A map presented to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain and understood to have possibly been used in their discussions with Columbus in advance of his discovery of the New World in 1492

British treasures - including the earliest book written in the English language - are to go on display following a £5m gift the BBC is reporting. Read on:

The artefacts at the University of Oxford's Bodleian Library are currently accessible only to a few scholars.

The gift, from Oxford publisher Julian Blackwell, will go towards the creation of an exhibition hall at one of the library's sites.

Other treasures include an embroidered handwritten book by Queen Elizabeth I.

The Bodleian Library has a copy of almost every book printed and an extra 5,000 books are added to its catalogue each week.

It is the main research library for the University of Oxford and occupies several sites across the city.

The new centre will be named the Blackwell Hall in recognition of the donation and will form part of a £70m redevelopment of the New Bodleian Library.

Four original copies of the Magna Carta, written in the 13th Century, and one of only eight Gutenberg Bibles are among the artefacts held by the library.

The earliest complete book written in English, Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care, translated by King Alfred in about 890 AD is another of the treasures.

There are also many original handwritten texts of popular classics such as Frankenstein, as well as more than 10,000 medieval manuscripts.

Full BBC article here

This is very exciting!

A handwritten and hand embroidered volume by Queen Elizabeth I, dated 1545

What a wonderful gift to students, and those of us who just love QEI!