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Opening in 1905 and becoming part of the British Library in 1983, the sound archive is among the largest collections of sound recordings in the world. It houses over 6,500,000 recordings which would take more than a lifetime to listen to. Patrick Saul founded the idea for the sound archive. The aim of this collection is to combat the phenomenon of lost media and keep as many 'at-risk' recordings safe as possible.

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William Shakespeare ​

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Although the statue of Shakespeare remains prominent to the British Library so do the works and manuscripts of the writer. These can be viewed online as they have now been fully digitised.​

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Shakespeare has often been explained as one of the best writers in English language history, certainly writing some of the most famous plays to date. He has been an iconic figure in literature and influenced many writers and poets that came after him.​

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Shakespeare created dramatised stories from their original sources, reshaping plots and dialogue to create centuries of interest.

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Isaac Newton ​

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This large statue of Isaac Newton sits outside of the library, made by Sir Eduardo Paolozzi In 1995. The work was inspired by William Blake's 'Newton'.​

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The British library holds many Manuscripts of both William Blake's and Isaac Newton's collections. ​

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The work itself has been explained as 'arts meets science'. As it calls to both the extraordinary discoveries in science made by Newton and the beautiful works created by Blake.

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Anonymous benefactors ​

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The British library is a charity and largely relies on donations and funds provided by independent business and people. These people can be known as benefactors or donors.​

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The library has many benefactors, including its sponsor the Department for culture media and sport.​

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Although some benefactors of the library wish to remain anonymous. It makes one wonder for what reason you would wish to remain anonymous in this circumstance.

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Sir Robert Cotton ​

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A landowner, politician and scholar, Robert Cotton made his collection of books and Manuscripts including the Lindisfarne Gospels.​

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He was 1st Baronet and a member of parliament who also founded the cotton library. ​

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His son and grandson expanded the collection ultimately leaving his scripts to parliament before they became a foundation collection of the British museum.​

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Carolyn Trant ​

'Map Of Lost Cuckoos & Cartonera'​

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These works are inspired by 'Cartonera' a form of book production which originated in Latin America, utilising recycled materials to make colourful and accessible editions.​

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Trant produces this work to illustrate the decline in biodiversity in the British countryside over the recent years. ​

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Printed from woodcuts she presents a selection of  indigenous creatures which were once common and now endagered.

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A renowned botanist, he advised the development of the Royal Botanical Gardens and donated many documents to the British Museum (later moved to the library)

However, he was part of the violent confrontations with Indigenous Māori populations

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Officially known as the Sir John Ritblat Gallery, this exhibition houses some of the rarest, oldest, and most valuable artifacts in the British Library; some are as old as 3,600 years. Notable items include one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, one of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, and manuscripts from famous musicians such as Beethoven and Mozart.

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Mary Jane Long (July 31, 1939 – September 3, 2018) was an Architect and Co-designer of The British Library along with her husband Sir Sandy Wilson. She also designed the Jewish Museum in Camden and the National Maritime Museum Cornwall

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This work containing seven love poems and etchings illustrates d’Arbeloff’s Skills as a creator of artist’s books. The small size of the work, and the choice of paper and binding materials, adds to a sense of intimacy when held in the reader’s hand.

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This lidded manuscript chest from Northern Thailand, typical of Shan communities, features red lacquer and gold floral panels. Its pedestal design links it to Buddha thrones in northeastern Burma and Laos. Gifted to the Library in 2004, these pieces are the first of their kind in a British collection.

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While studying at CSM in 1998-99, Ambeck witnessed a collection of strange typographical creatures residing in the basement there. They leapt off the proofing press and into the street around Southhampton Row, never to be seen again. This work captures them.

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The British Library Philatelic Collection are the National collections of the United Kingdom. The collections include postage and revenue stamps, postal stationary, airmails, artwork, proofs and some postal history materials.

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Sir Hans Sloane

Sloane supplied the foundation collection of the British Library of over 50k books, manuscripts and prints as well as plant and animal specimens.

He started his collection while working as a doctor in a slave plantation in Jamaica, and earned his wealth through his marriage to Elizabeth Rose, heiress to a sugar plantation.

The Immigrant Book

‘The Immigrant Book’ is a textile piece by London-Based Iranian artist Batool Showghi that examines immigration, displacement and alienation.

She often experiments with colour, layers and movement to explore these themes as a way to draw attention to and reflect on these problems. She often implements elements from her Iranian background in her works.

Public archives in Sierra Leone

The image shows a researcher working at the public archives in Sierra Leone, a place sponsored by the British Library with the aim to preserve and document the history of the transatlantic slave trade.

The project has provided a place for researchers to digitise and properly protect documents, where there previously was none. It has also opened up resources to the local people.

Angela Davis

This image is a recreation of a poster promoting the communist party in 1972 in the USA.

Davis spent her life advocating for minority groups, in particular the cause of black prisoners in the ‘60s and ‘70s. During this time she was arrested and tried in front of an all white jury for kidnapping, murder and conspiracy; all of which she was acquitted for.

She also published many incredible books including Women, Race, & Class (1981) and Are Prisons Obsolete? (2003).

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Contemporary artists’ books are where ‘art’ and ‘the book’ intersect. They use the book form in innovative and creative ways and each element of the work emphasises and contributes to the narrative. Some challenge our ideas of what we think of as ‘books’.

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This collection, assembled between 1760 and 1820, was King George III's personal collection and was donated to the British nation by his son, George IV. It was a significant library of the age of enlightenment with over 65,000 books ranging in topics such as art, religion, science, medicine and more. The collection was originally part of the British Museum, until it was transferred to the British Library in 1997.

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Established in July 1973, the new Library building opened in 1997. It is one of the largest libraries in the world, housing some of the most historically significant artifacts in the world. It is the national library of the United Kingdom and the only library that receives a copy of almost every book published in Britain. It is the largest public UK building constructed in the 20th century.

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Reuniting mandate Palestine archives

A current project digitising books and other media of Levantine history, capturing pre-nation-state snapshots of the Levantine region.

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Preserving the Islamic heritage of Kazakhstan

After the soviet secularisation of the country, most Islamic documents were destroyed.

The remaining documents have been digitised and have become an important resource for the nomadic peoples of the Steppe and Kazakh Muslims.

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While studying at CSM in 1998-99, Ambeck witnessed a collection of strange typographical creatures residing in the basement there. They leapt off the proofing press and into the street around Southhampton Row, never to be seen again. This work captures them