Exclusive illustrations to colour in carefully selected from the British Library's archive.Before the invention of the printing press, books were written out by hand, and were priceless objects. The most precious books were illuminated with pictures highlighted with gold or with bright colours. Real and imaginary animals populated the pages of medieval books, particularly encyclopedias.This new colouring book is packed with familiar and exotic creatures carefully selected from the extensive collection of the British Library. The animal illustrations have been sourced from a range of documents, including charters and seals and historical and literary manuscripts, from Homer to the Codex Sinaiticus, from Beowulf to Chaucer, and from Magna Carta to the papers of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.Each of the original drawings is reproduced in colour, so that you can decide whether you prefer to choose your own colours, or to use the colours that the artist intended. With key facts about each of the animals and their source, this is the perfect book for animal lovers, history buffs and colouring-in fanatics alike.

A medieval A to Z with letters from the collections of the British Library to colour in.Before the invention of the printing press, books were written out by hand, and were priceless objects. The most precious books were illuminated with gold or with bright colours. Initial letters were often highlighted either as decoration or to mark an important passage.This new colouring book is packed with a series of intricate letters carefully selected from the extensive collection of the British Library. The letters are sourced from medieval charters and seals, historical and literary manuscripts, from Virgil to Chaucer and Royal Statutes to the Book of Psalms. Each of the original letters is reproduced in colour, so that you can decide whether you prefer to choose your own colours, or to use the colours that the artist intended. With key facts about each of the letters and their source, this is the perfect book for history buffs and colouring-in fans alike.

Thirty handsome drawings of fabled creatures: mermaid, centaur, phoenix, basilisk, kraken (a huge sea monster sometimes mistaken for an island), manticore (a beast of three different parts), and more.

Twenty-eight full-page, ready-to-color illustrations from one of the most beautiful books of the early Middle Ages depict Celtic spirals and interlacings, celestial figures, saints, Celtic crosses, and other finely detailed elements.

Dragons, winged dogs, demons, lions, griffins, a bull, unicorn, eagle, various other grotesques from The Book of Kells, medieval architecture, other sources. Detailed black-and-white illustrations of 45 mythical animals. Captions.

Colorists and horse lovers of all ages will treasure this splendid tribute to horses of the world. Illustrator John Green, a specialist in realistic depictions of animals, excels at drawing horses. This collection of his best equine images features draft animals as well as sporting creatures — thoroughbreds, mavericks, coach horses, show horses, polo ponies, and many other magnificent steeds. Informative captions offer accurate background information on each image.

Illustrations portray people from every class of society, from farmers to courtiers.