British Library blogs
From our curators, subject specialists and guest bloggers
About our blogs
These blogs express the thoughts and opinions of individual British Library staff members. You can subscribe to any blog by email.
Latest posts
A Novel Approach To Novels That Shaped Our World!
20 April 2021 Digital scholarship
It is wonderful to be collaborating with Leeds Libraries on their online Games Jam this month, which is encouraging people to create playful interactive adaptations of books in the BBC’s Novels that Shaped Our World list. Eye-catching artwork for the...
Another scandalous tale from the Down family
20 April 2021 Untold lives
In previous Untold Lives stories, we met two of Major William Down’s children, Arabella and Charles. Now, for the final instalment of this scandalous tale, we have their sister Eva Magdalene Crompton Down. Eva was born in St John’s Wood,...
‘Frenssh’ as it was ‘spak’ in medieval England
20 April 2021 Medieval manuscripts
In the prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s prioress is accused of speaking an inferior version of French learned in Stratford rather than in Paris: Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, For...
Two women, a lawyer and a book chest
19 April 2021 European studies
Today, 19 April, is the anniversary of the death of Maria van Reigersberch, or Reigersbergen the wife of Hugo de Groot a.k.a. Grotius. Her husband is well known for his legal writings in which he launched the idea of the...
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Americas studies
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Supporting research with digital content
Endangered archives
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Exploring Europe at the British Library
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Untold lives
Sharing stories from the past, worldwide