CLASSIFICATION_METADATA
{"IsNonfiction":["Yes"],"IsOther":["No"],"IsAdult":["No"],"MuzeFormatDesc":["Hardcover"],"IsChildren":["No"],"Genre":["DESIGN","REFERENCE","ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES"],"Topic":["Books","Bibliographies & Indexes","General","Graphic Arts / Typography"],"IsTextBook":["No"],"IsFiction":["No"]}
Synopsis
"Miniature Books" is the first lavishly illustrated, authoritative book on the delightful subject of books no taller than three inches. A dazzling array of books on subjects ranging from Shakespeares plays and the Holy Bible to politics and presidents, childrens books, the pleasures of life, and more are shownwith few exceptionsat their actual size. Here is the prayer book that Anne Boleyn carried to her execution, seen open to its sole illustration, a portrait of Henry VIII. Here also are the worlds two smallest books (impossible to be sure which is tinier). There are books studded with gemstones, books that Napoleon carried with him on his campaigns, books illustrated by artists such as Picasso, Mir, and Edward Gorey. And there is a section dealing with the papers, printing, and binding of these tiny marvels. The text is lively and accessible, full of great stories and fascinating people. It will appeal to the experienced collector, but also to the one just starting out and to anyone who loves the look and feel of a good book., Miniature books, most of which are less than three inches (76.2mm) tall and some almost too small to see, have delighted readers for centuries. Popular because they were easily carried or concealed, these historic books range from tiny thumb bibles to illustrated nursery rhymes. They can be traced back to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, before the invention of printing, when text was handwritten and pictures painted. With the development of the printing press, thinner paper and smaller typefaces, the number of miniature books published increased. Little books served very practical purposes: holding information in easily portable and compact spaces. Nobles, nuns, priests, students and lay persons found it easier to travel with miniature books tucked into pockets or attached to girdles and belts. Painters enjoyed the challenge of making them with extravagant bindings of tortoise shell, leather, sterling silver, embroidery and vellums. Napoleon had a miniature traveling set of Shakespeare's plays. The miniature books found with in this title are drawn from a private collection of over 15,000 books. It is published in association with the Grolier Club, New York.
