Henley Literary Festival
Sara Wheeler: What Makes a Great Travel Book?
Wednesday 3 October 2018
16:30
Town Hall
Henley-on-Thames
Book Tickets HERE
A prize-winning non-fiction writer offers a scintillating world tour round the best travel books. Bring suggestions! Sara's books include the international bestseller Terra Incognita, which tells the story of a seven-month journey in Antarctica. Sara is Trustee of The London Library, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a contributing editor of The Literary Review and chair of the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year award. She contributes to a wide range of publications in the UK and US and broadcasts regularly on BBC Radio. Sara’s next book, Mud and Stars: Russia, its Golden Age Writers, and Me, comes out in 2019.
In partnership with Henley Literary Festival
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You can opt-out of most communications or the ways in which we process your data by contacting This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For full details of how we use, collect, store and protect your data, see our Privacy Policy at www.londonlibrary.co.uk/privacy-policy.
THE LONDON LIBRARY PRIVACY POLICY
Introduction
The London Library is a registered charity in England and Wales (charity no. 312175). We receive no government funding and rely on the commitment of our membership and generosity of those who donate further to the Library. We take the privacy of everyone who engages with us very seriously and this policy outlines how The London Library will manage all the information that we hold on you and give you further detail on how you can change how we managed that information.
The London Library is the ‘data controller’ for the personal information that you provide us; and that we collect, use, and store. This activity is done in accordance with Data Protection law including the incoming Data Protection Bill (EU General Data Protection Regulation) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation.
The London Library retains, collects and uses your information in order to undertake activities necessary to the Library’s operations and development. We are committed to protecting your privacy and security, and we promise to respect any personal data you share with us. When you provide your data we aim to be clear about how we will store and use it, and not to do anything with it that you would not reasonably expect. In this policy we outline what information we retain, what information we collect and from where, how we use that data and how you can contact us to change how we hold and manage your data.
We keep this policy updated and will review it once a year, so that you can be confident when sharing your information with us that it will only be used for the purposes outlined here. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Peter Hyde (Finance Director) on 020 7766 4713 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
This policy was last updated May 2018.
The London Library contact details on information matters:
Address: The London Library, Data and Information, 14 St James’s Square, London, SW1Y 4LG
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Phone: 020 7766 4700
Your rights and access to your data
You have the right to ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you. This is called a ‘Subject Access Request’. We may in some cases charge an administration fee depending on the volume of work involved. You can also request to have the personal data we hold about you erased, to object to our use of your personal data, or to restrict the ways we use your personal data. To make any of these requests please see the further details below and then use the contact details above.
You also have the right to update or correct the personal information we hold about you and where you have provided consent for us to use your personal information you always have the right to withdraw you consent at any time.
What information we collect and when we collect it
Your personal data is provided to us and collected in a number ways.
In most cases we store and use the personal data you give us when you decide to interact with us. This could include joining as a member of the Library, purchasing temporary tickets to use the Library, attending an event, signing up to our e-newsletter or making a donation.
In a small number of cases further personal information may also be gathered from public sources. And there may also be instances where personal data is provided by a third party, this will mainly occur when a gift membership is purchased or a book adopted for you by someone else.
Why we collect and use your information
The main reasons for retaining, collecting and using your personal data are to fulfil your membership of the Library or any service or product you have requested or purchased. We want to ensure that we offer you a personalised experience, and inform you of events or updates you have asked to hear about or any additional information you need to know. We also use your personal information to understand our members, donors, visitors, prospective donors and customers - including their needs of the Library and interest in the Library.
We only retain, collect and use your personal data when a legal basis has been identified for doing so, in accordance with Data Protection Law. For most cases there are four reasons for such retention and processing that are relevant to The London Library; this is consent, compliance with legal obligation, legitimate interest or for contractual necessity.
How we keep your information safe?
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we store.
When we share any personal data we ensure that security is maintained through encryption. For more information on who we share your information with please see the ‘Who we share your information with’ section below.
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Organisations and suppliers based inside the European Economic Area (EEA) will be subject to the same data protection laws as companies based in the UK. In some cases, we will engage with organisations and suppliers outside the EEA included the United States, for example cloud-based systems, and if any of the computer servers used to host the website are outside of the EEA area. In these situations we will take steps to make sure that these suppliers provide an adequate level of protection in accordance with UK data protection law. By submitting your personal information to us you agree to this transfer, storing or processing at a location outside the EEA.
Who we share your information with?
We only share personal data that is relevant and proportionate for the practical delivery of a service for the Library (such as mailing the magazine). Our partners are subject to contractual agreements which to help ensure compliance with Data Protection legislation – this includes agreement that the third party supplier will not retain your data after the activity is completed.
The London Library will never sell, rent, share or trade your personal data to third parties for marketing purposes without your prior consent. On some rare occasions we may want to share your data with carefully selected partner organisations who have worked with The London Library, in these instances we will always ask for your permission.
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About this Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy from time to time. If we make any significant changes in the way we treat your personal information we will make this clear on The London Library website or by contacting you directly.
If you have any questions about any aspect of the data we hold please contact the London Library on 020 7766 4713 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you wish to raise a concern about the Library’s handling of your data you should first contact Peter Hyde at the Library. If you are unhappy with the response you receive from the Library, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk or contact their helpline on 0303 123 1113. If you would like more information about the Data Protection Bill (EU General Data Protection Regulation) and the lawful basis for processing your data please see the ICO’s Guide to GDPR.
MEMBERS' BOOKS ON DISPLAY IN MASON'S YARD
Every few weeks, as new books written by London Library members get added to our collection, we try to put as many on display as possible.
We can't fit everything in (our members are too prolific!), but here's the list of what's currently proudly displaying in the Mason's Yard window:
Man of Sheffield
Sir Norman Adsetts
In this, his first book, the man who helped make the name of Sheffield synonymous with success recounts the tales of not one, but many lives, as he traces his family history.
RMC Media, October 2017
The Death of the Fronsac
Neal Ascherson
This is an unforgettable recreation of life in wartime, and of the tragic fate of Poland in the twentieth century: a novel about sabotage, betrayal and the terrible sadness of exile.
Head of Zeus, August 2017
Revolution
Pete Ayrton
Revolution! contains writing by Russians and by foreigners who went to Russia and for whom the Russian Revolution was a political litmus test. The themes--hunger and heating, the limits of personal freedom, the infallibility of the party, free love, the role of art in the revolution--dominated twentieth century intellectual life and continue to resonate today.
Harbour Books, September 2017
Haig's Enemy
Jonathan Boff
The in-depth story of the Western Front, as seen from the perspective of one of Germany's leading First World War generals, illuminates the strengths and weaknesses of the imperial German army, its view on the First World War and British generals, and the relations between Prussia and the other German states
OUP, April 2018
Enemies Within
Richard Davenport-Hines
What pushed Blunt, Burgess, Cairncross, Maclean and Philby into Soviet hands? With access to recently released papers and other neglected documents, this sharp analysis of the intelligence world examines how and why these men and others betrayed their country and what this cost Britain and its allies.
Harper Collins, January 2018
Nelson's Lost Jewel
Martyn Downer
For the first time, Martyn Downer tells the extraordinary true story of the Chelengk jewel: from its gift to Nelson by the Sultan of Turkey to its tragic post-war theft, charting the jewel’s journey through history and forging sparkling new and intimate portraits of Nelson, of his friends and rivals, and of the woman he loved.
The History Press October 2017
A Forgotten Man
Geoffrey Elliott
Elliott makes the case for a revival in the fortunes of John Lodwick, in a biography which sheds new light on the early twentieth century literary scene, the surrealist art world and the real-life experiences of World War II.
I.B.Tauris & Co., August 2017
Free Woman
Lara Feigel
A genre-defying memoir in which Lara Feigel experiments with sexual, intellectual and political freedom while reading and pursuing Doris Lessing.
Bloomsbury, March 2018
Star Theatre
William Firebrace
Star Theatre explores the history of the planetarium, designed to reveal the universe around us on an ever-expanding scale. This concise, well-illustrated history will appeal to planetarium lovers as well as those interested in astronomy, architecture, theatre and cinema.
Reaktion Books, November 2017
War: an Enquiry
A. C. Grayling
A renowned philosopher challenges long-held views on just wars, ethical conduct during war, why wars occur, how they alter people and societies, and more.
Yale University Press, April 2017
Waterloo (Volume II)
John Hussey
The concluding volume of this work (the winner of the 2017 Templar medal) provides a fresh description of the climactic battle of Waterloo placed in the context of the whole campaign.
Greenhill Books, December 2017
Ibn Khalden
Robert Irwin
Irwin tells how Ibn Khaldun, who lived in a world decimated by the Black Death, held a long series of posts in the tumultuous Islamic courts of North Africa and Muslim Spain, becoming a major political player as well as a teacher and writer.
Princeton University Press, 2018
Greeks Bearing Gifts
Philip Kerr
A vicious murder puts Bernie Gunther on the trail of World War II criminals in Greece in this riveting historical thriller published just days after Philip Kerr’s untimely death last March. He will be greatly missed.
Penguin Random House, April 2018
Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket
David Kynaston
A fascinating account of how two BBC broadcasters battled for the soul of English cricket during a time of great social change. Wise, lively and filled with rich social and sporting history, Arlott, Swanton and the Soul of English Cricket shows how these two very different men battled to save the soul of the game as it entered a new era.
Bloomsbury, April 2018
Writer's Luck
David Lodge
David Lodge’s frank and illuminating memoir about the years where he found great success as a novelist and critic. Luck plays an important part in the careers of writers. In this book David Lodge explores how his work was inspired and affected by unpredictable events in his life.
Penguin, January 2018
Packing My Library
Alberto Manguel
A best-selling author and world-renowned bibliophile meditates on his vast personal library and champions the vital role of all libraries.
Yale University Press, March 2018
The Executor
Blake Morrison
Bestselling novelist and poet Blake Morrison creates a biting portrait of competitive male friendship, sexual obsession and the fragile transactions of married life. The Executor innovatively interweaves poetry and prose to form a gripping literary detective story.
Penguin, March 2018
France
John Julius Norwich
John Julius Norwich (at 88) has written the book he always wanted to write - the extremely colourful story of the country he loves best.
Hodder & Stoughton, April 2018
A Dangerous Woman
Susan Ronald
A revealing biography of Florence Gould, fabulously wealthy socialite and patron of the arts, who hid a dark past as a Nazi collaborator in 1940's Paris.
St Martin’s Press, February 2018
In Byron's Wake
Miranda Seymour
The story of Ada Lovelace - as an exuberant and boldly unconventional young woman, she amplified her explanations of Charles Babbage's unbuilt calculating engine to predict, as nobody would do for another century, the dawn today of our modern computer age.
Simon & Schuster, March 2018
A is for Ashbee
Peyton Skipwith
This delicious little book comes from an exhibition at Court Barn in Chipping Campden. A is for Ashbee and others; “Z is for … Zeppelin, Zig-Zag, Zinkeisen, Zircon, Zodiac, Zorach & Zsolnay”.
Shimmering Zen
James Stanford
Each of the works in Shimmering Zen offers us a fresh opportunity to explore a unique, optically complex and thoroughly transfixing visual sensation. With a foreword by London Library trustee Elzabeth Herridge.
Small Works Press, November 2017
The Fire Court
Andrew Taylor
Somewhere in the soot-stained ruins of Restoration London, a killer has gone to ground…Marwood and Cat are forced to confront a vicious and increasingly desperate killer whose actions threaten the future of the city itself.
Harper Collins, April 2018
The Long '68
Richard Vinen
The Long '68 is a striking and original attempt half a century on to show how events in 1968, which in some ways still seem so current, stemmed from histories and societies which are in practice now extraordinarily remote from our own time.
Penguin, April 2018
