Bidisha with readings and discussion from Programme alumni; Lauren Elkin, Francesca Wade and Dominique Heyse-Moore will be aptly celebrating the iconic writer and salonnière Gertrude Stein at our Art/Lit Salon; and kickstart your new year creativity with Write & Shine, exploring London as a city of fleeting glimpses and short stories.

Join us for a luminous, literary 2026!

We are delighted that The London Library Emerging Writers Programme is entering its eighth year with applications opening on 6 January for the 2026/27 Programme. Many Programme participants have gone on to achieve publishing success including Lucy Steeds who has won the prestigious 2025 Waterstones Book of the Year award with her debut novel The Artist. 

London-based author Lucy Steeds, who also secured the 2025 Waterstones’ Debut Fiction Prize, began crafting the novel during her time living in France. Her win saw her triumph over a strong shortlist that included Sir David Attenborough and Colin Butfield’s Ocean, and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise On The Reaping. 

Congratulations to Lucy and click below to find out more about the Emerging Writers Programme. 

Traditionally produced by printing presses eager to display their latest innovations, the Library’s collection of Small Books includes the smallest Divine Commedia in the world, a Latin New Testament printed in Venice in 1548, and a finely illustrated version of The Emblematic Language of Flowers. We are just £10,000 away from achieving our target of £100,000 to help reveal these and many other volumes in our Special Collections.

To find out more or to donate to The Library Fund, please click below.

Our latest Reading Room display features Nineteenth Century Literary Annuals. 

In November 1822, Anglo-German entrepreneur and publisher, Rudolph Ackermann issued Forget Me Not, a Christmas and New Year’s Present for 1823 from his premises in The Strand. In doing so, set off a publishing craze in Britain that lasted 30 years. 

This display showcases the annual that started it all, Forget Me Not amongst other famous titles such as The Keepsake, The Amulet, Friendship’s Offering and The Book of Beauty. 

Become a member to explore this display in the Reading Room and more.