When you hold a miniature book in your hand, it is like holding a jewel. A miniature book is usually no bigger than three inches (76 millimeters) tall, and although some need magnification to be viewed properly, most can be read with the naked eye. Dating as far back as 2500 BCE, Sumerian clay tablets with cuneiform writing are considered the prototype for miniature books ...
Read more about Miniature Books
Our miniature books are listed below. You may also browse our miniature books by publisher or by century.
Wien: (Lichtdruck der K.K. Graphischen Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt), (1912). 22; (126)pp. A facsimilie of Viennese printer Ludwig Bonnoberger's famous prayer book of 1607, presented to a gathering of bibliophiles at the Imperial Court Library in September 1912. Bound in buff cloth with interwoven silver threads. All edges are gilt and..... More
London: Henry Frowde, (c. 1905). 584pp. With a portrait of Oliver Goldsmith as frontispiece. "A handsome edition on thin paper." Hidden beneath the fore-edge gilding on this copy is a fine fore-edge painting by Martin Frost, the subject of which is a couple in period clothing strolling down a country..... More
N.p. n.d. (4) ff. A photo-reduced reproduction, with news of the day on the cover and horse race information inside. Fine. (1 5/8 by 1 1/16; 41x27mm.). More
N.p. n.d. (8) ff. A photo-reduced reproduction of Cleveland's major daily. Fine. (1 7/8 by 1 1/4; 48x31mm.). More
N.p. n.d. (8) ff. A photo-reduced reproduction of the Swiss paper Tages-Anzeiger. Fine. (1 7/8 by 1 3/8; 47x35mm.). More
Boston: Bromer, Anne & David, 1987. Square 12mo. This collection of designer bindings was assembled over two years' time, commissioning bookbinding artists from around the globe. Fully described and illustrated with color photographs, this catalog is a valuable reference and visual record of the style and skill of each of..... More
NY: Swann Galleries, 1990. Small quarto. 27pp. Auction catalogue from an important sale of miniature books from the collection of H. Marion Soliday, illustrated with black & white photographs. Also includes the Albert Cohen Collection of 19th-Century English Illustrated Books. Fine in printed wrappers. More
London: Bertram Rota, 1987. Octavo. 283pp., + (28)pp. of illustrations in both color and black & white. One of 400 copies. Barker's investigation of the Frederic Prokosch forgeries. In black, cloth-backed boards. Gilt-titled to spine. A little bit of dust and wear, else a fine copy. More
Stockholm: Sällskapet Bokvännerna, 1966. 16mo. 71pp. Bokvännens miniatyrserie 22. One of 700 copies. Black & white illustrations throughout. Swedish miniature book reference, including a bibliography. Bound in wrappers, with some edgewear and toning to spine; else about fine. More
Frankfurt am Main: Sonderdruck, 1978. Square 16mo. 44pp. "Aus dem Antiquariat" Nr. 2. One of 100 copies, illustrated throughout in black and white. Fine, in tan wrappers. More
(Boston: Thomas Todd, 1932). 30pp. One of 250 copies. The illustration used for the frontispiece was loaned by Wilbur Macey Stone. A true miniature book about miniatures written by collectors whose tiny tomes were auctioned at Swann Galleries on November 15, 1990. Outer hinge lightly rubbed, light uniform fading to..... More
Bradenton, FL: Opuscala Press, 1991. Octavo. xiii, (i), 143pp. A curated and careful selection of essays about miniature books, along with a bibliography of them compiled by Robert F. Hanson. In variant binding "D": black paper over boards with gilt titling. Fine. More
Albany, NY: Fort Orange Press, 1987. Octavo. 156pp. A masterful and complete reference book, with chapters on each century, on each culture, on type, on bindings, cases, collecting, and much more. Fine in blue cloth. More
Cobleskill, NY: Kathryn I. Rickard, 1989. Large quarto. 250pp. One of 500 copies. A card signed by Miss Welsh is attached to the title page. With over 7200 entries plus a short title list, this long awaited volume is the first extensive bibliography of miniature books ever to be published..... More
Philadelphia: 1895. Unpaginated. An handmade album of portraits of various literary and historical figures, each one clipped from a different source and adhered to its own page. Among those represented are Shakespeare (whose name appears, somewhat deceptively, on the spine title), Ben Jonson, Balzac, Twain, and Ulysses Grant. A miniature..... More
Philadelphia: 1895. 2 vols. Unpaginated. An handmade album of portraits of various literary and historical figures and landmarks, each one clipped from a different source and adhered to its own page. Among those represented are Demosthenes, Ulysses Grant, and Washington Irving. A miniature record of the maker's aspirations and admirations..... More
Watertown, MA: Bromer, Anne & David, 1979. 46pp. One of 150 copies. Signed by Darrell Hyder, the printer. With pen and ink illustrations by Janet Hobbs and an introduction by Herbert H. Hosmer, Jr. This is the text of the original manuscript, which was later shortened considerably. Bound by C...... More
Franklin, NH: Hillside Press, 1964. 62pp. One of 350 copies. An entertaining account of the quirks, suspicions, and customs that characterize New Orleans. Fine in printed parchment. (2 1/4 by 1 15/16; 59x49mm.). More
Oxford / London: Oxford University Press / Henry Frowde, (c. 1895). 576pp. Revised translation on India paper. Fine in publisher's black imitation leather, with cover and spine title in gilt. A.e.g. (2 1/8 by 1 3/4; 55x45mm). More
Alès, France: P.A.B, 1960. (6)ff. One of 40 copies signed by Benoit and Miró. Benoit's poem is illustrated with three original etchings by Miró of spirals and lines, one of which comprises the wrappers. The poet-publisher comissioned the most important painters of the twentieth century to illustrate his works, often..... More
(Boston): Anne and David Bromer, 1986. (11)ff. One of 160 copies printed at the Firefly Press and illuminated on the title page by Suzanne Moore. This Elizabethan poem was discovered in a manuscript in 1985 and initially attributed to Shakespeare. An elegant miniature bound in handmade paper over boards by..... More
Fullerton, CA: Lorson's Books, 1986. (20)pp., frenchfold. One of 50 copies, numbered, dated and signed by Murray, the designer, artist and printer. Four poems by Housman are illustrated with two full-page watercolor illustrations by Murray and a decoration to the title-page. Bound in olive cloth, with cross-stitched design. Black slipcase..... More
(Bexhill, Sussex): Silver Thimble Books, 1986. (24)pp. One of 50 copies illustrated with original watercolors and signed by the artist. Contains four pictorial watercolor title pages, and the endpapers show panoramic watercolor landscapes. Text includes "Adlestrop," a poem by Edward Thomas (1878-1917), "Four Ducks on a Pond," poem by William..... More
(Bexhill, Sussex): Silver Thimble Books, 1985. (40)pp. One of 150 copies hand-colored and signed by Murray. A tongue-in-cheek love story. With hand-colored frontispiece, initials, and floral ornaments. Mint in cloth with pictorial label. (2 1/8 by 1 5/8; 54x43mm). More
