Yes, we have a copy of just about every book ever published in Britain. But we also stage loads of events, we have a huge website, and we run free exhibitions. We have free wi-fi too! Visit us soon.
Information
- Founded:
- 1 July 1973
Extended Info
Exhibition now on: 
Major summer exhibition
Tickets on sale now
Exhibition now on: 
Sound and Fury: The power of public speaking
3 February - 30 September 2009
Open daily
Free admission
Exhibition now on: 
Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library
Permanent Exhibition
Open daily
Free admission
Vote on our interactive: 
Vote now on today's key issues of freedom and rights in our unique interactive, and see how your views compare to everyone else!
Visit us on Flickr:
Check out our profile
View our photos
Share your Ramayana pictures
Events
26 upcoming eventsSee All
- Street piano at the British Li...
Piazza, The British Library
Tuesday, June 23 at 9:30am - Codex Sinaiticus: text – Bible...
Conference Centre, The British Library
Monday, July 6 at 9:30am - The Private Life of Henry VIII
The British Library
Monday, July 13 at 6:30pm - Poetry Review's Cosmopolis
Conference Centre, The British Library
Monday, July 13 at 7:50pm - Surviving and thriving: Contro...
Conference Centre, The British Library
Tuesday, July 14 at 6:15pm - ‘I’m David the Second, I am, I...
Conference Centre, The British Library
Monday, July 20 at 6:30pm - Tudor Falconry and Hawking: Ta...
Piazza, The British Library
Tuesday, July 21 at 12:00pm - Sport in the age of Henry VIII...
Conference Centre, The British Library
Tuesday, July 21 at 6:30pm - Codex Sinaiticus: The world’s ...
Conference Centre, The British Library
Monday, July 27 at 6:30pm - The Lady in the Tower: The Fal...
Conference Centre, The British Library
Tuesday, July 28 at 6:30pm
Photos
2 of 7 albumsSee All
Henry VIII coronation day eventsCreated about a week ago
Henry May Day CelebrationsCreated about a month ago
4 of 22 fan photosSee All


The British Library Congrats to Philip Hoare on winning Samuel Johnson Prize http://bit.ly/sJI44
Source: bit.ly
Philip Hoare's Leviathan wins Britain's most important prize for non-fiction


The British Library
Video (20sec) of traditional Cockney singalong outside Library today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcEYbepoM X0
Source: www.youtube.com
British Library visitors enjoy a traditional London knees-up by singing the Lambeth Walk in the Piazza at St Pancras on 30 June 2009. Part of the 'Street Piano' project that summer, which encouraged community ...
The British Library at 8:48am June 30
And if that's not your cup of tea, get out of the heat and enjoy the airconditioning and the free wifi indoors


The British Library
Nice Flickr pics from visitor to our Henry VIII Late Night event last Wednesday
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anetagrocho wska/3659115495/in/set-72157620537655678 /


The British Library
Hear Library curator Jamie Andrews on his trip to collect the John Berger archive from the writer's farm in France on BBC Radio 4 today. It's available on the BBC's Listen Again facility for the next seven days. Jamie's bit starts at 19:01.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00l36gs
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Consumer news and issues with Winifred Robinson.


Mike Bowles
I'd like to contact jamie andrews viz john berger. my mum and her friend mary turner were friends of john in the late 1950s?
can u provide his email and uptodate info on the berger bequest/archive?
regards
michael bowles
email: igloopao@hotmail.com


Philip Overal how can i join the britsh libery special forces?
The British Library at 9:31am June 24
First step: demonstrate a basic grasp of grammar, spelling and keyboard skills ;-)
The British Library at 3:41am June 26
But then we would say that wouldn't we?


The British Library
Hear a snippet of the free lunchtime concert of music by and for Henry VIII just given by early music experts Alamire - and find out how to catch them again tonight http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/henr y/
Source: britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk
News about the major exhibition at the British Library, 23 April-6 September 2009
The British Library at 9:11am June 24
That lunchtime concert was recorded, and we're hoping to put it out in full in the next few days, so keep an eye on this page or on http://www.bl.uk/whatson/p odcasts/exhibition/henry/i ndex.html
Eleanor at 9:52am June 24
Ah, Gratis!


Some say that Somers Town, the area adjoining the British Library, was land once granted to Henry VIII’s favourite jester and court confidant Will Somers. In his honour, a gro...
Host:The British Library
Time:1:00PM Friday, July 3rd
Location:Piazza, The British Library


The British Library New audio interview with Geoff Dyer about John Berger and the archive he's donating to the Library http://www.bl.uk/johnberger/




The British Library
New podcast: Henry VIII myths busted. We ask people in the street what they know about him - then historian David Starkey puts the record straight (17 min, 7.8MB) http://www.bl.uk/whatson/podcasts/exhibi tion/henry/index.html


The British Library
BBC News report on the C19th newspapers website. ps our Reading Rooms are not dusty! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8104099.st m
Source: news.bbc.co.uk
The British Library has put two million digitised pages from 19th century newspapers online, taking research out of its dusty reading rooms into people's homes.
The British Library at 2:25pm June 19
For the more recent (i.e. 20th-century!) papers you will have more problems with copyright of course


Martha at 5:56pm June 19
Vous avez raison!!


The British Library Live - 2 million pages of digitised C19th newspapers http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/
The British Library at 8:32am June 19
Hi Mehmet. Don't worry! A lot of the content IS free, and you can specify tosearch on only the free content if you want. Also, if you come into the Library and use a terminal in a Reading Room, you can access the whole digitised collection for free.


Christiane at 10:08am June 19
wow, wow, wow. you guys are light-years ahead of the world. Thanks so very much!


Martin Neutmann have done research several times and each time i have felt like a child with his first bicycle. when you are in, you don't want to get into any toher libray.
The British Library at 3:37am June 18
And we recommend coming by bicycle! We have lots of secure covered and uncovered cycle parking right in the Piazza.


The British Library Our response to Digital Britain report http://tiny.cc/ROwZB
Source: tiny.cc
Dame Lynne Brindley responds to Digital Britain report conclusions


Laura Content of exhibition, FANTASTIC, The Audio Guides and interactive parts Excellent.... the half completed & scruffy finish to the exhibition cases lets it down a bit, the dark lighting in parts, again lets an excellent exhibition down BUT Highly recomended though, amazing came face to face with Tudors i hadn't seen before - intresting side to Henry! Well worth the fee.
The British Library at 2:24am June 17
Thanks - glad you liked it! Sadly we have to keep things a bit dim to preserve the manuscripts and paintings. You can see 40 of the Library's key documents from the exhibition, including zoomable hi-res images, online at http://www.bl.uk/onlinegal lery/onlineex/henryviii/in dex.html


The British Library Henry 2 for 1 ticket offer, see your facebook updates to find out how.




The British Library We now have a Facebook Username. You can reach this page by typing http://www.facebook.com/britishlibrary


Film Screening
An all-time classic movie that was the first major British hit in the USA, The Private Life of Henry VIII (directed by Alexander Korda, 1933, 97 mins) is a brilliantly perform...
Host:The British Library
Time:6:30PM Monday, July 13th
Location:The British Library


The British Library
Facebook exclusive bonus MP3: Audience questions and answers from David Starkey's Henry VIII lecture on 2 June (see below). Hear it at http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/whatson/d ownloads/files/starkey2q.mp3 (16min, MP3)


The British Library
If you missed David Starkey's second lecture on Tuesday 2 June...'The Change: 1509-33' is available as a podcast (57min, MP3). Hear it at http://www.bl.uk/whatson/podcasts/exhibi tion/henry/index.html


The British Library
Get inside the mind of Henry VIII with our new interactive.
Explore key documents from his reign and reveal the notes he wrote on them. Zoom, click and drag, see transcriptions.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/ henryviii/interactive/index.html
Source: www.bl.uk
Reveal the notes Henry added to three key documents to find out his thoughts on the big issues of his reign.


The British Library
Spend a night with Henry VIII in our 'Late at the Library', 7-11pm, Wed 24 Jun. Sublime Tudor music from Alamire, unique medieval-rock from Circulus, jesters, comedians, circus acts and Henry VIII himself!
http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/event924 82.html
Source: www.bl.uk
evening of Tudor festivities, including performances from the Kings favourite jesters, circus acts and comedians.


The British Library Henry VIII: Man and Monarch Prize Draw launches today, for your chance to win a weekend break for two at the Bear Hotel Hungerford visit www.bl.uk/prizedraw

























The British Library Our Taking Liberties site, with its acclaimed voting interactive, has just won the 2009 Nominet Award for Open Internet.