Digitized Resources from the British Library
The following links are from the British Library's Turning the Pages platform, which includes a total of 36 books. The platform virtually simulates the experience of turning the pages of a number of rare books while providing insightful commentary about each page. Most of these items are distinguished by the unique artistry of their illuminations, decoration, handwriting, page composition, and binding. Many geographic locations are represented with a focus on British literature.
- Turning the Pages
Landing page with menu of 36 fully digitized and explorable rare books from the past 1200 years. - Luttrell Psalter
The Luttrell Psalter is one of the most famous medieval manuscripts because of its rich illustrations of everyday life in the 14th century. Some of the illustrations will make your eyes pop out. This link takes you to a wonderful e-reader platform from the British Library that makes it easy to browse through the digital images of the book as if you were turning the pages in real life. - The Lindisfarne Gospels
The Lindisfarne Gospels, one of the most magnificent manuscripts of the early Middle Ages, was written and decorated at the end of the 7th century by the monk Eadfrith, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 698 and died in 721. Notable for the style of handwriting, the codex is even more impressive in its use of multicolored patterns to decorate every other page. - Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures Under Ground
This manuscript is the original version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It is handwritten in a fine hand and features 37 illustrations. - The Bedford Hours
The Bedford Hours is one of the most lavish surviving medieval prayerbooks. Made in Paris between 1410 and 1430, its prayers are illustrated by 38 large images and over 1,200 small marginal roundels. Books of hours were popular devotional collections. Their text was drawn from Psalms and included prayers and chants. - A Medieval Bestiary
A bestiary is a book of real and imaginary beasts, though its subjects can extend to plants and even rocks. It combines description of the physical nature and habits of animals with elaboration on the moral or spiritual significance of these characteristics. This one is from the 13th century and features depictions of animals illuminated with gold, making it a very costly manuscript - Memoirs of Babur
This is the manuscript of the Memoirs of Babur (ruled 1526-30), founder of the Mughal dynasty. It is one of the artistic and literary masterpieces of the era. The emperor Akbar, Babur’s grandson, had the text translated from Chaghatay Turkic into Persian in 1589, and this illustrated copy dates from 1590-93.
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