Dr Chris Evans on "The History of the Postbox."

Dr Mark Towsey from the University of Liverpool will describe the social, political and economic background of the 18th Century that inspired our Institution’s founders to create a new library in Liverpool. We will hear about the subscription libraries that came to Britain from the east coast of the USA, as well as the desire ... Read more

"A Melodramatic Murder Writer", Wilkie Collins by Michael Byrne.

Thursday 6th October, 6:00-6:30pm Athenaeum Film Nights Present – Passport to Pimlico. £10.00 per person, includes a one course supper and refreshments during the interval. A charming Ealing comedy with turns from dozens of beloved character actors hilariously sending up English stereotypes when Pimlico declares itself independent to escape dour post-war life.

12th October, 2016 – “Hobson’s Choice”: this wonderful tale is of an oafish father (Charles Laughton) whose boot-making business is run by his eldest daughter (Brenda de Banzie) and depends on the skill of his shy boot maker (John Mills). Hobson’s life is thrown into chaos when his daughter decides she has other plans. Made ... Read more

'A Letter from America: The US Electoral System from Washington to Trump.' with Professor Terry Schultz from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA. Professor Terry Schultz will provide an entertaining and enlightened insight into the seeming impenetrable subject of the upcoming US election. From the Primaries and Electoral College to the White House and Senate, ... Read more

John Edmondson on "The Chesney Expedition."

"George Gissing" by Alan Andrews

9th November, 2016 – “Bad Day at Black Rock”: A “modern” western, with an exceptional cast, director John Sturges received his only Oscar nomination for this film. At the end of World War II a disabled soldier (Spencer Tracy) visits a small western town to give a medal to the parents of the man who ... Read more

Wednesday 9th November, 6:00-6:30pm Athenaeum Film Night Presents – Great Expectations. £10.00 per person, includes a one course supper and refreshments served during the interval. John Mills is the orphan who enters high society in David Lean's Oscar-winning 1946 adaptation of the great Dickens novel.