Each Anthology is a curated experience centered around dozens of unique 19th century books and images carefully selected from the Library’s unparalleled collections.
· Trains: The History and Pleasures of Railroading features more than 100 books, articles and images on the golden age of railroad history and culture. The anthology includes railway guides, dictionaries, travelogues, histories, novels, plays, poems, notes from business meetings and even an article on train upholstery. Highlights include fascinating historical descriptions of train travel and rail lines running through Canada, South Africa, India, Siberia and Spain. Train enthusiasts will also find reference guides such as the 1851 List of all Stations on the Railways of Great Britain and the 1899 Tourists Guide to All the Principal Stations on the Railways of Northern & Central India. Full of early photographs and countless illustrations, this expertly organized Anthology provides an unparalleled window into the early history of train travel and the development of the world’s railway systems.
· High Seas Adventures: A Historical Collection of Maritime Life has more than 100 works from a variety of genres, including historical texts, eyewitness accounts, diaries, fiction, reports, travelogues, poetry and biography. Spanning centuries of adventure on the high seas, this anthology invites you to go on a whaling voyage, witness the wreck of the Favourite on the Island of Desolation, travel on a convict ship, relive the experiences of sailors captured by pirates, learn about the lives of English seamen in the 16th Century, travel with a Lady in a French Man-of-War or read harrowing real-life accounts of Shipwrecks of the Royal Navy Between 1793 and 1849.
· Castles: An Anthology features more than 200 novels, stories, poems, plays, guide books and historical accounts for anyone interested in the castles of medieval Europe, and the British Isles in particular. These works will transport you back to an era of romantic chivalry (at its best) and of dirty, vermin infested rush flooring (at its worst). Kings, queens, lords, ladies, knights, magicians and even dragons are to be found in this anthology. The Castles of England and Churches and Castles of Medieval France are heavily illustrated with Victorian era photographs, and A Guide to Alnwick Castle traces its owners back to the 12th century in vividly detailed pen-portraits. In Windsor Castle: Official and Authorized Royal Guide, readers learn that when Queen Victoria’s court was not in residence at Windsor, it was possible to visit the castle as a tourist, although she forbade both the selling of tickets and the acceptance of tips by tour guides.
Additional Anthologies are available for preview and purchase from £ 6.40 to £ 10.24 (or from $9.99 to $15.99 in the United States and other countries), including Ghosts and Spirits: The Supernatural in Fact and Fiction, American Civil War: An Anthology and On The Road Again: An Anthology of Women’s Travel.
“We are thrilled to be able to make the British Library’s digitised books, along with a wealth of supporting materials, available to iPad users via BiblioBoard,” said Sam Tillett, Strategic Partner Manager of the British Library. “Our partnership with BiblioLabs has allowed us to open up our collections as never before, using the iPad’s tactile and very visual interface to create an experience that’s the next best thing to having the original item in your own hands.”
All content within an Anthology is displayed in an easy-to-use interface and the digitized items are compatible with high definition Retina Display. The ability to zoom and bookmark pages provides a dynamic and versatile viewing experience.
“The British Library 19th Century App generated a phenomenal response when it was launched last year,” said Mitchell Davis, Chief Business Officer of BiblioLabs. “Nearly half a million people have used that App to discover treasures from the Library’s archive - but the feedback we got was that the collections needed to be more refined and useful. This is exactly what we’ve achieved with these Anthologies: users from around the globe can now access historical texts they were never be able to view in person, organized around themes that interest them.” Mitchell adds, “For the price of a single paperback book, you can purchase an entire curated universe of primary source materials from the British Library.”
To download BiblioBoard and receive the three free British Library Anthologies, visit the Apple App Store. Later this year, BiblioBoard and all British Library Anthologies will be available on any web browser.