QUILLBLOG

Miniature books get maximature exhibition

The Grolier Club in New York is currently hosting an exhibition of miniature books. The collection of teeny tiny tomes numbers in the hundreds, with three inches being the top trim size. Included in the collection are, according to the Grolier’s website:

• A 40-volume set of Shakespeare’s works, two inches high and easily readable.
• John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in miniature.
• The first book on contraception, originally published as a miniature, and responsible for a 19th century decline in the British birthrate.
• The Emancipation Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, first printed in book form as a miniature.
• A minature book that flew to the moon and returned.
• A book from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s substantial miniature book collection.
• The world’s two smallest books, each less than one millimeter tall.

Wow, a miniature book that flew to the moon and returned – that is impressive. And why would they print the first book on contraception in miniature form? To fit in a wallet?

Comments are closed.