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| Koran: A gilded edition, circa 1900; 1-1/2 inches by 1 inch. Courtesy of Steve Adams Studio/Bromer Booksellers |
Tiny tomes on display
Before the introduction of mass-produced paperbacks, miniature books were prized for their portability, beauty, and craftsmanship.
By April Austinfrom the July 27, 2007 edition
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Many of us, as children, created tiny worlds out of dollhouses and sandboxes, or built miniature cities out of blocks. Making an object that looked as close to the full-size version as possible required ingenuity and imagination. Cutting the adult world down to size gave us a Master-of-the-Universe-size confidence and stimulated a desire to make our mark.
Creating miniatures isn't merely child's play, though. For people whose careers revolve around designing buildings, boats, cars, even clothing, scale models allow apprentices to learn their craft and professionals to test processes and prototypes.
Miniature books fall into this category, but with added benefits. Not only does their small size (often measuring 3 inches or less) test the bookbinder's skill, but also, importantly for book lovers, it allowed for portability centuries before mass-market paperbacks were invented. Napoleon Bonaparte apparently never left home without an entire miniature library – of French classics, naturellement. Muslim soldiers fighting alongside the Allies in World War I were given tiny Korans, printed in Arabic by a Glasgow publisher, that could be worn like a locket around the neck. In England, young children were kept occupied during long church services with their very own illustrated "thumb" Bibles, the first of which appeared in 1727.
Examples of these magnificent small books can be seen in two concurrent exhibitions this summer, both titled "Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures," at the Boston Public Library and, ending July 28, at the Grolier Club in New York.
These books survive in large part due to collectors and also to a thoroughly knowledgeable expert, Anne Bromer. Mrs. Bromer and her husband, David, operate Bromer Booksellers in Boston, which carries antique and rare books. Mrs. Bromer and collector Julian Edison have gathered an impressive trove of miniature books, with one of the earliest examples being an inscribed Babylonian clay tablet from about 2325 BC., which measures 1-5/8 by 1-1/2 inches.
Other highlights include illuminated manuscripts from the 15th century, volumes with precious-metal and jewel-encrusted covers from 17th-century France, and a sliver of a book with drawings by Picasso from 1960.
Bromer and Mr. Edison have collaborated on a full-size book, also titled "Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures," which was published by Abrams in May. It provides beautiful actual-size photographs of volumes that appear in both exhibitions, along with rare examples from other famous collections.
On a rainy afternoon, Bromer welcomes a writer to her pleasant second-floor shop across the street from the Boston Public Library. The shop is half museum, half library; its walls are dotted with book-related artwork, and glass cases hold first editions and rare volumes. Bromer has laid out several thumb Bibles and other examples of miniature books, allowing them to be handled. These Bibles, made in the 1800s with middle-class families in mind, are remarkably sturdy, easy to read, and beautifully illustrated.
