Sat 10 October (please scroll down for more)
‘Darwin’s Publisher’
The Wimbledon Society and Southside House present John Murray VII of the celebrated publishing dynasty, whose antecedents found a refuge in Wimbledon from London’s literary furores, in conversation with biographer James Hamilton, authority on 19th century cultural history and author of London Lights.
Southside House, Woodhayes Rd, SW19 (opp Hand in Hand pub)
3pm start (Doors:2.30pm) Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: £7.50 (includes tea)
By kind permission of the Pennington Mellor Munthe Charitable Trust
Sponsored and organised by The Wimbledon Society
David Waller: Gertrude Tennant, Victorian Grande Dame
David Waller tells the story of this Victorian grande dame par excellence in The Magnificent Mrs Tennant. Gertrude Tennant's literary and artistic salon was one of the foremost places to be seen, and Gertrude herself the social hub of this glittering world. Victorian luminaries including Gladstone, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, Arthur Balfour, Robert Browning, John Everett Millais and even Mark Twain were all habitues of her salon. David Waller will talk and read from his book. Early reviews have compared the book to “Thackeray at his best” and even Virginia Woolf’s Orlando.
Wimbledon Library, 35 Wimbledon Hill Road, SW19
6pm start (Doors: 5.30pm)
Duration: 1 hour
Tickets: £5
Tom Rob Smith
The crime writer will discuss his life and work including the recently published Secret Speech and his highly successful debut novel, Child 44. Published in 2008 it focused on a series of child murders in Stalinist Russia. It was awarded the 2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the year by the Crime Writer's Association and has been translated into 17 languages. The event will include a Q&A session.
Donald Hope Library, Colliers Wood High St, SW19
7.30pm start (Doors: 7pm)
Duration: 2 hours
Tickets: £5 (incl refreshments)
Book Online