Art
Elephant Water Clock Among 25,000 Pages of Medieval Arabic Scientific Manuscripts
A new online portal created by the British Library and Qatar Foundation features 25,000 pages of medieval Arabic manuscripts centered on the history of science.
British Library
Art
Time for Death: Skeleton Alarm Clock Goes on Display in London
Would you like to wake from dreams with a reminder of your inevitable eternal sleep? An alarm clock currently on view at the British Library in London, which is part of the Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination exhibition, is a curious continuation of the memento mori tradition.
Art
Oracle Bones: A 3,000-Year-Old Voice of the Dead
While dating back 3,000 years, no one recognized how special the oracle bones of the Shang Dynasty were until 1899.
Art
Accessing Data through Design in the History of Visualizing Science
As much as data can tell us about our planet, rattling off the numbers can often sound like static. An exhibition at the British Library in London is showing how art and design are essential to conveying scientific ideas and statistics.
News
British Library Releases 1M Images into the Public Domain
Earlier this month, Open Culture pointed to a big move from the British Library: the library is putting a million images into the public domain.
Art
Propaganda at the British Library
As a way to guide public opinion to a collective obedience, governments around the world have employed art. These visual modes of propaganda can be powerful and moving, and they haven't disappeared, as proved by the playing cards showing members of Saddam Hussein's regime distributed by the US durin