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The British Library holds ca 1 800 manuscripts in Burmese and other languages of Myanmar. Printed books, periodicals and newspapers in the Myanmar (Burma) Collection include many thousands of volumes of current and historical material.

Manuscripts

A large part of the manuscripts in the Myanmar (Burma) collection are included in the Library’s Explore Archives and Manuscripts catalogue. However, many of the manuscripts are currently only accessible in printed catalogues and handlists, most of which are available online. Copies of all the catalogues can also be consulted in the Asian & African Studies Reading Room.

We are gradually transferring the contents of the older manual catalogues into our online catalogue Explore Archives and Manuscripts. Until the re-cataloguing is complete readers will need to consult the printed catalogues below in conjunction with the online catalogue to find manuscripts.

Most of the manuscripts in the Myanmar (Burma) Collection (with shelf marks 'Egerton MS', 'Grenville', 'Stowe Or', 'Sloane MS', 'Add MS', and 'Or') are included in San San May's comprehensive handlist. Earliest of these are also described in Pe Maung Tin's article on the British Museum collection (which was subsequently transferred to the British Library).

• May, San San, A Hand-list of the Manuscripts in Burmese Collection in the British Library, 2012 (unpublished).
• Tin, Pe Maung, ‘Burma manuscripts in the British Museum’, Journal of the Burma Research Society, 14 (1924), 221-245.

Manuscripts in the India Office Collections include the Mandalay Manuscripts Collection (shelf marks 'IO Man/Pali' and 'Mss Man/Bur'), the Burney Parabaiks (shelf mark 'Mss Bur/Parabaik'), the India Office Library manuscripts (shelf marks 'Mss Burmese' and 'Mss Shan'), and the India Office Pali manuscripts (shelf mark 'IO Pali').

• Fausböll, V., Catalogue of the Mandalay manuscripts in the India Office Library (London: Pali Text Society, 1897).
• Blackmore, Thaung, Catalogue of the Burney parabaiks in the India Office Library (London: British Library under the auspices of the British Academy Oriental Documents Committee, 1985).
• May, San San, IOL Burmese Manuscripts in the British Library, 2019 (unpublished)
• Oldenberg, Hermann, Catalogue of Pali Mss in the India Office Library (London: Pali Text Society, 1882)

Some manuscripts in Shan, Mon and Ahom can also be found in the Thai, Lao and Cambodian Collection. Within it, the Soren Egerod Collection includes many manuscripts in Khuen. Most of these are catalogued on Explore Archives and Manuscripts. Marrison's catalogue describes items acquired before 1968.

• Marrison, G.E., A hand-list of the Tai and Mon-Khmer manuscripts in the British Museum, together with Pali manuscripts from the corresponding region. 11 December 1968 (unpublished).

Manuscripts digitised within the Endangered Archives Programme can be found in Explore Archives and Manuscripts. If looking for manuscripts in the Fragile Palm Leaves collection with the Nyunt catalogue, search with 'FPL' and Nyunt catalogue number. Please note that not all manuscripts in the Nyunt catalogue were digitised as part of the Endangered Archives Programme.

Printed Books

Printed books written in Burmese or Pali in Burmese script are discoverable in the Explore the British Library using the Library of Congress romanisation rules. There are also printed catalogues that list books acquired up to 1960 and parts of the India Office Collection.

• Barnett, L. D., A catalogue of the Burmese books in the British Museum (London: Oxford University Press, 1913).
• Raper, T. C. H., ed., Catalogue of the Pali printed books in the India Office Library, rev. by M. J. C. O’Keefe (London: The British Library, 1983).
• Whitbread, Kenneth, Catalogue of Burmese printed books in the India Office Library (London: H.M.S.O., 1969).

Books in Shan, Karen and Mon have been catalogued using the Burmese Library of Congress romanisation rules. New books in Shan will henceforth be catalogued with the 2012 Library of Congress romanisation rules for Shan. For books in Pali it may be worth consulting the Library of Congress romanisation rules for Pali.

For automatic conversion of Library of Congress Burmese romanisation into Burmese script and vice versa, please use the Aksharamukha script converter. Choose Roman (LoC Burmese) - Burmese (Myanmar), with output option 'join syllables'. Or Burmese (Myanmar) - Roman (LoC Burmese), with input option segment syllables. Words of English or Pali language origin should be written together.

Newspapers and Periodicals

Early newspapers in Burmese as well as periodicals have been catalogued in Explore the British Library using the Library of Congress romanisation rules.