Library History

Beowulf the Warrior is an outstanding modern version of the oldest epic in the English language. Ian Serraillier has retold in verse the story of the hero Beowulf and his three memorable exploits - first, his rescuing of Hrothgar the Dane from the ravages of monstrous Grendel; next, his victory over Grendel's strange and horrible mother; and finally, in Beowulf's old age, his saving of his own people, the Geats, from the horrors of a dragon at the cost of his life. Beowulf's heroism and noble heart communicate to any modern listener.

A young readers edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus was the inspiration for the blockbuster film, Oppenheimer. This brand-new edition introduces the next generation to one of the twentieth century's most iconic and complex global figures...

Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father's shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl...

New York Times bestselling author Steve Sheinkin presents a follow up to his award-winning book Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, taking listeners on a terrifying journey into the Cold War and our mutual assured destruction. As World War II comes to a...

From one of America’s most beloved authors, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces, offering a fresh perspective on the remarkable literary mind of Harper Lee. Harper Lee remains a landmark figure in the American canon –...

During one of the most important times in the civil rights movement, one unforgettable family goes on a road trip in this Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree, from author Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. A PARADE...

In this engaging life of the 20th century's most self-consciously learned dictator, Geoffrey Roberts explores the books Stalin read, how he read them, and what they taught him. Stalin firmly believed in the transformative potential of words and his voracious appetite for reading guided him throughout his years. A biography as well as an intellectual portrait, this book explores all aspects of Stalin's tumultuous life and politics.

The trans-dimensional library teeters on the brink of catastrophe – and only one book can save it. The Secret Chapter is the sixth instalment in the Invisible Library series from Genevieve Cogman. As Irene tries to manage a fraught truce between the warring Fae and dragon factions – not to...

Librarian-spy Irene's assistant has been kidnapped by the Fae – a fairy faction who will stop at nothing to cause utter chaos. The Masked City is the second entry in the Invisible Library series from Genevieve Cogman. Irene is working undercover when disaster strikes. Her assistant, Kai, is...

A propulsive work of narrative nonfiction about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre, how the robbery made the portrait the most famous artwork in the world—and how the painting by Leonardo da Vinci should never have existed at all. On a hot August day in Paris, just over a century ago...

In this “superb history” (The Wall Street Journal), award-winning author Candace Fleming tells the extraordinary true story of Russia’s last royal family—and transports readers back to a time when both a bloodline and an empire came tumbling down. “Has all the elements of a fictional...

Samuel, 13, spends his days in the forest, hunting for food for his family. He has grown up on the frontier of a British colony, America. Far from any town, or news of the war against the King that American patriots have begun near Boston. But the war comes to them. British soldiers and Iroquois...

A mysterious archive. A powerful enemy. And a cunning plan. The Dark Archive is the seventh book in the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman. Danger is part of the day job for a librarian-spy. So Irene’s hoping for a relaxing weekend break in Guernsey, on the tail of a rare book...

In an alternate St. Petersburg, librarian-spy Irene faces unimaginable dangers – as her arch-nemesis returns. The Burning Page is the third instalment in the Invisible Library series from bestselling author Genevieve Cogman. Librarian-spy Irene is on probation – and absconding from a mission...

Return to the Invisible Library for Irene's most perilous mission yet! The Untold Story is the climactic eighth book in Genevieve Cogman's exhilarating series. For librarian-spy Irene, this could be her last mission. She has been sent on a terrifying, dangerous task – one which must be kept...

Another powerful story in the Logan Family Saga and companion to Mildred D. Taylor's Newbery Award-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. For David Logan, a time of distress means taking the higher road. During a drought, the Logan family shares their well water with their neighbors, black and...

The definitive oral history of the 1967 novel for teens, turned blockbuster film turned Tony-winning musical, and commemorated with a newly opened museum. This groundbreaking story has managed to stay gold for nearly sixty years. *Includes interviews with Rob Lowe, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas...

In 1890s Paris, a librarian and a detective must track down a killer – before the city goes up in flames. The Mortal Word is the enthralling fifth instalment in the Invisible Library series from Genevieve Cogman. A corrupt countess. A spy in danger. And an assassin. Peace talks are always...

The fascinating and little-known story of the Louvre, from its inception as a humble fortress to its transformation into the palatial residence of the kings of France and then into the world's greatest art museum.

In Burning the Books, Richard Ovenden describes the deliberate destruction of knowledge held in libraries and archives from ancient Alexandria to contemporary Sarajevo, from smashed Assyrian tablets in Iraq to the destroyed immigration documents of the UK Windrush generation.