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21/02/2012

The British Library publishes the first detective novel… The Notting Hill Mystery

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‘Is that chain one of purely accidental coincidence, or does it point with terrible certainty to a series of crimes, in their nature and execution too horrible to contemplate?’

- Ralph Henderson, narrator

The British Library has today published The Notting Hill Mystery by Charles Felix, widely considered to be the first detective novel ever published. Originally serialised between 1862 and 1863 in the magazine Once a Week and then published as a single volume in 1863, The Notting Hill Mystery has not been commercially available since then, until now.

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Press Contact : Evie Jeffreys  + 44 (0) 20 7412 7105  evie.jeffreys@bl.uk

Policy

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Digital

The British Library has taken the lead, nationally and internationally, in aiming to overcome the challenges of collecting, preserving and providing contemporary and long term access to the world's digital knowledge.

The Library’s strategic vision is to 'provide both physical and digital access to world-class information where and when people need it'. We have developed a number of partnerships and business models to drive forward mass digitisation and create a valuable and enduring resource for researchers and the public alike.

Intellectual Property

The British Library is concerned that the shift from print to digital publishing is undermining the traditional balance at the heart of copyright in ways that could make it harder for researchers to access and use information.

We believe that the UK needs an intellectual property framework appropriate for the digital age.

Recent Press Releases

14/02/2012

200km of books successfully moved to high-tech home

  • British Library and Premier Moves relocate over 200 kilometres of collection items
  • Largest book UK move since 1998 move to St Pancras

The UK national library and a major moves contractor, Premier Moves, have just completed a massive project to migrate over 200 linear kilometres of library materials from London to a high-tech archival storage facility in West Yorkshire.

The British Library’s Collection Moves programme – the largest of its kind since the Library moved into its flagship St Pancras building in 1998 – saw some seven million books, journal parts, magazines and sound recordings move from a variety of sites in London to a purpose-built long term storage facility at the Library’s Boston Spa site, near Wetherby. The items involved are mainly ‘lower use’ material which is part of the Library’s wider collection of some 150 million separate items.

  • 14/02/2012

    Last chance to see the ‘dazzling’ Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination - Runs until Tuesday 13 March 2012

    'They retain every inch of their power to delight and enchant.’
    - Metro

    Don’t miss the chance to see the British Library’s major exhibition, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination, as it enters its last month. This milestone exhibition, opened by Her Majesty the Queen in November, is the first to display richly illuminated manuscripts from its Royal collection in such large numbers. http://www.bl.uk/royal

    13/02/2012

    Beyond the Frame celebrates cultural impact of Indians on Britain

    • Open University and British Library exhibition to tour Southern India, beginning in Mumbai on 13th February
    • British Library website and multimedia timeline at www.bl.uk/asiansinbritain to bring the history of the Indian presence in Britain to a wider audience
    • British Council’s Connecting Classrooms to run linked educational activities

    Beyond the Frame: India in Britain, 1858-1950 celebrates the often overlooked, long history of the Indian presence in Britain. This ground-breaking exhibition, part of a larger Open University led project, Beyond the Frame: Indian British Connections, takes a new look at this little-known history and will tour Southern India from 13th February starting at the British Council in Mumbai and touring to British Council offices in Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai.

  • 09/02/2012

    Live performance artist Christopher Green takes up residency at the British Library

    ‘You might feel very different about libraries after this!’

    - Christopher Green, Artist in Residence, the British Library

    Actor, cabaret artist and writer Christopher Green has become the British Library’s first ever Leverhulme Artist in Residence and embarks on an exciting project using the Library’s vast collections. Christopher will trace the history of hypnosis throughout the course of this year, building up to a climactic show in October where he will reveal a brand new character to the public to 'confound, amaze, heal and entertain'. www.bl.uk/artistinresidence

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