The Story Of The British Museum

Founded in 1753, the British Museum is today one of the world's great treasure houses. This book traces the development of the Museum and the growth of its huge collections. Marjorie Caygill has drawn on contemporary newspapers, journals, diaries and the Museum's own archives to bring to life the personalities-the eccentric, the brilliant and the not-so-brilliant-who have peopled the Museum's galleries and imbued it with its own distinctive character. In 1837 a correspondent wrote of the British Museum: 'There is not a better sight in London; there are few places better worth seeing in the world.' This still holds true today. With 57 black and white illustrations.