This Is Not a Book About Charles Darwin

Luncheon with Louis de Bernières at The Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes on Sunday 5th May, 2019 at 12.30pm

Classicist, art historian and cultural critic Daisy Dunn reveals the lives of Pliny the Elder (admiral of the fleet and author of a phenomenal encyclopaedia of Natural History), who...

Join Robin Hanbury-Tenison to discover 500 years of exploration told through the biographical portraits of the great expeditions of 40 of the world’s most intrepid explorers from da Gama...

Lily Blacksell, who has performed in venues from Battersea Arts Centre to New York’s Bowery Poetry Club, will be reading from her pamphlet, There’s No Such Thing, along with...

In 2001 Jack Straw became the first senior British Foreign Secretary to visit Iran since the 1979 revolution and has developed a growing interest in the country ever since....

An accountant and company director for 20 year, Mary S Lovell wrote her first book in 1981 at the age of 40. She has been writing full time for...

In an era when politicians are responsible for the Brexit logjam and embroiled in sexual-harassment and expenses scandals, it’s no wonder we’ve lost our faith in government. Every year...

Edward Bulfin was an unusual general who rose to high rank in the Great War, in spite of his Irish Catholic birth and close nationalist relations, nor having attended...

A new book that will turn the established history of the Second World War on its head. Four years ago two Isle of Wight historians came together to reassess...

Legendary multi-champion, triple Olympic medallist, Rodney Pattisson will be interviewed by former Times yachting correspondent, Barry Pickthall, about his controversial autobiography, Superdocious!. A must read for any aspiring champion, it is a warts and...

Bringing hundreds of sources together for the first time, The Isle of Wight’s Missing Chapter tells the story of the island’s hidden international history. It examines the island’s many...

Heather Cooper’s first novel, Stealing Roses, is set in Cowes in 1862 – the year the railway first came to the Isle of Wight. Stealing Roses explores the impact...

Join Royal Yacht Squadron Honorary Historian, Commodore David Hughes for a tour of this historic building. Founded in 1815 by a group of friends, the Royal Yacht Squadron quickly became the favourite...

Andrew Roberts’s new book Churchill: Walking with Destiny has been described by 11 newspapers, including the Sunday Times, Wall Street Journal and New York Times, as the best single-volume...

Sarah Langford is a barrister. Her job is to stand in court representing the mad and the bad, the vulnerable, the heartbroken and the hopeful. She must become their...

Elly Griffiths will discuss her prominent writing career and her bestselling series of Dr Ruth Galloway novels, which are set in Norfolk and feature a forensic archaeologist. The twelfth...

By merging true crime with memoir, Professor Angela Gallop, one of the world’s most eminent forensic scientists, provides a gripping account of some of the thousands of cases she...

From the bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat comes a raw and powerful novel. Phoebe stands on Pulteney Bridge, tights gashed from toe to thigh. The...

 Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes has worked with some of the most complex and challenging criminals as well as the victims of crime. A large part of her day job...

From the bestselling author of Apple Tree Yard comes a gripping, brilliant, original and eerily-timely novel. Platform Seven at 4am: Peterborough Railway Station is deserted. The man crossing the...

In 1661 Louis XIV called the English ‘the ancient and irreconcilable enemies’ of the French. The two countries fought two world wars against each other, in 1689-1697 and 1702-1713....

The Redeemed is the final instalment of the highly acclaimed West Country trilogy – Tim Pears’ spellbinding chronicle of love, exile and belonging in a world on the brink...

In the early 1800s Lehmann Gluckstein and his family escaped the pogroms of Eastern Europe and made their way to Whitechapel in the East End of London. There, starting...

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED Join bestselling crime writer Denzil Meyrick as he discusses the seventh book in his thrilling D.C.I. Daley series, A Breath on Dying Embers. The...

The success story of the British royal family can be laid at the door of Prince Albert, who after his death in 1861, turned into a man who could...

A perennial favourite of Festival goers, the Fizz Quiz gives you a chance to show off your literary and general knowledge. Join in the fun to win book tokens...

Explore the world of Alexander McCall Smith as he discusses the latest happenings with Mma Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana, the return of the...

The world is changing fast. Everyone talks about disruption. We all know that the business world is accelerating at an exponential rate. As technology drives the expectation that everything...

Join Royal Yacht Squadron Honorary Historian, Commodore David Hughes for a tour of this historic building. Founded in 1815 by a group of friends, the Royal Yacht Squadron quickly became the favourite...

Bobby Seagull, the BBC maths guru and University Challenge star, tells the story of his life through numbers and shows the incredible way maths can make sense of the...

‘Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.’ Oscar Wilde’s life – like his wit – as alive with paradox. He was both an early...

Sir Tim Waterstone is one of Britain’s most successful businessmen, having built the Waterstone’s empire that started with one small bookshop in 1982. In this charming and evocative memoir,...

Henry VIII is famous for being the king who married six times. But it was the men in his life, far more than the women, who shaped this notorious...

Swan Song is the fictionalised reimagining of the later life of Truman Capote. It is a novel about the line between gossip and slander, self-creating and self preservation and...

Celebrating her 80th birthday Diana Moran’s new book has been written in association with the Royal Osteoporosis Society. The book is based on the latest research from the ROS...

Jeremy Robson talks about his life as a successful poet and publisher that saw him work with many bestselling authors and occupy a place at the heart of the...

How do our fellow creatures – large and small – find their way around? David Barrie explores the many wonders (and outstanding mysteries) of animal navigation.  What guides a...

The Language of Birds was inspired by the Lord Lucan case and the ‘lovely young nanny’ at its centre, whose history has been largely forgotten. It’s the summer of...

The British and Russian Royal Families met three times before the Romanovs’ tragic end in 1918. Frances Welch draws back the curtain on those pivotal encounters between these two...

Francell Bradford White shares the story of her mother, Andrée Griotteray, who was 19 when the Germans invaded France. Andrée helped her younger brother Alain set up an underground...

British record-breaking adventurer, author, speaker and leadership coach, Adrian Hayes, details the deeply moving story of the beauty and brutality of life, and death, on the world’s notorious second...

Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, will discuss how the museum’s founding commitment to design, education and industry continues to define it today. Tracing the...

Craig Brown presents his One-Stop Literary Festival, featuring parodies of Jilly Cooper, Robert Macfarlane, Richard Dawkins, Virginia Woolf and Paolo Coelho. ‘Pitch-perfect, laugh-out loud parodies from our greatest living...

In The Creativity Code, Marcus du Sautoy examines the nature of creativity, as well as providing an essential guide into how algorithms work, and the mathematical rules underpinning them....

A gripping, interactive 45-minute talk inspired by Henry Hemming’s new book Our Man in New York – the eye-opening story of how the British used ‘fake news’ to help...

Queen Mary, grandmother of the present Queen, died at Marlborough House in 1953. Two years later James Pope-Hennessy was invited to write her official biography. His first reaction was...

Join Kate Adie and Alan Titchmarsh on a journey through Kate’s career.  She was on the scene at the explosive end to the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, and...

Francis Willughby lived and thrived in the midst of the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century. Along with his Cambridge tutor John Ray, Willughby was determined to overhaul the...

Christopher Joll’s illustrated talk gives a flavour of The Drum Horse in the Fountain, an anecdotally-driven account of more than 300 of the officers and men of the Guards...

The primary purpose of the book is, as the title indicates, to counter some of the many myths and conspiracy theories that surround the tragic story of the sinking....

In On This Day in History Dan Snow, ‘The History Guy’, brings to life a key event that happened on each day of the year. From the most important...

The British Library described Martin Edwards as “the leading expert in classic crime”, and in this talk Martin discusses the enduring appeal of mystery fiction. Martin is the author...

The Isle of Wight was central to the Allied plans for the invasion of Normandy in 1944 and witnessed many training exercises, rehearsals and preparations for D-Day. Using the...

From bestselling author, Tom Bradby, Secret Service is a fresh-from-the-headlines thriller for fans of Homeland, Crisis and The Bodyguard. The world is on the brink of crisis. The Cold...

The Missing Ingredient is about what makes good food, and the first book to consider the intrinsic yet often forgotten role of time in creating flavour. Written through a...

The world was transformed between the summers of 1947 and 1948. The Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union became entrenched as the United States took on...

Join Royal Yacht Squadron Honorary Historian, Commodore David Hughes for a tour of this historic building. Founded in 1815 by a group of friends, the Royal Yacht Squadron quickly became the favourite...

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED Kwasi Kwarteng in conversation with Sir Richard Ottaway, discusses the research and writing process that produced his book, Thatcher’s Trial: Six Months That Defined...

The Mountbattens: Their Lives and Loves, a nuanced portrayal of two remarkable people and their complex marriage, marks the 40th anniversary of Lord Mountbatten’s assassination by the IRA.  Drawing...

Join columnist, writer and broadcaster Lynne Truss as she discusses The Man That Got Away, the second book in her charming and witty new crime series. It is summer...

TICKET PRICE INCLUDES THE BOOK Join one of the UK’s best comics, TV star, presenter and writer, Jo Brand, as she talks about her latest book, Born Lippy: How...

Ex-policeman Colin Butcher had just set up his own pet detective agency. It was running smoothly but he realised he needed a partner. Enter Molly, an unloved and unwanted...

In Here Comes the Sun, Steve Jones shows how life on Earth is ruled by our nearest star. It is filled with unexpected connections; between the need to stay...

Epic Continent is a travel book about Nicholas Jubber’s journey in the slipstream of six epic tales across Europe, from Turkey to Iceland. In the course of his travels,...

Out On An Island is delighted to bring Clare Summerskill to the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Literary Festival. Summerskill has vast experience as a writer, actor and stand...

Michael Morpurgo returns to the Red Funnel Isle of Wight Festival to speak about his new novel Boy Giant. Inspired by Gulliver’s Travels, Boy Giant is the story of...

Jeremy Irons reminisces about his childhood on the island and performs an inspired reading of Lewis Carroll’s enigmatic poem, The Hunting of the Snark (An Agony in Eight Fits)....

Wild Thing is the first biography to bring together the splendour and sadness of Jimi Hendrix’s brief life and to unravel the mystery of his final hours. Every guitar...

A divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson was not welcomed by 1930s Britain when she entered a relationship with King Edward VIII. Rather, she became one of the most vilified...

Adventurer and record-breaking sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston discusses his extraordinary life with Steve Ancsell.  The first man ever to complete a single-handed, non-stop circumnavigation of the world, Knox-Johnston shares...

His reign is one of the most dramatic in history, yet Charles I the man remains elusive.  Leanda de Lisle looks at the myths and the tragedy, an epic...

Based upon the detailed archives held at Belvoir Castle, and drawing on a wealth of primary research, Resolution charts the lives and fortunes of two eighteenth-century aristocratic brothers –...

The first British women to set foot in India did so in the very early seventeenth century, two and half centuries before the Raj came into being. In stark...

Award winning children’s author/illustrator Nicholas Allan talks about his life; reads from his well-known books, Father Christmas Needs a Wee and Picasso’s Trousers; performs magic tricks; and inspires with...

The only authorised biographer of The Beatles and especial friend of Sir Paul McCartney, Hunter Davies shares the engaging stories behind the lyrics of The Beatles’ songs.  Based upon...

Alan Titchmarsh shares his reflections on the benefits of gardening and reads poems from his latest book. Containing touching poems on the peony, the snowdrop and the sweet pea...

Written before the pandemic, Robin Hanbury-Tenison offers innovative and radical solutions not only for pandemics but war, famine and the environmental challenges facing us today. The White Horse of...

The number one bestselling author Joanna Trollope talks about her latest book Mum & Dad with Amber Beard.  It’s been 25 years since Gus and Monica left England to...

In November 1897, a twenty-three year old Italian inventor visited the Royal Needles Hotel that overlooked Alum Bay on the west coast of the Isle of Wight. The young...

Prior to the digital Red Funnel Isle of Wight Literary Festival, local authors and those with an island connection were invited to submit a short video talking about their...

11 December 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his Crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. Their courtship has...

The Fallen Angel is the highly anticipated final instalment of best selling author, historian and broadcaster Tracy Borman‘s King’s Witch trilogy. It follows the continuing fortunes of Frances Georges, a noblewoman...

Stephan Roman CMG is interviewed by Peter Harrigan on his captivating new book Isle and Empires: Romanov Russia, Britain and the Isle of Wight. Isle and Empires conjures up the...

Dick Carter talking with Matthew Sheahan will recount how, with no formal training, he turned his hand to yacht design and won the 1965 Fastnet Race in his first...

Dr Gwen Adshead, one of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrists, shares stories of radical empathy that give profound insights into ideas of evil and the life of the mind. Serial...

Where can a tin of tuna buy you clean clothes? Where is it easier to get ‘spice’ than paracetamol? Where does self-harm barely raise an eyebrow? Welcome to Her...

Steve Love will be talking about the motives for his book; how he constructed the story; and how he went about publishing.  He says  “My motivation was the financial...

In this session, Josh Barry will reflect upon the writing process and provide insight into how he went about securing interviews with some of the most well known faces...

It’s interesting, she thinks, how moments in life lead to creativity. Felicity Fair Thompson writes films, plays, poetry, novels, and stories for children. Her early dancing career inspired her...

Join master storyteller Alexander McCall Smith, appearing virtually from his home in Edinburgh. The delightful raconteur will bring you up to date on the latest news from Mma Ramotswe...

Lia Leendertz will be interviewed by Emma Gedge about The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2022, the fifth instalment of her upcoming seasonal guide. The Almanac reinvents the tradition of...

Dr Ed Patrick will be talking about his new book Catch Your Breath: The Secret Life of a Sleepless Anaesthetist, a gut punch of a memoir by a doctor...

Roger Hermiston explains why 1953 was a pivotal year in which the world faced not only immediate serious threats, but also stored up a legacy of problems for future...

Michael Cockerell is Britain’s most celebrated TV documentary-maker, with a string of awards for his witty and eye-opening profiles of our Prime Ministers and other top politicians. ‘You are...

Enter the world of blood and gold, and let performance storyteller Mara Menzies take you on a journey of tragedy, wonder and magic. Listen and watch as she explores...

Max’ has been surrounded by readers all his life and finds the sound of turning pages of a book soothing.  Considering himself an above average canine for literary discernment...

amazingly wise dog