The V&A holds extensive collections of documentary manuscripts (including autograph letters), western medieval illuminated manuscripts, oriental manuscripts, typescripts and modern calligraphy.
The Charles Dickens Manuscripts
Many books, manuscripts, prints and paintings relating to Dickens came to the V&A when John Forster left his library and art collection to the Museum.
Read article
The Book of Hours of Louis XII
The Hours of Louis XII was one of the greatest French illuminated manuscripts of the Renaissance. A prayer book, it was decorated by Jean Bourdichon for the French ruler Lo…
Read article
Jainism: Illuminated Manuscripts and Jain art
The study, recitation and veneration of sacred scriptures are a primary religious focus of the Jains.
Read article
Study Room resource: Medieval writing and printing
The contents of this resource has been put together to illustrate book production from the hand-made manuscript to the printed page. The resource will be useful for teacher…
Read article
A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
MoreShop online
Western Illuminated Manuscripts
This catalogue of illuminated manuscripts in the V&A's National Art Library provides a history of an art form over eight centuries as an integral …
Buy nowEvent - Central Saint Martins Highlights Tour
Wed 20 November 2013 14:00
The Museum and Study Collection at Central Saint Martins has been more than a century in the making and includes illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, type designs by Johnston and Gill, twentieth-century textiles and work by more recent graduates such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.
Book online
