What are miniature books?

Books under 3" tall are considered miniature books. They're generally readable with the naked eye, and easily handled, like regular sized books. Micro-miniature books, on the other hand, fit the 1"=1', or 1/12 scale, used by most dollhouse makers. These tiny books can still be read (if you're as nearsighted as I am), but illustrations seem to come through much better to full-scale human eyes.

John Carter, in his ABC FOR BOOK COLLECTORS, describes miniature books as books "whose principal (usually only) interest lies in their very small size."  Even though miniature books may not be the best vehicles for weighty ideas, I try, in the books I design and illustrate, to proportion the subject matter to the size of my books. They are indeed meant to be read, and, if they don't tackle the profoundest of ideas, they give their owners perhaps a quarter of an hour's intriguing entertainment.

How to read a miniature book:

Miniature books are made for the same purpose as big ones - to be opened and read. Open a miniature book for the first time the same way you would a larger one: ease open the front and back covers, then smooth open a few pages from the front, then from the back, working your way towards the middle.

These books are small, but not fragile. Open them and read them. Put a couple in your pocket for the day and use them to lighten a boring moment, or to amuse a friend.

Why miniature books?

Because they're irresistible. Extremes of scale, small or large, shock us into consciousness, and make us see with new eyes. When you run out of shelf space for regular books, as collectors will, it's a way to keep buying new books without adding bookshelves.

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More About Miniature Books: 

The Miniature Book Society

 People who really  know miniature books. The organization promotes all areas of miniature book interest and information. The website has links to publishers and dealers, and information on the annual Conclave.

Imagination Mall  

An immense resource for miniaturists of all kinds. Maintained by Wild Orchid Miniatures, this links list is a bottomless pool of miniature everything-you-can-think-of. The links are sorted, after a fashion, but the fun is in wandering through the byways of human ingenuity.

The Stumpwork Robe

How many novels can there be involving miniature books?  This is the only one I know of, and it's a page-turner. Tasmanian artist Prue Batten's somber and romantic fantasy centers on the making of a fabulous robe, whose captive seamstress tells her story through tiny books hidden in the embroidery. The sequel, THE LAST STITCH, has just been published.

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More About Bookbinding:

Wren Haven Tools

Hard-to-find and custom tools for miniature bookbinding.

David Thomas

An Austrailian graphic designer's clear and methodical tutorial for full-size books works  well for miniatures, too

Indiana University

Garry Harrison of Indiana  University Library wrote and illustrated this tutorial that taught me most of what I know about bookbinding.

TJ Bookarts

A list of many good bookbinding links.