The First Wednesday Book Club – Alison Weir: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen

The First Wednesday Book Club

A deep dive into great books we really love in conversation with their authors.

For the 2026 National Year of Reading we are delighted to be launching LAR’s First Wednesday Book Club, a conversation on the first Wednesday of each month with a writer about one of their books, sometimes a new publication, and sometimes a classic from their back catalogue. The format is a 45-minute interview followed by a half-hour audience Q&A and a book-signing. All the events are open to everyone. If you’d like to read the books beforehand they can be purchased at a special LAR discount from our partner, Stanton Stephens at Castle Books, and may be borrowed from Ludlow Library.

The series is curated and chaired by Peter Florence, Director of The Conversation at St Martin in the Fields in London and founder of book festivals from Brazil to Bangladesh via London and Hay.

Alison Weir: Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen

Alison Weir has a unique place as both a massively popular historian and a best-selling historical novelist whose writing about the superstars of Plantagenet and Tudor England has delighted readers across the world. Her latest books are The Boleyn Secret, The Cardinal, Queens at War and Queens of the Crusades. Our November First Wednesday Book Club pick is the story of Ludlow’s most famous resident, the Spanish princess who was married to Prince Arthur for five months and to his younger brother, King Henry VIII, for 24 years.

European Festivals Forest 

We are working to mitigate our event's carbon footprint with simple and transparent climate action. Please help us by planting a tree for just £2 in the European Festivals Forest.  You can opt in at checkout.

With thanks to our partners at Castle Lodge for their support on this series