Sir John Ritblat Gallery, British Library
The Sir John Ritblat Gallery at our St Pancras building hosts a permanent display of our greatest treasures, drawn from the many millions of items in our collections.
The Sir John Ritblat Gallery hosts a permanent free display of many of our greatest treasures. See over 200 beautiful and fascinating items: sacred texts from many faiths, maps and views, early printing, literary, historical, scientific and musical works from over the centuries and around the world.
Discover some of the world's most exciting and significant books, from Magna Carta and the Gutenberg Bible, to Handel and the Beatles. Marvel at the genius behind the Leonardo notebooks, and see the earliest versions of some of the greatest works of English literature, including Alice's Adventures Under Ground and Shakespeare's First Folio.
You can purchase the 'Treasures' app for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones. Find out more
For preservation reasons the light and temperature levels must be kept low and items in the Gallery may be changed at intervals. Sometimes items are lent to other institutions for exhibition. If you wish to be sure that a particular item is on display, please check in advance.
Please note: The Lindisfarne Gospels will be off exhibition on 28 November (one day only) for an academic examination. You can see images from the Gospels online.
All our exhibition galleries are open to everyone seven days a week.
Over 200 unique items are arranged, case by case, as follows: