Spanning the 8th to the 21st centuries, 100 Books from the Libraries of the National Trust includes illuminated medieval manuscripts; the Trust's oldest atlas, with maps of the ancient world; a volume from Henry VIII's library; a book inscribed in blood; an Arabic manuscript on horsemanship; a very early book on swimming; the largest volume of botanical drawings ever produced; sonatas by Joseph Haydn; a library of miniature children's books; the first book in English by an Indian author; Dame Ellen Terry's annotated working copy of Shakespeare's Macbeth; the first book ever printed in Antarctica; George Bernard Shaw's Nobel Prize in Literature; Virginia Woolf's handwritten manuscript for her novel Orlando; and John Lennon's treasured childhood copy of Richmal Crompton's William the Gangster.

Chosen by National Trust curators from collections at more than 160 properties, the featured books are arranged chronologically, each accompanied by beautiful photography and an illuminating, easy-to-read caption. The book concludes with a handy glossary of terms and a gazetteer of important National Trust libraries.