"Words & Image delves into the history and influence of the National Art Library (NAL), housed within the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Library was from the beginning an integral part of the Museum, formed by and for artists and designers as an essential element of the educational museological project of Prince Albert and Henry Cole after the Great Exhibition of 1851. This books shows how the distinct character of the National Art Library has been formed, and how its collections and accessibility have created a new kind of bibliographical resource. Featured here are more than 150 objects from photographs and other visual 'surrogate' collections that have helped to define and redefine the scope of art history and the fine and decorative arts for succeeding generations." -Solapa.