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Treasures

There is a wealth of opportunity to be discovered within our collections for everyone, present and future generations alike. We need your help to bring these discoveries to life.

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Acquisitions

Saved for the nation – the St Cuthbert Gospel, the oldest intact Western book.

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Conservation

Find out how a generous legacy is enabling us to explore new ways of analysing our collections and informing their conservation.

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Research

Thanks to the generosity of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, we have been able to digitise over 500 precious Greek manuscripts, a treasure trove for online researchers across the world.

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Learning

Education and outreach programmes for school students and lifelong learners alike are the focal point for our Learning activities, much of which takes place in the Harry M Weinrebe Learning Centre.

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Exhibitions

Our collections are brought to life by our engaging exhibitions. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors we are able to showcase the very best of our collections for all of our visitors to enjoy.

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Success! British Library saves the St Cuthbert Gospel for the nation

The St Cuthbert Gospel is unique, British, and one of the great glories among books.
- Melvyn Bragg

Cuthbert Gospel

 
Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors, the British Library has successfully purchased the St Cuthbert Gospel, a seventh-century manuscript treasure which looks the same to us today as it did to the monks who created it thirteenth centuries ago.
 
The Gospel will now be on show in the Sir John Ritblat Treasures Gallery. It will be displayed open for the first time at the Library, giving visitors the opportunity to see the Gospel, which looks the same today as it did to the monks who created it thirteen centuries ago.
 
Make a donation now> More on the St. Cuthbert Gospel >



The St Cuthbert Gospel: the Story of a Book

Simon Keynes, Professor of Anglo-Saxon, University of Cambridge, and Michael Sadgrove, Dean of Durham Cathedral, explain why the 7th-century St Cuthbert Gospel is one of the world's most remarkable books. Introduced by British Library curator Dr Claire Breay

Listen to the podcast here.