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W London's (W)riters Library Will Get Your Juices Flowing

Where: 10 Wardour Street, London, United Kingdom, W1D 6QF

Londoners haven’t really gone out much this week. In fact, if ever there’s been a week when you want to lock yourself in your house and read a good book, this is it. So it was that a couple of days ago we remembered the library at the W London - or, to call it by its proper name, the (W)riters Library, containing 100 books – 10 chosen by 10 famous authors, and inscribed by said authors as to why they’ve chosen them.

Yesterday, we ventured out of our bunker to see the library. First good thing: not all the sexy plates are gone. Hurrah! In fact, the library just takes up two blocks in the center of the Union Jack shelves. V discreet.

In fact, the whole concept is equally discreet – there’s no sign saying “famous autographs here”, no advertising – it’s up to you to pick up a book, see the bookplate, and work out whose it is (they haven’t all signed them).

Some of the choices are fascinating. The first book we picked up was Middlemarch – yup, that humungous 19th century tome by George Eliot. It had been chosen by no other than Bret Easton Ellis - in fact, he’d even called it

The best 19th century social-realist novel.

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Hotel Libraries / Hotel News / London Hotels / W Hotels / Damian Barr / → All Tags

W London Switches Its Naked Plates For A (W)riters Library

Where: 10 Wardour Street, London, United Kingdom, W1D 6QF

Think books instead of dishes

We had a slight renaissance in our way of thinking about W London Leicester Square when we made it in for a proper look a couple of weeks back, and now we’re even more excited about the latest addition to the hotel: the (W)riters Library.

It’s the brainchild of Damian Barr, who, you might recall, was the Reader in Residence at Andaz London (and then around the world). And it’s a little more exciting than a standard hotel library. The lush-tongued Scot has asked 10 writers from both sides of the Atlantic to each choose their 10 essential books – and write a handwritten note explaining what it means to them inside each one. According to Damian:

Some have lifted quotes, others have gone a tad impressionistic and several have crafted short stories in their own right. Their choices are far from predictable (Dr Seuss anyone?)

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