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In this highly-illustrated account, Nicolas Barker reveals the history of the British Library's treasure house of books and manuscripts. The Library's holdings cover collections spanning almost three millennia, from the establishment of the British Museum, which brought together the libraries of Sir Hans Sloane, Sir Robert Cotton and Robert Harley, first Earl of Oxford, to the foundation of the British Library in 1973 and to some outstanding acquisitions of the present day.
As well as holding some of the world's most prized cultural treasures, the British Library is the repository of the nation's collective memory. Owing its origin to the generosity and far-sightedness of a handful of 18th-century scholars and booklovers, and built up over 250 years, the Library's very extensive collections--of books, manuscripts, maps, music, newspapers, photographs, sound recordings, stamps, and digital media--offer keys to the understanding of human achievement in literature, art, music, politics, journalism, exploration, and much else, from ancient times to the present day. In this highly illustrated book, Michael Leapman tells the Library's story, highlighting the most significant and beautiful items in its care, as well as exploring some of the lesser known, more surprising artifacts housed in its iconic building in the heart of London.
As the fog thickens and the smoky dark sweeps across the capital, strange stories emerge from all over the city. A jilted lover returns as a demon to fulfill his revenge in Kensington, and a seance becomes a life and death struggle off Regents Canal. In the borough of Lambeth, stay clear of the Old House in Vauxhall Walk and be careful up in Temple--there's something not right about the doleful, droning hum of the telegram wires overhead . . . Join Elizabeth Dearnley on this atmospheric tour through the Big Smoke, a city which has long fueled the imagination of writers of the weird and supernormal. Waiting in the shadowy streets are tales from writers such as Charlotte Riddell, Lettie Galbraith, and Violet Hunt, who delight in twisting the urban myths and folk stories of the city into pieces of masterful suspense and intrigue. This collection will feature a map motif and notes before each story, giving readers the real-world context for these hauntings and encounters, and allowing the modern reader to seek out the sites themselves--should they dare.
The British Library holds one of the world's greatest collections of books and manuscripts, spanning almost three millennia and from all parts of the world. They include such famous documents as The Lindisfarne Gospels, the Diamond Sutra, Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, the Magna Carta and Shakespeare's First Folio. Among the thousands of manuscripts are copies of some of the best-known works of English literature and world-renowned collections of maps, music, stamps, photographs, patents, newspapers and sound recordings. Scala has commissioned newspaper columnist and author, Philip Howard, to write the text for this important book. With his usual witty and refreshing approach, Philip avoids the traditional collection-by-collection analysis, but sets out to give a retrospective trawl through the areas of universal knowledge within the library, highlighting its treasures to illustrate his themes. The range and scope of the library's treasures are unparalleled, and this superb new book in Scala's series on the great libraries of the world gives a flavour of the richness of the library's collection in an innovative and entertaining way. 150 colour illustrations
"This handsome volume tells the story of the Bristish Library and considers its treasures not just individually but as landmarks in the history of Britain's national library, from its origins in some of the great royal, noble and monastic collections of the Middle Ages to present day"--Book jacket.
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In a series of interrelated essays, this book describes the British Library and the issues surrounding its design, construction, purpose and place in the architectural canon. Examining the experience of the building together with its form, these essays explore the ideas and aspirations behind its conception and its construction, offering insight into this striking, controversial, and stimulating building. For artists, architects and building professionals interested in the current debates concerning architecture and our culture, The Architecture of the British Library at St. Pancras is a stimulating read.
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