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In June 2024, FNL generously made a gift of £7,500 to the library in support of the acquisition of Ambigué Magique, an extraordinarily rare example of a conjurer’s “blow book”, dating from c.1775. 

The book, which would have been a key item in any contemporary conjurer’s box of tricks, has strengthened Senate House Library’s world-leading collection related to all aspects of magic, and introduces a new item to the Harry Price Library of Magical Literature within Senate House Library’s Special Collections.

This visit to Senate House Library for members  was to celebrate this gift and allowed those in attendance to view the new acquisition.

Lucy Evans (Head of Collections) and Tansy Barton (Academic Librarian, Manuscripts and Book Studies) also presented other items from Senate House Library’s unique collections including a , ca.1400 (part funded by FNL in 1962); an 1896 edition of the (part funded by FNL in 1949); and an 1872 edition of Marx’s , inscribed by Peter Imandt.

Members were also invited to peruse recent acquisitions supported by the Friends at the Warburg Library, introduced by Giles Mandelbrote (Warburg Librarian and Director of Collections) and including volumes from the library of British cookery writer Elizabeth David. 

Welcoming the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries delegation, Catriona Cannon,  Senate House Library Librarian and Programme Director of the Library Transformation Programme, said:

“I want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone at the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries for the support that has been given to Senate House Library. Indeed, the generous gift from the Friends is one of the very first received as part of our Library Transformation Programme which makes it all the more exciting.

As with many libraries across the UK, we rely on the generosity of donors for many aspects of our work and so we are incredibly grateful for the support that has been given to us by the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries.”