  We present the first release of XSL, the X-Shooter Spectral Library. This
release contains 237 stars spanning the wavelengths 3000--10200 \AA\ observed
at a resolving power $R \equiv \lambda / \Delta\lambda \sim 10000$. The spectra
were obtained at ESO's 8-m Very Large Telescope (VLT). The sample contains O --
M, long-period variable (LPV), C and S stars. The spectra are flux-calibrated
and telluric-corrected. We describe a new technique for the telluric
correction. The wavelength coverage, spectral resolution and spectral type of
this library make it well suited to stellar population synthesis of galaxies
and clusters, kinematical investigation of stellar systems and studying the
physics of cool stars.
