Our extensive collections from the Romance-speaking countries of Europe include materials in French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan and Occitan, as well as in non-Romance languages such as Modern Greek, Basque and Breton.

Collection guides

Reading Room  Paul Grundy

St Pancras Reading Rooms

At St Pancras we have 11 Reading Rooms, each specialising in a different subject area or type of material and with different opening hours. In our Reading Rooms you can:

  • Consult books, journals and other items from our collections
  • Access a wide range of electronic resources and electronic journals
  • Consult subject guides, bibliographies and other research aids

If you need help, please ask our Reference Specialists at the enquiry desks or contact the Reference Service.

We offer a range of free Reader sessions and 1-2-1 consultations to help you make the best use of the Library's collections.

You’ll need a Reader Pass

Opening hours for all Reading Rooms

Blog posts

The legend of Alexander in late Antique and medieval literary culture: PhD studentship at the British Library

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The British Library is collaborating with Durham University to offer a fully-funded full-time or part-time PhD studentship via the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Partnership scheme. The student’s research will focus on the legend of Alexander the Great, and the successful applicant...

Poems from the Edge of Extinction I

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

For this blog, the first of a mini series in collaboration with our Americas and Oceania collections colleagues, we have taken inspiration from last year’s timely anthology of poems, Poems from the Edge of Extinction (BL ELD.DS.463137), edited by poet...

PhD Studentship Opportunity - Caricatures from the Franco-Prussian War and Paris Commune

Thursday, April 9, 2020

We are delighted to announce that The British Library, in collaboration with The Department of History at Royal Holloway, is offering a fully-funded PhD studentship (fees and maintenance) on the theme: Caricatures from the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune,...

Jean Cocteau’s ‘Drôle de Ménage’

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

The French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic Jean Cocteau is best known for his novels, his stage plays, his films and decorative art, and for having been linked to the major artistic movements of 20th century...

More blog posts

Library experts

Valentina Mirabella

Curator in Romance Languages

Romance languages case studies

Shop

Censors at Work: How States Shaped Literature

In 18th-century France, censors navigated the intricacies of royal privilege in a working collaboration with authors and booksellers on the making of literature.

£25

Out Of This World

From the works of Cyrano de Bergerac to Ray Bradbury, this book reveals the full heritage and wonder of science fiction.

£16.96
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