Miniature book
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A miniature book is a very small book, sized from .5 inches square to roughly 2 by 3 inches — no larger than 3 inches in height, width or thickness. These books became more popular in the last few decades of the 19th century because they were portable and easy to conceal. One could carry a vast number of books in a small case for when one travelled. Many are bound in fine Moroccan leather, gilt in gold and contain excellent examples of woodcuts, etchings and watermarks. More popular topics at that time were dictionaries, language translators, religious stories and readings and occasionally tourist guides.
Subjects range from the Bible, encyclopedias, music, stories, rhymes, famous speeches and the miniaturization of well known books such as the Compleat Angler and Sherlock Holmes. Many are now collectors' items, with prices ranging from a few hundred to many thousands of US dollars.
Some of the oldest "books" are actually miniature clay tablets from Mesopotamia and recorded business and legal transactions.
[edit] Notable miniature books originally designed to be miniature
- Art in Miniature, by Margaret Hicks
- Peter and Donna Thomas Good Book Press
