The Blavatnik Honresfield Library

The Blavatnik Honresfield Library is a rare collection of literary manuscripts and printed books, which had been inaccessible for some 80 years. Friends of the National Libraries spearheaded the campaign to save it for the nation. Every manuscript and book in the collection was donated to nearly 70 libraries in four home nations of the UK, making them accessible to all.

‘Lost and hidden manuscripts, a reclusive Victorian collector, and a twenty-first-century tycoon – these are the ingredients of a real-life adventure mystery. This commemorative book tells the extraordinary story of one of the most dramatic funding battles in the art world – fought successfully by a small charity to save one of the nation’s greatest literary treasure troves.' Geordie Greig, Chairman, Friends of the National Libraries