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About Explore Archives and Manuscripts

With Explore Archives and Manuscripts you can search for information about our rich and unique archive and manuscript co...

Access manuscripts and archives

Accessing manuscripts and archives and obtaining a Letter of introduction or recommendation

Find and request Lord Chamberlain's Plays

How to locate items in our largest single manuscript collection

Find charters, rolls, and seals

How to access medieval and early modern European documentary collections

Guide to Explore Archives and Manuscripts

A guide to help you use the catalogue, covering: login, search, how to manage your results, how to browse the collection...

How to order images

Instructions on how to order images of the British Library's collections from our Imaging Services

How to reuse images of unpublished manuscripts

Guide to the copyright of unpublished documents

Provenance Research for books in the British Libra...

Where do the British Library’s old printed books ‘come from'? Who owned or read them in centuries past? Why does it matt...

Using the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC)

How to use the English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC)