Exploring - The British Library

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East India Company 1600-1858 and the India Office ... You can also order a digital copy of a paper thesis ... signature
Exploring History and Classics Collections The History and Classics collections at the British Library bring together 3,000 years of manuscript, printed, archival and audio-visual resources about the history of Britain and the wider world. These unique historical sources are accessible onsite at the British Library and increasingly online. From medieval manuscripts to digitised newspapers, punk ‘zines to an oral history of Parliament, you’ll find it at the Library with the help of our expert staff. To find out more about the Library and explore our collections, visit www.bl.uk Hear from our curators on our blogs www.bl.uk/blogs @britishlibrary facebook.com/britishlibrary

Manuscripts and archives

Printed works

Oral history, sound and moving image

Our manuscripts and archives offer an enormous variety of primary research resources from the last three millennia. They include manuscripts and papyri relating to the culture of ancient Greece and Rome, and manuscripts dating from the early Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, from across Europe. Archives include the papers of British politicians, campaigners, scientists and other public figures of the 17th to the 21st centuries, and the records of the East India Company 1600-1858 and the India Office 1858-1947.

Our collections of books, periodicals, newspapers, pamphlets and other ephemera have been gathered over the last 350 years. Original materials printed in Britain from the 15th century to the present day are complemented by similar sources from overseas. The collections are ideal whether you are looking for out-of-print titles or wish to compare a range of antiquarian editions in one place. You will also find special collections, ranging from incunabula and fine bindings to the Burney early English newspapers and 20th century ‘zines’.

The Library has over 3 million sound recordings, which include extensive oral history collections: detailed firsthand accounts from a wide range of subject areas such as the history of health and medicine, science, politics, religion, sport, the arts, writing and publishing, women's history and Jewish history. We welcome offers of oral history material that offer insights into British culture, and carry out our own programme of recordings through the National Life Stories project. Our Moving Image collections include Broadcast News, a database of news programmes recorded since 2010.

Find it Use our specialist archives and manuscripts catalogue www.searcharchives.bl.uk Find digitised manuscripts at www.bl.uk/manuscripts Find illuminated manuscripts at www.bl.uk/catalogues/ illuminatedmanuscripts

Find it Use ‘Explore the British Library’ to search across the Library’s collections explore.bl.uk Follow the links at www.bl.uk for our specialist bibliographical and illustrated databases

Theses

E-resources

Getting started

With the EThOS service you can download the full text of over 50,000 PhD theses for free, including many related to History and Classics, and view abstracts for thousands more. You can also order a digital copy of a paper thesis or contact the awarding institution to find out how to view the item.

Find a wide range of e-resources on computers in our Reading Rooms, including databases such as ‘History of Parliament’ and ‘British Online Archives’. We have journals, dictionaries and e-books, as well as many newspaper resources, including digital archives of UK and international newspapers. Our UK Web Archive preserves historical websites and includes special collections for key events such as elections and the Olympics.

How to use the Library • Visit our website: there are thousands of digitised items including manuscripts, sounds and newspapers. • Get a free Reader Pass and use our Reading Rooms in London. • Order journal articles through our Document Supply service. • Contact our experts; just search online for ‘Ask the reference team’.

Find it Start searching EThOS now at ethos.bl.uk

Find it Look through our list of e-resources at www.bl.uk/eresources/main.shtml

Overleaf: Part of a 12th-century Bible from the abbey of Floreffe, in the diocese of Liège, Add MS 17738, f. 14r. Above from left: ‘British Grog’ from Flights of Fancy, 1831, Add. 74284 f.122; an image from the Thomason Tracts: ‘Execution speech of Charles I, England’, 1649, E.540.(17.); ‘During political debate a man shows a photo of himself before he was sent to Stalin's labour camps’, Kiev, Ukraine, 1991 (photo: Tim Smith).

Find it Use the Sound and Moving Image catalogue www.cadensa.bl.uk Listen to selected interviews at www.bl.uk/sounds More on oral history at www.bl.uk/oralhistory

Getting a Reader Pass 1 Pre-register online; you can also order items to view on your first visit. 2 Come to our Reader Registration office in St Pancras. 3 Bring two types of ID, one with your signature and one with your address. 4 Bring a list of items you want to see, plus your student card. 5 Get your pass – now you can access any of our Reading Rooms.