The British Library holds one of the world's finest collections
of early Western printed books, periodicals and ephemera. Holdings
date from 1454 to the early 20th century. They include items printed
in Britain, Ireland, Continental Europe and many overseas dependencies,
including English colonies in North America. These pages document
the types of material held and how to gain access to them. You will
find information about catalogues, resource discovery guides, digitisation
projects, events and exhibitions. There are also links to external
websites relevant to the study of rare books.
