 Entrance to the London Library in St James's Square | |
| Formation | 1841 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Thomas Carlyle |
| Type | Subscription library |
| Location |
|
Membership | c7,500 (2023) |
Patron | Queen Camilla |
President | Helena Bonham Carter |
Chairman of Trustees | Simon Godwin |
Director | Philip Marshall |
| Website | www |
The London Library is an independent lending library in London, established in 1841. It was founded on the initiative of Thomas Carlyle, who was dissatisfied with some of the policies at the British Museum Library. It is located at 14 St James's Square, in the St James's area of the City of Westminster, which has been its home since 1845.[1] Membership is open to all, on payment of an annual subscription, and life and corporate memberships are also available. As of December 2023 the Library had around 7,500 members.[2]
T. S. Eliot, a long-serving President of the Library, argued in July 1952 in an address to members that, "whatever social changes come about, the disappearance of the London Library would be a disaster to civilisation".[3]
- ^ "Libraries Archived 2009-05-08 at the Wayback Machine." City of Westminster. Retrieved on 21 January 2009.
- ^ "182nd Annual General Meeting" (PDF). The London Library. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ T. S. Eliot, A Presidential Address to the Members of the London Library, July 1952: reproduced in McIntyre 2006, p. 33.