British Library: Treasures review

Thousands of years of human history has given us an embarrassment of artifacts, works of art and other treasures to peruse, but many of these amazing items are trapped behind glass in museums all over the globe.

British Library: Treasures is an application for Android that attempts to free these notable relics from the confines of their dusty cabinets and bring them to life on your mobile phone screen.

Included here are some of the most important artifacts in the history of the human race - Magna Carta, the document that remains the cornerstone of global justice, is available for viewing in almost painstaking detail. Similarly, famous manuscripts by Shakespeare, Dickens and even Queen Elizabeth I are up for grabs, with each item being accompanied by a textual description to give you some background.

Because we're well and truly into the multimedia era now, British Library: Treasures doesn't limit itself to still imagery. There are video commentaries available from some of the Library's most esteemed curators, as well as audio recordings such as Nelson Mandela's famous speed on a unified society, or Christabel Pankhurst’s comments after she was released from jail.

Such elements really enable the past to spring to life, and it's quite incredible that this kind of content is available in the palm of your hand.