The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the largest libraries in the world. It was established in 1973, but its roots can be traced back to the mid-18th century.

The library houses over 170 million items, including books, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, maps, music scores, sound recordings, and digital content. The collection spans over 3,000 years of human history, with items in over 400 languages.

Some of the library's most famous items include the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible, the original manuscript of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," the original manuscript of "Beowulf," and handwritten scores by composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Handel.

The library's reading rooms are open to the public, but registration is required. In addition to its extensive collections, the British Library also hosts a range of exhibitions, events, and educational programs.