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 ...
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Our miniature books are listed below. You may also browse our miniature books by publisher or by century.
(France: c. 1900). (13)ff. An alphabet in bold sans serif type, with each letter accompanied by an alphabetically aligned flower. The flowers—irises and eglantines (or sweetbriar) and roses—have been etched in an Art Nouveau style, which, paired with the curvaceous typeface of the title, suggests publication at the turn of..... More
Santa Cruz, CA: Peter & Donna Thomas, 1997. One of forty copies. Six sheets wrapped around six dowels, so that the viewer can read the Latin aphorism, "Ars est longa / vita est brevis," first, then can twist each dowel to see the English translation and publication information. An innovative..... More
Los Angeles: 1993. 26pp. One of 90 copies issued as a keepsake for the Zamorano Club. A touching memorial to renowned miniature-binder Bela Blau upon his death. Published privately by his wife Mariana, who also bound the book and wrote the dedication. Eulogies by Francis Weber, Glen Dawson, and others..... More
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
New York: S. Wood, 1811. 254pp. Contains sixteen captioned, paginated, wood or type-metal engravings. In original brown leather, with five double fillets and "Bible" stamped in gilt on spine, rather rubbed. Loss to p. 237/8, lacking free endpapers, typical edgewear. A very good copy. (Adomeit A26; Welch 856.3). (1 13/16..... More
London: E. Newbery, 1786. 256pp. Sixteen plates of engravings depict various significant biblical scenes and personae. Included in the tally are the two engraved title pages, a detail often overlooked in collation elsewhere. A close copy of J. Harris' series of thumb Bibles, here published by Elizabeth Newbery. With the..... More
London: n.p., (1795). 220pp. With eight woodcut illustrations that depict significant figures and scenes, including Adam and Eve, Moses, and King David. Most other known copies contain seven or fewer woodcuts. Adomeit identifies this as the first iteration of at least two issues, which feature reset title pages and texts..... More
(Exeter, NH): C. Norris & Co., 1812. 142pp. A charming thumb Bible with significant stories told in prose followed by supplements with references to verses. Bound in full brown leather with gilt decorations to spine and covers, including the monogram "E. L." to upper cover. Rear flyleaf torn and small..... More
London: R. Wilkin, (1728). A wonderfully illustrated thumb Bible with sixteen copperplate engravings, including two frontispiece illustrations, one preceding the Preface and another prior to the main text, as well as two engraved title pages. Issued by printer and bookseller Richard Wilkin, this is the first English thumb Bible in..... More
(62)pp. A selection of woodcuts and other artwork, most in black and white, completed by Andrusko for various publications in the 1970s. With references in Hungarian on facing pages. Bound in full blue cloth with gilt title and border to upper cover. Tiniest traces of rubbing to corners, else fine..... More
London: Rock Bros. & Payne, (c. 1850). (32)ff. With an engraved frontispiece of Wellington Statue and thirty engraved views of London. Spine slightly rubbed, else fine in publisher's gilt-stamped limp leather wrappers. A.e.g. (Spielmann 58; Welsh 1283). (1 1/4 by 1; 31x26mm). More
London: Rock & Co., (1845). (32)ff. Each page, including frontispiece and title page, illustrated with an amorous engraving. The images devoted to lovers, singly or together, provide especial insight into the fashions of Victorian England, with one image bearing a striking resemblance to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert themselves. Around..... More
Tokyo: Toppan, 1979. Three micro-miniature volumes: Birth Stone, Language of the Flowers, and Zodiacal Signs. Together set into a leather-covered sleeve, which is then housed with a magnifier in a custom matching box, the lid of which has a red and blue design evocative of the red and blue covers..... More
(Tarzana, CA): Barbara J. Raheb, 1999. (61)pp. One of 100 copies. Lavishly illustrated, and hand-colored in gold and jewel-like colors, with images and descriptions of creatures both real and mythical. Mint in full brown morocco, with gilt motif to upper cover and titles. (1 1/16 by 7/8; 28x22mm). More
London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, (c. 1915). 702pp. An unabridged Book of Common Prayer. Gorgeously bound in maroon morocco with a hallmarked Birmingham silver plaque affixed to the front cover, featuring five cherubs. Very fine. A.e.g. (Bromer/Edison, p. 81). (2 1/8 by 1 7/8; 53x47 mm). More
Glasgow: David Bryce & Son, (c. 1900). (768)pp. A pristine copy of Bryce's Book of Common Prayer, printed in a variety of type faces and sizes, and ultimately perhaps the best testament to turn-of-the-century miniature printing. Bound in black limp morocco with gilt stamping. Housed, as issued, in box with..... More
Barcelona: Editorial Vallès, S. L., 1959. 119, (9)pp. Fourteenth edition. A rather rare child's breviary, printed in Spanish, with occasional full-page illustrations throughout depicting daily activities proper for a good Catholic child, as well as the various rites and sacraments of the Church. Bound in blue pebbled cloth over boards..... More
NY: David Bryce & Son / Frederick A. Stokes, (c. 1890). 386pp., printed double size to be read in "landscape" orientation. One of Bryce's earliest miniature books, printed at the Glasgow University Press, and this from its issuance under the American Stokes imprint. Bound in full pale blue cloth with..... More
Philadelphia, New York: Fisher & Brother, (c. 1850). 192 pp. The Bible as told for children, illustrated throughout with full-page plates, including a full-page frontispiece. Authored by "a Lady of Cincinnati." Bound in variant red cloth listed in Adomeit, blind-stamped to front and rear covers, gilt-stamped on spine with "The..... More
Chicago: Black Cat Press, (1961). 30pp. One of "a limited edition printed for friends at Christmas," with just fifty copies offered for sale. Printed in black with orange printer's ornaments. This in a variant binding of full red calf with gilt spine title. Fine. A.e.g. (2 by 2 3/8; 51x35mm)..... 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
NY: David Bryce & Son / Frederick A. Stokes Company, (1896). 860pp. Over a million copies are said to have been sold of the various editions, of which this is one of the number published by Bryce for American distribution by Stokes. Frontispiece portrait of Samuel Johnson. In a variant..... More
Tilton, NH: Hillside Press, 1973. 50pp. From an edition of 250 copies, this is the first, with a special inscription from the printer, Frank Irwin, to veteran book dealer Sam Murray on the limitation page. The Preface discusses the ancient source of these fables, the Panchatantra, its translations into Arabic..... More
Old Stile Press, 1995. (9)ff., accordionfold. One of 240 copies, signed by the illustrator on the title page. Illustrated with an expansive woodcut by Julian Schwarz extending across eight spreads, one of a series of three such sets made by him. Printed by Nicolas McDowall at the Old Stile Press..... More
Philadelphia: Conrad Zentler, 1811. (vi), 106pp. Engraved frontispiece, plus nine further engravings, each depicting biblical scenes, such as the ascension of Elijah and the birth of Christ. A famous Thumb Bible; according to Bradbury, the first foreign religious miniature book printed in America. Originally bound in red leather, this copy..... More
