The Library Book cover art

The Library Book

 Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Library Book

By: Susan Orlean
Narrated by: Susan Orlean
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

A New York Times Book of the Year.

A Reese Witherspoon X Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick.

A dazzling love letter to a beloved institution—our libraries.

After moving to Los Angeles, Susan Orlean became fascinated by a mysterious local crime that has gone unsolved since it was carried out on the morning of 29th April 1986: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, ultimately destroying more than 400,000 books, and perhaps even more perplexing, why?

With her characteristic humour, insight and compassion, Orlean uses this terrible event as a lens through which to tell the story of all libraries—their history, their meaning and their uncertain future as they adapt and redefine themselves in a digital world.

Filled with heart, passion and extraordinary characters, The Library Book discusses the larger crucial role that libraries play in our lives.

©2018 Susan Orlean (P)2018 Simon & Schuster Art & Literature Journalists, Editors & Publishers Library & Museum Studies Social Sciences True Crime Words, Language & Grammar

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Paradise Falls cover art
Five Floors Up cover art
The Easytown Novels: Books 1-3 cover art
Behind the Door cover art
The Silmarillion cover art
Little House in the Big Woods cover art
Elantris (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation] cover art
The Address cover art
Terry Pratchett: A Life with Footnotes cover art
The Last Monument cover art
The Making of Jackson Parrish cover art

Critic reviews

“Exquisitely written, consistently entertaining.” (New York Times)
All stars
Most relevant
I adored listening to this hymn to libraries. This is a fantastically researched deep dive into the story of book sharing. For anyone remotely interested in a mystery bound up with books, choose The Library Book.

Absolutely wonderful book about books

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.