Public reading guide
Build your reading path
Start with a broad account of the war, then follow a subject into the Churchill volumes, biographies or the Nuremberg trial. Our reading-order guide explains how the books fit together.
Read the guide →✦Exclusive Membership
The Irving
Circle
Support the work of bringing the archive to readers. Explore it with Ask Winston and enjoy reading notes, collector opportunities and savings on books. Choose monthly access or a year of support.
Choose by what matters to you
Explore the archive
Reader: Investigator access on Winston, 40 cited answers a month and a 10% book discount. Paid monthly.
See this plan →Build a collection
Collector: Historian access, 20% book discount, one annual thumbprint upgrade and a UK postage credit. Paid monthly; books purchased separately.
See this plan →Support publishing for a year
Patron: Historian access, 20% book discount, two annual thumbprint upgrades and a worldwide postage credit. Paid annually; books purchased separately.
See this plan →For book savings alone, use the calculator below. Archive access and collector benefits are separate reasons to join.
10%
Reader book discount
20%
Collector book discount
20%
Patron book discount
Included with every plan
What is Ask Winston?
Ask Winston is the archive's research assistant. Ask a question in plain English and it searches more than 100,000 public passages from books, court records, Radical's Diary, letters, speeches, and other historical documents, returning source-grounded answers with citations you can inspect.
Reader includes Investigator access on Winston: 40 cited answers a month, up to 5 a day, with up to 8 source passages per answer. Collector and Patron include Historian access on Winston: 100 cited answers a month, expanded sources and PDF or Word export. Sign in with your Irving Circle email; no separate Winston subscription is needed.
Explore before joining
See the work your membership supports
Your membership supports editing, preparing editions and making archive material easier to explore. These public previews are open to everyone, so you can see the work before joining.
Inside a restored edition
Good Food, back in print
The restored edition brings together the 1947 text, Beryl Irving’s illustrations, a new foreword and notes on its wartime setting. It is a concrete example of the editorial work behind the catalogue.
See the edition notes →Recorded Winston answer · 29 Aug 2026
Listen in on wartime conversations
An example answer examines intercepted conversations among captured German officers. Follow three citations, including CSDIC report GRGG 171, to inspect the passages behind the answer.
Read the answer and sources →Your first steps as a member
Sign in to Winston with your member email, try a question from the public examples, and use your book discount when signed in to Irving Books. Collector and Patron members can also choose a qualifying thumbprint upgrade; the book itself is purchased separately.
Choose how you join
Reader and Collector renew monthly. Patron is paid for a year upfront and includes more collector benefits.
At £149 a year, Patron costs £30.88 less than twelve monthly Collector payments. Choose Collector for monthly flexibility or Patron for a full year.
Prices in USD are estimates. Membership is charged in GBP; your card provider determines the final conversion.
📖
Reader
Archive research, paid monthly
≈US$6.59/month
£4.99 charged monthly. Renews until cancelled.
US$79.05 over twelve monthly payments. Cancel before your next renewal.
- Ask Winston Investigator access — 40 cited answers a month, up to 5 a day
- Reading notes and guides as published
- Early notices of new editions
- 10% member book discount
Monthly flexibility
Collector
Collector benefits with monthly flexibility
≈US$19.79/month
£14.99 charged monthly. Renews until cancelled.
US$237.46 over twelve monthly payments. Cancel before your next renewal.
- One complimentary thumbprint upgrade per membership year (book purchased separately)
- Ask Winston Historian access — 100 cited answers a month, with PDF and Word export
- 20% member book discount
- Up to £5 UK shipping credit per order
- Member-only collection notices
- Limited-edition purchase opportunities, subject to availability
- All Reader perks
Best annual value
Patron
A year of support, with our fullest benefits
≈US$196.69/year
£149 charged annually. Renews until cancelled.
One payment for a year. Cancel renewal anytime; access lasts to the end of your paid year.
- Two complimentary thumbprint upgrades per membership year (books purchased separately)
- Ask Winston Historian access — 100 cited answers a month, with PDF and Word export
- 20% member book discount
- Up to £15 shipping credit per order worldwide
- Annual Patron archive note
- Signed first editions available to purchase when stocked
- Dinner invitations when an event is scheduled
- Patron acknowledgement in forthcoming books, by arrangement
- All Collector perks
Interactive
Book Savings Calculator
See the book savings separately from archive access and collector benefits
What could you save on books?
Compare book discounts with the cost of twelve months of membership.
0510
US$5US$50US$100
Annual book spend: US$720
Reader
- Book discounts / year
- US$72
- Membership / year
- US$79.05
- Discounts minus membership
- −US$7.05
Collector
- Book discounts / year
- US$144
- Membership / year
- US$237.46
- Discounts minus membership
- −US$93.46
Patron
- Book discounts / year
- US$144
- Membership / year
- US$196.69
- Discounts minus membership
- −US$52.69
Assumes eligible book purchases at the selected price and twelve months of membership. Excludes shipping credits, thumbprint upgrades and Winston access. Discounts do not stack with a larger promotional discount. Membership costs are currency estimates; subscriptions are charged in GBP and your card provider’s rate may differ.
Compare
Feature Comparison
← Scroll to compare →
| Feature | Reader | Collector | Patron |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ask Winston archive access | Investigator | Historian | Historian |
| Irving Circle notes | |||
| Reading notes and guides as published | |||
| Early notices of new editions | |||
| Member-only collection notices | |||
| Limited-edition purchase opportunities (subject to stock) | |||
| Complimentary thumbprint upgrades / membership year (books purchased separately) | 1 | 2 | |
| Annual patron notes | |||
| Signed first-edition purchase opportunities (subject to stock) | |||
| Invitations to scheduled dinners (attendance terms confirmed separately) | |||
| Patron acknowledgement in forthcoming books, by arrangement | |||
| UK shipping credit per order | Up to £5 | Up to £15 | |
| Worldwide shipping credit per order | Up to £15 | ||
| Store courtesy discount | 10% | 20% | 20% |
Simple & Straightforward
How It Works
🎯
01Choose Your Tier
Select the level that suits your reading habits and collecting ambitions.
🔒
02Subscribe Securely
Complete your subscription through Stripe. Cancel or change your plan at any time.
✨
03Use Your Privileges
Sign in to Ask WinstonSign in with your member email, then use your archive notes, collector notices, shipping credits, and courtesy discounts.
Questions
Frequently Asked
Why is Patron cheaper than a year of Collector?
Collector is £14.99 paid each month, so you can stop at the next monthly renewal. Patron is £149 paid upfront for a full year. That annual commitment costs £30.88 less than twelve Collector payments and includes the additional Patron benefits.
When do reading notes and archive updates arrive?
Reading notes, guides and collection notices are shared as editions and archive material become ready; there is no fixed monthly issue. Patron membership includes an annual archive note during the membership year. The public previews above are available now and are open to non-members too.
Are signed first editions included in the membership fee?
No. Signed first editions and limited editions are purchased separately, subject to stock and the details of each listing. The complimentary Collector and Patron benefits waive the qualifying thumbprint upgrade charge only, not the cost of the book.
How do the shipping credits work?
Collector includes up to £5 towards eligible UK shipping on each order. Patron includes up to £15 towards shipping on each order worldwide. The credit is capped at the actual shipping charge: you pay any remaining postage. It is a checkout credit, not a cash payment or a promise of free worldwide shipping.
How is a Patron acknowledgement arranged?
Contact us with the name you would like used. We will confirm the forthcoming title, wording and production deadline before arranging the acknowledgement. Publication schedules vary, so a particular book or publication date is not guaranteed by joining.
Arrange an acknowledgement →Can I cancel anytime?
Cancel renewal at any time through your membership account. Reader and Collector renew monthly; Patron renews annually. Your benefits remain active until the end of the period already paid for. Cancelling renewal does not end access immediately.
How do discounts work?
Sign in with your member email and your book discount is applied at checkout automatically. If a promotional discount is larger, checkout uses that discount instead; the two do not stack. Shipping credits and qualifying thumbprint upgrades are calculated separately.
How do the complimentary thumbprint upgrades work?
Collector members receive one and Patron members two complimentary thumbprint upgrades in each membership year. The book itself must be purchased. Sign in and add a qualifying personally thumbprinted edition to your basket: checkout waives only the extra charge for the thumbprint, leaving the standard book price payable with your normal member discount. Your shipping credit still applies and any remaining postage is payable. Allowances reset on your membership anniversary, do not roll over, and have no cash value.
How is this different from Rewards?
Rewards are free loyalty points earned through buying and account activity. Irving Circle is a paid supporter membership with Ask Winston archive access, archive notes, collector notices, and tier privileges.
How do I access Ask Winston?
Use the email address attached to your active membership. Reader includes Investigator access on Winston: 40 cited answers each month, with a limit of 5 a day and up to 8 source passages per answer. Collector and Patron include Historian access on Winston: 100 cited answers each month, expanded sources, and PDF or Word export. A separate Winston subscription is not required.
Open Ask Winston and sign in →What are member-only collection notices?
Collector and Patron members receive early notes when limited editions, special formats, or archive-linked releases become available.
What's included in Patron dinners?
Patrons receive an invitation when a dinner is scheduled. An invitation does not guarantee that an event will take place during your membership year. The date, venue, availability and any attendance charge are stated before you book; travel and accommodation are arranged separately.
Can I upgrade my membership?
Open your membership account to manage billing. For a change of tier, contact us so we can confirm the new price, start date and any billing adjustment before the change is made. Please do not buy a second membership to change plans.
Manage your membership →✦
Help bring the archive to readers
Support the next stage of the publishing work and explore the archive today. Reader starts at £4.99 per month, charged monthly.
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