Things, Many and Varied
How the index helps us to understand, categorise and engage with the world.
Kate Wiles
The Book That Can’t Be Read
Despite recent claims, the Voynich Manuscript remains one of history’s biggest mysteries.
The Who’s Who of Anglo-Saxon England
The British Library’s new exhibition is a star-studded tour of the Anglo-Saxons at their most eloquent.
The Map: London, 1851
The landmarks of Victorian London, painted onto a fashionable leather glove.
The Map: Canterbury Cathedral, 12th century
An aerial view of a hydraulic system that pumped fresh water into the monastic complex.
The Map: Kyoto, c.1626
A map of the Japanese city from the Edo period was one of the earliest produced for general use.
The Map: Uganda 1904
An expedition route map produced by Stuart William Hughes Rawlins.
The Map: Madhyaloka, 1850
A map of the Jain universe.
The Map: Poltava, 1709
An 18th-century map produced by Anna van Westerstee Beeck marks a pivotal moment in the histories of Russia, Sweden and Ukraine.
The Map: Rome, 1942
The War Office’s map of cultural treasures in Rome, 1942.