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Adopt a Book

A group of hardback books on a shelf, with Alice and Wonderland in the foreground.

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 Adopt a book for yourself or as a gift for the person who inspired your love of reading.  

Adopt a classic title for £40 and receive: 

  • a decorative card showing an early edition of your title 

  • a personalised e-certificate with an optional message to your recipient. 

Your donation will directly support our conservation work, helping us preserve our extraordinary collection for future generations.  

Once ordered, it can take up to 10 working days to receive your keepsake card, though we aim to send them out sooner.  

For those in the US who would like to adopt a book, please click here to give via the American Trust of the British Library.

Please note, adopt your book before the 18th December if you would like to receive your keepsake card in time for Christmas. We do hope that your card will arrive on time, but can’t accept responsibility for any postal delays.

We are aware of an issue currently affecting your adopt a book certificates and our technical team are working hard to resolve it. Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused and please be assured that you will receive your certificate in time for Christmas.

Choose your title 

 


Can't find your favourite book? 

Choose almost any book from our collection of over 170 million items with a bespoke adoption from £1,000 – a wonderful option for celebrating a special occasion or remembering a loved one. You can: 

  • choose from our extensive collection, including rare and early editions 

  • protect your book by housing it in a specialist conservation box 

  • make a personal bookplate dedication that will last for the lifetime of the box 

  • enjoy a special tour of our Centre for Conservation with family and friends. 

Your gift will help us care for the collection items that most urgently need our attention. Donations only support conservation work on your title where agreed. 

For more information about bespoke adoptions, get in touch with Lucy Richardson at lucy.richardson@bl.uk.

Please note that, due to the size of our collection, it can take anywhere between a few weeks and several months to finalise a title and have work begin on the box.