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).

'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 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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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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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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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. 

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

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

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.