You can search for printed books and serials using our interim catalogue.
Not all our Oriental-language collections are catalogued online. We also have a number of printed catalogues available on the open shelves in the Reading Room under shelfmark ORC, arranged by language. Some of these catalogues have been digitized and links are included below.
Many printed books and serials in the Asian and African collection are stored in Boston Spa, Yorkshire. Please allow two working days (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) for delivery to our St Pancras Reading Rooms.
Scanning of Oriental-language printed books is not permitted.
Self-service photography of some Oriental printed books may not be permitted unless by prior permission from the curators. Please speak to our team in the Asian & African Reading Room or contact us and we can put you in touch with the appropriate curator.
Guide to Self Service Photography
Chinese
Union catalogue of Chinese rare books, including basic records for the pre-1912 printed holdings
UK Union catalogue of Chinese books, including the British Library holdings for Chinese material collected between approximately 1993 and 2014. The old interface can be found at a website maintained by Oxford University
Catalogue of Chinese printed books, manuscripts and drawings in the library of the British Museum, with a print version containing shelfmarks found in the Asian & African Reading Room
We have digitised some of our card catalogues of Chinese-language printed books. These can be downloaded as a Zip file comprised of PDF scans of the cards using the Wade-Giles Romanization scheme (pre-1966 acquisitions) or using the Pinyin Romanization scheme (acquisitions from 1966 until 1993).
Japanese
CiNii Books - National Institute of Informatics (NII), a bibliographic database service for material in Japanese academic libraries including 43,000+ British Library books and periodicals. Please use FA012954 in the Library ID field.
Korean
Korean Old and Rare Collection Information System, including information on and images of 92 of the Library’s Korean titles.
Arabic
Hebrew
Catalogue of the Hebrew books in the library of the British Museum, acquired during the years 1868-1892, Van Straalen, S., 1894.
Persian
A catalogue of the Persian printed books in the British Museum, Edwards, E., 1922
Catalogue of the library of the India Office. Vol. 2, Pt. 6, Persian books
Full list of catalogues on South Asian printed books in the Library of the British Museum hosted by the Digital South Asia Library
Catalogue of 19th century publications in the Oriental and India Office Library
Catalogue of the Library of the India Office, vol. 2, part 1: Sanskrit books Section 1 (A-G) Section 2 (H-K) Section 3 (K-R) Section 4 (S-Z)
Publications proscribed by the Government of India: a catalogue of the collections in the India Office Library and Records and the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books, British Library Reference Division. Shaw, Graham and Lloyd, Mary, 1985.
Catalogue of the Pali printed books in the India Office Library, Raper, T. C. H., 1983.
Burmese
A catalogue of the Burmese books in the British Museum, L. D. Barrett, 1913
Catalogue of Burmese Printed Books in the India Office Library, Kenneth Whitbread, 1969
Catalogue of the Pali printed books in the India Office Library, T.C.H. RaperT. C. H., 1983