Yahoo Finance Welcome to the Largest Library in the World
For every person who seeks out the perfect sunset over the Pacific or a quiet stay in the wilderness, there is somebody whoswoons over a vast trove of books.For those peoplethe Hermione Grangers, the Rupert Gileses, the Lisa Simpsonswe recommend addingthe British Library in London to your bucket list. Why? Though it may not be the most historic or the most beautiful libraryon the planet, it isthelargest, defined by thenumber of items cataloged.
With over 170 million books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, sound and music recordings, magazines, and drawings,its no wonder the libraryattractsover 1.75 million visitors per year. Luckily, there's lots of space on offer tooenough room to accommodate more than 1,200 readers and625 kilometers of shelves.
The library boasts that, if a visitor were to see five items every day, it would take a whopping 80,000 years to see the entire collection. But before your lifetime is up, youll surely want to check out the Diamond Sutra, otherwise known as the worlds earliest dated printed book, which is often on display in the exhibition galleries of the library. See also treasures like teh Magna Cart and handwritten Beatles lyrics.
It may come as a surprise, but as far aslibraries go, the British Library isn't actually that oldit was established in 1973 as a result of the British Library Act, which was enacted the year before. It's thelargest public building constructed in the UK in the 20th century, and its modernist style is still controversial.
TheBritish Library is open to all. Next time you're in London, head here to seeold manuscripts on display to the general public, including Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Jane Eyre, Alice's Adventures Under Ground, and Just So Storiesto name a few.
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