British Library

London, NW1 2DB

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Established as an independent institution in 1973, the British Library is the largest library in the world, with well over 150 million items in its collection.

God the Creator in a French History Bible, 1411, at the British Library - © British Library Board

Greek, Theodore Psalter, 1066, part of the library's ongoing digitisation project - © The British Library Board

One of the library's 'Turning the Pages' digital installations -

God the Creator in a French History Bible, 1411, at the British Library

Greek, Theodore Psalter, 1066, part of the library's ongoing digitisation project

One of the library's 'Turning the Pages' digital installations

Since 1997 the library has been housed in a purpose-built building at St Pancras in London, and continues to add around three million items to its collection each year.

Permanent collection

As a legal deposit library, the British Library is sent one copy of everything published in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. In addition to newly published books, the library is home to several manuscripts of huge historic significance, from Beowulf to the Magna Carta. These and others are on display to the general public at the library's Sir John Ritblat Gallery, which is open daily with no admission charge. The museum also has an exciting exhibitions programme, which draws upon its own collections and loans from elsewhere.

Art we’ve helped buy at British Library

Satzung, Statuten und Ordnungen Bestandiger, Gutter Regierung

British Library Acquired 1907

Persian Manuscript: 'Masnavi i Ma'navi of Jalul ud-Din al-Rumi'

British Library Acquired 1912

The Life and Miracles of St Cuthbert

British Library Acquired 1920

Notes on the second Epistle to the Corinthians

British Library Acquired 1921

Manuscript of 'Vocabularios ex quo'

British Library Acquired 1928

The Luttrell Psalter

British Library Acquired 1929

Art we’ve helped buy at British Library

Dating to between 1250 and 1260, the Rutland Psalter is an elaborately illuminated manuscript. Nearly all of its 190 pages are decorated, six with full page miniature illustrations.

The Mervyn Peake Archive is a collection of drawings, poetry notebooks and manuscripts by the artist and author. His illustrations form a significant portion of the archive, including the complete set of original illustrations for Lewis Carroll's Alice books.

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