Today (Tuesday, 13 March 2012) is the final day of the British Library's exhibition Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination.

Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum historiale, translated into French by Jean de Vignay: Bruges, c. 1478-80 (London, British Library, MS Royal 14 E. i, f. 3r).

It's probably too late to book your plane or train tickets -- final admission is scheduled for 19.00 British time -- but don't forget that you can continue to view all the exhibited manuscripts on our Royal Facebook pages. What's more, there are detailed descriptions of every book in the accompanying catalogue, edited by Scot McKendrick, John Lowden and Kathleen Doyle (ISBN 9780712358156).

The catalogue is fully illlustrated in colour, and contains introductory essays by the three editors (John Lowden, 'The Royal Manuscript as Idea and Object'; Scot McKendrick, 'A European Heritage: Books of Continental Origin collected by the English Royal Family from Edward III to Henry VIII'; Kathleen Doyle, 'The Old Royal Library: "A greate many noble manuscripts yet remaining"'), with catalogue entries by the above plus Nicolas Bell, Sarah J. Biggs, Alixe Bovey, Andrea Clarke, Justin Clegg, Sonja Drimmer, Joanna Fronska, Richard Gameson, Julian Harrison, Deirdre Jackson, Joshua O'Driscoll, Stella Panayatova and Lucy Freeman Sandler.

Motets for Henry VIII: southern Netherlands (?Antwerp), 1516 (London, British Library, MS Royal 11 E. xi, f. 2r).

Although the exhibition is soon to disappear, its legacy will live on! We hope you've all enjoyed the beautiful books we have shared with you, and that you continue to share our delight in the joys of medieval and early modern manuscripts. The British Library's next medieval-inspired exhibition will open in a few years -- watch this space!

For those of you yet to see Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination at the British Library -- the exhibition closes on Tuesday, 13 March. Avoid disappointment, drop in or book online now.

And don't despair if you're unable to make the exhibition in person. Highlights of all the manuscripts on display will remain available on our Facebook albums.

In the meantime, episode 2 of Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings, entitled "What a King Should Know", airs tonight on BBC HD at 19.00, and will subsequently be available to view on the BBC iPlayer. Catch the programme to see close-ups of many of the manuscripts on show in our Royal exhibition.

Detail of a miniature of Henry VIII as King David and his court jester, William Somer, in the Psalter of Henry VIII (London, c. 1540): London, British Library, MS Royal 2 A. XVI, f. 63v.

The final event of our Royal Manuscripts exhibition – gosh, it's gone so fast – will be held on Friday, 9 March. Renowned historian David Starkey will be speaking on "New Learning Out of Old Books: Henry VIII and the Invention of the Royal Library".

Dr Starkey was guest curator of the British Library's major 2009 exhibition Henry VIII: Man and Monarch. He's perhaps best known for his various television appearances, and is a hugely entertaining speaker, as those who have seen his previous performances will testify. In "New Learning Out of Old Books", David Starkey will explain how the royal library was transformed from a collection of illuminated books into a working library, providing intellectual justification for the Divorce and the Royal Supremacy.

Tickets are still available for New Learning Out of Old Books, priced at £7.50 (£5 concessions).

British Library, 9 March, 18.00-19.30

Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination closes on Tuesday, 13 March. Grab the chance to see it while you can, or view the exhibits in our Facebook albums.

Detail of a miniature of musicians in the Psalter of Henry VIII: London, British Library, MS Royal 2 A. XVI, f. 98v.

The temperature in London is currently touching zero, and the British Library is swarming with visitors to our major exhibition Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination. Only 33 days more to go – don't forget that it closes on 13 March 2012. Images of all the manuscripts on show will continue to feature on our Facebook albums (and no, you don't need a Facebook account to view them).

Meanwhile, United Kingdom residents might like to enter our Royal competition. One lucky person will win a luxury trip to Paris for two, comprising return travel with Eurostar (including transfers), three nights at the 4* Hotel Westminster, a two-day Paris Museum Pass giving access to more than 60 museums, monuments and galleries, a Seine river cruise and a carnet of Metro tickets. A big thank you to Kirker Holidays for organising the trip.

A downside is that Paris is even colder than London as we write ...

There's one simple question (clue: the answer begins with Henry), and make sure you check the terms and conditions at the foot of the competition page. Good luck! Hopefully we'll see you soon in London.

Don't forget that the third and final episode of Illuminations: The Private Lives of Medieval Kings is broadcast tonight on BBC Four (21.00-22.00). In this instalment Janina Ramirez examines the books of the Tudors, including court music composed for King Henry VIII (r. 1509-1547), and love notes between Henry and Anne Boleyn, his second fateful queen, written in the margins of a prayerbook.

A copy of a transaction between King Henry VII of England (r. 1485-1509) and the monks of Westminster Abbey, issued in 1504: London, British Library, MS Harley 1498, f. 1r. See our earlier blog entry on this manuscript, which can also be viewed in the British Library's Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts.

Illuminations features many of the beautiful manuscripts on display in the British Library's current major exhibition, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination. Try to catch the exhibition before it closes on 11 March 2012. Alternatively, all the items on display can be seen in our Facebook albums. You do not require a Facebook account to view them.

The first two episodes of Illuminations -- Ruling by the Book and What a King Should Know -- are still available to watch on the BBC iPlayer.

Curious about the manuscripts featured in our exhibition, Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination? Wishing you could attend the exhibition, but unable to do so?

 

We are pleased to announce that images of all of the British Library manuscripts featured in the exhibition will soon be viewable on our Facebook page! So far, 42 exhibition highlights have been posted and more will be added in the coming weeks. Even if you do not have a Facebook account, you can:

• peruse the library of Edward IV, founder of the Old Royal library.
• marvel at the rich gifts and private prayerbooks by which monarchs expressed their Christian devotion, from the Anglo-Saxon Athelstan to Henry VIII.
  • Anglo-Saxons to Plantagenets (700-1400)
  • Lancastrians to Tudors (1400-1600)
• see how medieval English monarchs understood and presented their identity as kings.
• learn about the books that instructed princes in how to become good kings.
• explore realms of medieval knowledge and learning, from the monastic to the humanistic, from encyclopaedias to maps.
• gaze at the beautiful late medieval manuscripts whose fashionable French or Burgundian illuminations bear witness to English monarchs’ interest in Continental style.

- Royal project team