These Stunning Cruise Ship Libraries Are Built for Book Lovers

Viking’s onboard libraries

Viking owns and operates about 100 ships around the world. Every one of them has a library — many have more than one. The size of the ship influences that of its library. Viking’s ocean ships can be home to up to 2,000 books, while the brand’s 80-plus river cruise ships have much fewer. Each and every one of them is curated and stocked by a small London bookstore that’s been in business since 1936: Heywood Hill.

Heywood Hill and Viking

Heywood Hill. Photo: Hosrt Friedrichs

Nicky Dunne, bookseller-in-chief at Heywood Hill. Photo: Horst Friedrichs

Heywood Hill has a reputation for excellence. Located in a small townhouse in Mayfair, one of the chicest neighborhoods in the English capital, it sells new, old, and rare books; organizes book readings and signings by renowned authors; and curates libraries for private and corporate clients.

Viking approached Heywood Hill to design a proposal for a curated library in 2013.

“I had a strong sense this was a company we wanted to work with,” says Nicky Dunne, bookseller-in-chief at Heywood Hill. “Thank goodness they all liked the result.”

Since then, the team at Heywood Hill has used their experience, research skills, and judgement to fill the shelves of Viking’s onboard libraries. From up-to-date titles to out-of-print books, they strive to suit the taste of every guest on board, no matter their age or interests. Selections are in part shaped by the ship’s destinations.

It’s not always a straightforward task.

Photo: Viking

“When we were asked to create a substantial polar exploration section for the first ocean ship, I realized I knew very little about the subject,” Dunne says. ”I did not know an Amundsen from a Nansen, if you see what I mean.”

Asking for guidance among his book-world acquaintances, Dunne was directed to a thatched cottage deep in the English countryside to meet with the late David Walton, an emeritus professor with the British Antarctic Survey.

“Over a cup of tea, I explained that I needed help assembling a truly interesting library on both polar regions,” Dunne says. “He led me through his garden to an outbuilding lined floor-to-ceiling with books — a kind of literary Valhalla devoted to Arctic and Antarctic exploration.”

The thousands of volumes that line the shelves of Viking’s onboard libraries were all individually chosen and sourced by a Heywood Hill team member. The books go through a rigorous process at Heywood Hill’s London workshop before they make their ways to the ships.

“We check the condition, insert a Viking bookplate identifying its location onboard, and assemble each library shelf book by book on mocked-up bookcases,” Dunne says. “This allows us to see the shelves as a whole and adjust the arrangement according to the look and tone of the collection.”

Heywood Hills hires full-time book packers to prepare what Dunne calls “a never-ending stream of Viking-bound boxes filled with well-chosen books.” A shelf list is included in every box so the books can be unpacked and shelved correctly.

“On my first trip aboard a Viking vessel, I saw a gentleman heading back to his stateroom with a pile of eight or 10 books from the public shelves,” Dunne recalls. “This made me very happy because I thought, ‘we have got it right.’”

Other exceptional libraries at sea

While Viking has some of the best libraries at sea, it’s far from the only cruise line to go all out for the literary needs of its guests.

Holland America

Photo: Holland America Line

All Holland America Line ships have libraries and no two are the same. In fact, libraries are so important to the cruise line that it has recently updated all of them with a focus on accessibility, comfort, and a quiet atmosphere.

Everything is done in-house at Holland America. The entertainment and enrichment team, headed by Joe Chantry, chooses and purchases all the books.

“We look at a range of factors like current bestsellers, overall popularity, where the ship is sailing, and who is likely to be onboard — including how many families or children might be traveling, ” Chantry says.

Because Holland America offers very long voyages, including 120-plus-day world cruises, libraries are essential to keep guests entertained. Chantry notes that there’s a “strong use of the library spaces on longer and more immersive journeys.”

Chantry’s team regularly updates the library collections. He says current bestsellers, popular fiction, and destination-focused books are some of the most popular at sea. In 2026, about 7,000 thousand books will be added across the fleet of 11 ships, with more than 100 new titles.

And as far as suppliers go, Holland America is taking a page out of Viking’s book by starting to partner with Heywood Hills.

Star Clippers

Photo: Star Clippers

Star Clippers has a library on all three of its grand sailing ships. The decor in each is what you’d expect to find in an old-fashioned gentleman’s club: dark wood built-ins, Chesterfield sofas, nautical art pieces, and more. (No cigars allowed, however.) This comfortable and atmospheric space holds a mixed collection of books about sailing, novels, and non-fiction books that guests have donated.

Crystal Cruises

Photo: Crystal Cruises

Crystal Cruises has two ships, and both have libraries with plush carpet, comfy seating, and tall glass-and-wood shelves packed with about 2,000 books. The volumes available range from classics to popular biographies, history, mysteries, and there’s also a selection of magazines and board games.

National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions

Photo: National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions

Travelers on National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions voyages tend to be adventurous and outdoorsy, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like spend time in a curated book room. The libraries on National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions ships are filled with non-fiction and photo-heavy volumes that suit the destinations. For example, sister vessels National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution both have libraries where guests can retreat to read about Arctic exploration, or to flick through the pages of natural history books. Because each library has a wall of windows, they are also a good spot to take in the view or scan the horizon for wildlife.

Cunard

Photo: Cunard

Cunard has been transporting people across oceans for nearly 200 years. All four ships in the Cunard fleet have libraries. The biggest and fanciest is on the prestigious Queen Mary 2, which claims the largest library at sea with more than 8,500 books. All of Cunard’s libraries are different and curated to specific itineraries or onboard entertainment programs. For example, the library onboard Queen Mary 2, the last remaining ocean liner, has an extensive maritime history section. On all the ships, the collections are updated frequently based on guest preferences, popular titles, and new releases. And, of course, there’s also a book swap shelf on every ship for those who want to take a book home.

When Cunard updates its onboard libraries, it also offloads old and damaged books to a company called Better World Books, a certified B Corporation that resells books to fund literacy programs.

Cunard partners with Askews, a library supplier that stocks libraries and many schools and other establishments in the UK, to purchase approximately 1,300 books per year for each ship. Askews also supports Cunard’s Literary Festival at Sea voyage on Queen Mary 2, providing books for the authors to sell and sign onboard.