British Library treasures
The British Library shares its visual treasures: manuscripts, illustrations, Alice, and books turned into sculpture.
What it is
The Pinterest profile of the British Library, the UK's national library, which invites followers to discover its visual treasures. It has about thirty boards covering manuscripts, illustration, the Victorians, Georgian Britain, Henry VIII, stamps and a string of exhibitions that ran in London.
Why we picked it
The best board is Alice in Wonderland. It grew out of the Library's exhibition for the book's 150th anniversary and brings together Alice's Adventures Under Ground — the original manuscript Carroll wrote and illustrated by hand — along with Carroll's diaries, John Tenniel's illustrations and later takes on Alice by other artists. For anyone who loves the book, it's a compact tour of its history.
Beyond Alice, look at Libraries in Art: libraries and readers in paintings, prints and medieval miniatures, some from the Library's own collections. Book Art shows books turned into sculptures and installations. The exhibition boards — Terror and Wonder on Gothic literature, Comics Unmasked on British comics, Propaganda, Mughal India and Beautiful Science on scientific visualisation — still work as good collections long after the shows closed.
Where to start
- Alice in Wonderland — Carroll's manuscript and classic illustrations in one place.
- Libraries in Art — a ready-made moodboard for bookish aesthetics.
- Terror and wonder: Gothic literature — visual material on the Gothic novel for study or an atmospheric project.
- Beautiful Science — historic scientific graphics and early infographics.
- Book Art — ideas for creative projects made from old books.
Who it's for
Book lovers, literature teachers, illustrators and anyone curious about how books and manuscripts looked before screens. If you're heading to London, it's also a quick guide to what the Library is proudest of.
Quick answers
Do I need a Pinterest account? You can browse the boards without one, though Pinterest may ask you to log in.
Is the profile active? Most boards were created between 2013 and 2016 and have barely grown since. Treat it as an archive — some older pins may link to pages that no longer work.
Where can I see the manuscripts in full? On the British Library's website; many pins link to item pages in its online collections.
