[The British national bibliography / Annual volume ] ; The British national bibliography : BNB. Annual volume. 1996, Vol. 1. Classified sequence

The British National Bibliography (BNB) was established in 1950 by the Council of the British National Bibliography to provide a comprehensive, systematic record of all new books published in the United Kingdom. It functions as a critical reference tool for librarians and researchers, cataloging materials deposited under the legal deposit provisions of the Copyright Act. The 1996 annual volume serves as a curated archive of the publishing output from that specific year, capturing the intellectual and cultural landscape of the mid-nineties.

The 1996 edition was produced under the stewardship of the British Library, which assumed responsibility for the BNB in 1974. The design adheres to the long-standing use of the Dewey Decimal Classification system, a standard that prioritizes logical subject organization for academic utility. While the volume is an administrative and bibliographic achievement rather than an aesthetic work, it is widely respected for its precision and its role in maintaining the integrity of the British national collection.