Treasures of the British Library

This is a revised edition of the indispensable guide to the great collections of the British Library. Illustrated throughout in colour, it is the perfect introduction to some of the world’s most magnificent books and manuscripts, from The Lindisfarne Gospels to Shakespeare’s First Folio, The Diamond Sutra, and The Gutenberg Bible. Some of the most famous of all documents, such as Magna Carta, have their own crucial place in history, while among the many thousands of manuscripts are to be found the earliest versions of the best-known works of English literature, from Beowulf to Alice’s Adventures Underground and Finnegan’s Wake.

 

This handsome volume also covers some of the other items to be found within the collections, including papyri, historical maps, prints, photographs, sound recordings, and printed books from the earliest to the most recently produced. This is the definitive story of the collections, stunningly illustrated with over 40 colour and 190 black-and-white illustrations. Country Life says of Treasures of the British Library: "Beautifully illustrated, one could hardly have hoped for a better-conceived book."

Nicolas Barker was deputy keeper at the British Library for twenty years and has been editor of The Book Collector since 1965.