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.
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
(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: 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
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
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
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
Sheffield: W. Ford for Robt. Taylor, (c. 1840). 21pp. Engraved frontispiece. Fifty-six spiritual desires are here presented in numbered, rhyming couplets. The beseeched blessings are then summarized in a final stanza further emphasizing religious devotion through life's trials. A popular publication in its day, here presented in a miniature edition..... More
(France? c. 1830). Seven vols. Unpaginated. Each volume devotes its contents to a particular theme: flowers, animals, insects, the Latin alphabet, caricatured figures, professions, and landscapes. All illustrations are finely and minutely rendered, suggesting a skilled hand, early to the use of color in printed illustration arts. The volume of..... More
Philadelphia: American Sunday School Union, (1855). 128pp. A collection of inspirational scripture readings for each day of the year. Bound in red cloth, with a gilt-stamped image of a hand pointing to a Holy Bible to cover. Minor soiling, else fine in a charming publisher's binding. (Welsh 3415; Bradbury, p...... More
Paris: Marcilly, (c. 1840). 96pp. Printed by Firmin Didot, but with a Marcilly imprint. With engraved half-title and five plates, the finely executed illustrations depict scenes from the life of Christ. The prayers are arranged for special occasions: morning prayers, evening prayer, and prayers for communion and vespers. This tiny..... More
Paris: Marcilly, (c. 1840). 96pp. Printed by Firmin Didot, but with a Marcilly imprint. With engraved half-title and five plates, the finely executed illustrations depict scenes from the life of Christ. The prayers are arranged for special occasions: morning prayers, evening prayer, and prayers for communion and vespers. This tiny..... More
Paris: Chez Janet Libraire, (1806). 1-16, 1-24, 17-32pp., + (12)ff. engraved illustrations. Title page also engraved. This miniature almanac includes calendar tables for the year 1806 and a list of eclipses, as well as twelve short educational poems. Each of the rhyming poems, consisting of three stanzas of eight lines..... More
Philadelphia: Fisher & Bro. (c. 1865). 192pp. Illustrated with frontispiece and five engravings. A miscellany of tales historical, moral, and informative. Slight wear to extremities and fading to spine; else fine in embossed, red cloth-covered boards. (2 3/16 by 2; 56x50mm). More
London: Company of Stationers, 1789. Miniature almanac opening with an engraving of York House, spanning four pages. The almanac's calendar records the times of sunrise and sunset, as well as various saints' days and term times for academic institutions. The volume also provides a table of the reigns of the..... More
London: Company of Stationers, 1793. (24)pp. Opens with an engraving of the Coal Exchange, spanning four pages. The almanac's calendar records the times of sunrise and sunset, as well as various saints' days and term times for academic institutions. The volume also provides a table of the reigns of the..... More
London: Company of Stationers, 1820. (24)pp. One engraving of "The London Institution, Moorfields," which spans four pages. The almanac's calendar records the times of sunrise and sunset, as well as various saints' days and term times for academic institutions. The volume also provides a table of the reigns of the..... More
(Turkey: c. 1875). 200ff. Complete, single column, with between thirty-eight and forty-one lines of miniature gold gubari per page. Surah headings in black against gold ribbon banners. The opening two pages of text feature illuminated blue, red, and white borders decorated with interlocking vinal circles, creating a mesmerizing array of..... 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
(Dijon: Marchet & Roux, 1897). 191pp. This elegant book of prayers to the Virgin Mary is illustrated with an engraved frontispiece of the nativity. Printed by Firmin-Didot in black and red with red rules. Gilt floral decoration on the interior with blue and gold paste-downs. Some minor creasing to several..... More
Paris: Marcilly, (ca. 1850). 92pp. Illustrated with five wood-engravings. This tiny prayer book for children was very popular and issued over a long period of time in a variety of printings and bindings. This one has covers of red pebbled coth over boards with giltwork to panels and spine. Light..... More
Paris: Didot, Typographie de Firmin, (c. 1810). 124pp. Eight engravings on beige paper. The absurd adventures of Pierrot, born from a turkey's egg to La Fee Gourmande, and dedicated to gourmandise from that moment on, until his gluttony proves too much and dooms him. In a later binding of brown..... More
