British Library 19th Century Historical Collection app for iPad, by Sue Polanka

The British Library, along with BiblioLabs LLC announced today their British Library 19th Century Historical Collection App for iPad. With a full launch later this summer, the app will feature over 60,000 titles.  A range of sample images is available here.

More from the press release:  Currently the app features over a thousand 19th Century books, but it will provide access to more than 60,000 titles by later this summer when details on pricing for the service will be announced. The 60,000 books, which are all in the public domain, are part of the British Library’s 19th Century Historical Collection and span numerous languages and subject areas including titles such as “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and ”The Adventures of Oliver Twist” [with plates] by Charles Dickens.

The British Library 19th Century Historical Collection App forms a treasure trove of classics and lesser known titles in fields ranging from travel writing and natural history to fiction and philosophy. The app represents the latest landmark in the British Library’s progress towards its long-term vision of making more of its historic collections available to many more users through innovative technology.

“We are excited to bring this historical book project of this nature to iPad users around the world,” said Mitchell Davis, a founder of BiblioLabs. “iPad allows for a level of intimacy with these antiquarian books that evokes a sense of engagement and curiosity that is not possible in a browser based experience.”

“We are delighted that the Library’s partnership with BiblioLabs is going to make this remarkable collection of 19th Century books available to iPad users, making them visible and accessible to a much wider audience than could ever be possible through our reading rooms,” said Caroline Brazier, the British Library’s Director of Scholarship and Collections. “These books provide a wealth of historical, scientific and cultural content for the researcher and more general enthusiast alike, and this project helps bring them to life.”

Users can experience the British Library 19th Century Historical Collection App for free from the App Store on iPad or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

Via Sue Polanka’s No Shelf Required