Thanks for coming to see The Time Machine at The London Library. We hope you enjoyed exploring space and time in our labyrinthine building!
Founded in 1841 The London Library is one of the world’s great lending libraries. An extraordinary history, a vast borrowing collection and an outstanding building make this a unique place to think, to write and to be inspired.
From Sarah Waters to Kazuo Ishiguro; Charles Dickens to TS Eliot; Virginia Woolf to Bram Stoker; we’ve been at the heart of literature for over 175 years. We have always been a home for anyone who loves the written word.
Membership offer
We are delighted to offer 25% off membership to anyone that has attended The Time Machine!
Just use code 25TIME at checkout on our website.
We have various types of membership available and with this special offer:
- Full Individual membership costs around £33 a month or £375 by annual Direct Debit;
- 16-27 year olds and partners of existing members pay around £16 a month or £187.50 by annual Direct Debit;
- Associate membership costs around £22 a month or £243.75 by annual Direct Debit;
- Remote membership is around £18 a month or £191.25 by annual Direct Debit.
Find out more about our membership types on our website.
If you are interested in joining you can also book a Prospective Member Tour.
Benefits of membership
Our collection contains over million books and periodicals, dating from 1700 to the present day, almost all of which can be borrowed. Members can browse 17 miles of open access shelves for an unforgettable voyage of literary discovery!
We also provide an extensive range of electronic resources giving members online access, from anywhere in the world, to over 25,000 academic journals and other scholarly resources.
During the show you saw some of our vast labyrinth of books, hidden corners and beautiful working spaces, from elegant reading rooms to atmospheric bookstacks. There is, of course, much more to see and explore, we are a unique literary oasis in the heart of London and our members can make full use of resources.
Newsletter
If you're not ready to join as a member but you'd like to keep up to date with what's going on at the Library and hear about any special offers we are running. Sign up to our newsletter below.
The London Library promises to respect and protect any personal data you share with us. Your information is used to administer your membership, personalise your experience of the Library and communications, and provide you with the goods or services you have requested. If you are over 18 we may, in some instances, analyse your data and obtain further publicly available data to help us make our communications more appropriate and relevant to your interests, and anticipate whether you might want to support us in the future.
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 collect, store, use and protect your data, see our Privacy Policy at www.londonlibrary.co.uk/privacypolicy.
View and download The London Library floorplan and find some key information about using the Library building.
Reading rooms and desks
The Library has 3 reading rooms on the 1st floor above the Issue Hall, the Foyle Lightwell reading room on the lower ground floor and non-quiet reading rooms in the 6th Floor Suite. There are also a number of individual desks located around the stacks.
Access requirements
Members with access requirements may contact Reception at any time to findout how we can meet their needs. This includes level access to the building, lifts to many of the Library’s spaces, accessible toilets, and screen readers.
Make Christmas special with some help from The London Library.
Gift Membership
Membership of The London Library is the perfect Christmas present to give to the book-lover in your life! Members can browse and borrow from our unique collection of over one million books on 17 miles of open shelves; including history, literature, art, and much more, plus access thousands of periodals, newspapers and magazines. They also have access to extensive online resources which can be used from anywhere in the world.
With an unforgettable building in beautiful St. James's Square, with beautiful rooms and spaces to read, write and think, The London Library is a magical place that has been at the heart of literature for over 175 years.
London Library members have access to:
- An incredible collection of 1 million books, with 6,000 more being added every year, almost all of which are available to browse on open shelves and borrow;
- Subscriptions to thousands of journals and periodicals and a wide range of digital resources;
- Beautiful and practical spaces in which to read and write, open six days a week with late night openings;
- Invitations to special events and discounts on our popular public speaker events;
- Expert staff, always on hand to assist with enquiries;
- A postal loans service anywhere within Europe.
View all of the benefits of membership.
All membership types may all be given as gifts and during the Christmas period they will include a London Library bag and postcard for your gift message and will be wrapped with a Christmas ribbon.
Adopt a Book
Adopting a book is the perfect gift for Christmas, and with every adoption you can help develop and preserve the Library’s unique collection.
You can adopt a new book to be added to one of the Library's unique catalogue subjects, or a favourite book from the Library’s collection, and a bookplate will be placed inside the selected volume recording the adoption.
Book adoptions also include a private tour of the Library for the recipient and a guest with the opportunity to see the bookplate in situ.
29 Feb-5 April 2020 at The London Library.
This spring, The London Library is teaming up with Creation Theatre, the company that brought us Dracula, to host an exciting new theatre production.
As The Time Machine celebrates its 125th anniversary, delve into the secret corners of The London Library and travel through time to experience HG Wells’ prescient sci-fi classic as never before.
Writer Jonathan Holloway reimagines the novel to create a world in which time has fragmented, the present is endlessly shifting and the future is strange and uncertain. This surreal, psychedelic adventure draws on cutting edge research from the Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities to challenge our perceptions and raise important questions about time, society and the nature of human existence.
Innovative audio visual design will transform The London Library’s extraordinary building - where Wells was a member for over 50 years - to create a unique theatrical experience, with audience groups being led by their very own Time Traveller. Expect the unexpected and prepare to be provoked on this journey into the unknown.
Seating & Prices
The performance will take place in groups of up to 20, moving around various rooms in The London Library.
Tickets: £32 - £35
London Library members: £28
Previews: £18
Recommended for age 12+
If you have any access requirements or suffer from vertigo, please contact us before booking.
Performance Dates
29 February – 5 April
Performances will take place Wednesday to Sunday.
On Wednesday to Saturday performances will begin at 7:00pm, 7:20pm, 7:40pm and 8:00pm.
On Sundays performances will be at 5pm, 5:20pm, 5:40pm and 6pm.
Latest News
Inside The Library
History of The London Library
Public Tours
Members Past and Present
The London Library Team
AGM and Annual Reports
Patrons, Presidents and Trustees
Emerging Writers Programme
London Library Podcast- London Library Partners
London Library Ambassadors- The Capital Campaign: Building Connections
Subsidised Schools Membership Programme
Shop
