Paper peepshows
Take a peek into our peepshow collection
Books
The National Art Library holds the most extensive reference collection on fine and decorative arts in the UK, as well as special collections which chart the art, craft and design of the book, ranging from early printed works to contemporary artists' books, from fine bindings to comics and graphic novels.
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Highlights include no less than three Shakespeare First Folios (1623); nearly 200 incunables (books printed before 1501); the complete libraries of John Forster and Alexander Dyce – two accomplished 19th-century scholars; the Clements collection of heraldic bindings; a growing collection of artists' books and photobooks; outstanding holdings on the 1851 Great Exhibition and subsequent world's fairs; colourful pattern books and trade catalogues; art, fashion and design journals from the 18th century to the present day; a vast array of early and current exhibition catalogues; one of the largest collections of sale catalogues in the world, and much more. The collections can be consulted in the National Art Library reading rooms and many of our most remarkable books are on display throughout the museum.
Collection highlights
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The Yellow Book, Volume III, cover designed by Aubrey Beardsley (London: John Lane and Boston: Copeland & Day, October 1894). Museum no. L.520-1987. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Pericles and Aspasia, by Walter Savage Landor, binding designed by Thomas James Cobden-Sanderson (New York: privately printed for Scott-Thaw Co., 1903). Museum no. L.1583-1922. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Jazz, illustrations by Henri Matisse, binding by Paul Bonet (Paris: Tériade, 1947). Museum no. L.338-1948. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Plate I from Poissons, écrevisses, et crabes de diverses couleurs et figures extraordinaires…, by Louis Renard (Amsterdam, early 18th century). Museum no. 38041800805954. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Title page from Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts, et des métiers..., edited by Denis Diderot and Jean d’Alembert, Volume XIII (Paris: chez Briasson, 1751 – 65). Museum no. 38041800785941. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
'The Thames Tunnel at London', paper peepshow, 1843, London. Museum no. Gestetner 238. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
And, where did the peacocks go?, by Miho Kajioka (Kyoto: Miho Kajioka, 2016). Museum no. 38041016042814. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Catalogue raisonné des différens objets de curiosités dans les sciences et arts, qui composoient le cabinet de feu Mr Mariette..., by François Basan (Paris, 1775). Museum no. 38041800879827. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
The Book of Disquiet, by Tim Hopkins, (London: Half Pint Press, 2017). Museum no. 38041017029224. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
‘Le Jour et la Nuit’, by George Barbier, in Falbalas & fanfreluches: almanach des modes présentes, passées & futures (Paris, 1922 – 26). Museum no. 38041800988834. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Proof of the cover to the first issue of Die neue Linie, designed by Moholy-Nagy and Herbert Bayer (September 1929). Museum no. 38041800796336. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories & tragedies: published according to the true originall copies, by William Shakespeare (London: Isaac Jaggard and Edward Blount, 1623). Museum no. Dyce 8936. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Radical Fashion, edited by Claire Wilcox (London: V&A Publications, 2001). Museum no. 38041001086511. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London -
Bible, vol. 1 (Nuremberg: Anton Koberger, 1483). Museum no. A.L.793-1894. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Features
Turning the pages of an illuminated manuscript
Watch as we open up a medieval choirbook
Shakespeare's First Folio
Discover the secrets of a 400-year-old copy of Shakespeare's collected plays
A brief history of vampires – in print, photography and posters
Discover, if you dare, how Count Dracula haunts the V&A's collections
Handling and care of precious books: ASMR
Experience the National Art Library – a calm and tranquil yet deeply sensory space
Annals to zeitschrift: An A–Z of magazines and journals
Take an alphabetical journey through some of the highlights from our collection
Reading feminist magazines: ASMR
Listen in as we turn the pages of iconic feminist magazines
Handling a puppet book
See how a delicate puppet book is handled and photographed
Talking pages: a geometry pop-up book
See the three-dimensional shapes of a pop-up book brought to life
How was it made? Printing and binding a book
See the process involved in printing and binding a book
Make your own: paper peepshow
Create a unique miniature world crafted from paper
Header image: Detail from An essay on a new theory of colours, and on composition in general, by M. Gartside, printed by J. Barfield, Wardour-Street, 1808, London. Museum no. L.1595-1940. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London