British Museum

A Parliamentary vote in 1972 created the British Library, an amalgamation of the British Museum Library with other major libraries. Since 1757 the British Museum Library has been a library of deposit: it receives a copy of every publication printed in Britain. Its nucleus was formed by the libraries of Sir Robert Cotton, Robert Harley, Sir Hans Sloane and Charles Townley, together with the old Royal Library, presented by George II in 1757. The library of George III (Room 32, British Museum) was acquired in 1823. The Department of Printed Books contains more than 12 million volumes (600,000 are added annually); the Department of Manuscripts more than 70,000 volumes and 100,000 manuscripts and papyri; the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books more than 35,000 manuscripts and 250,000 printed books. Some of the more exceptional and valuable volumes are exhibited in Rooms 29 to 32a of the British Museum. On a par with the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, the British Library is one of the finest in Europe. A move to new buildings near St Pancras station is planned for 1993-96; this will increase the space of the British Museum by some 40 per cent.The circular Reading Room, where Karl Marx worked on "Das Kapital", is reserved for those wishing to use the library, but visitors may look in briefly.Also on display are manuscripts by, among others, Charles Dickens and Laurence Sterne, the original "Messiah" by Handel, John Lennon's song "Yesterday" for the Beatles, Lord Nelson's last letter to Lady Hamilton, Alexander Fleming's notes on the discovery of penicillin, Isaac Newton's first observations on the force of gravity and notes by Leondardo da Vinci. In the adjoining Room 30a, exhibits of priceless illustrated Bibles and Books of Hours include the Lindisfarne Gospels, a manuscript dating from the early eighth century which belonged to Bishop Eadfrith of Lindisfarne.

This is the largest section of the British Museum, housing a wide variety of artifacts from ancient Greece and Rome. Of particular note are such treasures as the "Chatsworth" Head of Apollo, the Horse of Selene, the statue of the goddess Demeter and a bronze head of Sophocles.

Of particular interest are the colossal bust of Rameses II from Thebes-West and the Rosetta Stone.Although the main treasures of the Rosetta Stone and the Lions of Amenophis are displayed on the lower floor, a fairly large collection of Egyptian artifacts is also well distributed on the upper floor.Among this collection are a variety of Egyptian personal articles such as mirrors and clothing, along with other items such as musical instruments, furniture, papyrus, wall paintings, reliefs, rugs and tapestries.

Within this section of the museum, exhibits on prehistoric societies in continental Europe and early Britain contain a variety of artifacts that would have been used in day-to-day activities.

These rooms are devoted to unique treasures of the Assyrian period. Room 17 houses reliefs depicting a lion hunt from the reign of Assurbanipal. Further reliefs from the Nimrud and Nineveh palaces may be seen in other rooms, as well as the imposing figures of winged bulls with human heads from the Sargon palace in Khorsabad and a black obelisk relating the deeds of Shalmaneser III.Rooms 17-26

Among the various treasures and artifacts that are displayed in this section are such unique treasures as The Royal Gold Cup, the Thorn Reliquary, the Lyte Jewel and the Huguenot silver.

A wide variety of Oriental and Asiatic artifacts, mainly metalwork, enamelwork, porcelain and glassware, are found among this collection.Of particular note are such artifacts as the Sambas Treasure of Bhuddist images, the Great Stupa at Amaraviti and the Yuan blue and white porcelain.A visitor should not miss seeing the T'ang horses and camels.