On the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s ’s death ( #otd in 1616) take a look at these miniature editions of his plays, which come with model shelves and a writing desk > https://blog.nls.uk/miniature-works-of-shakespeare/
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But what is a miniature book?
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By the generally accepted definition, a miniature book is one whose height and width do not exceed three inches (7.5cm).
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Which is quite small.
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Although often deemed creations of the 19th and 20th centuries, miniature books date back as far as the introduction of moveable type.
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In fact, the first printed miniature book on record is 'Officium Beatae Virginis Maria' (5.2cm x 4.5cm) printed in 1475, a mere 20 years after Gutenberg printed his Bible.
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The smallest printed book in our collection is an edition of 'Old King Cole' (1mm x 1mm) published in Paisley in 1985 (shelfmark: FB.s.307).
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This is obviously *not quite readable* without a pretty good magnifying glass
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And this rather charming miniature book of songs from 1893 is accompanied by a handy locket with integral magnifying glass > https://blog.nls.uk/the-smallest-score-in-the-national-library-of-scotland/
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We hope you enjoyed this <ahem> miniature glimpse of miniature books – and if you want more small volume treats, view our Robert Louis Stevenson miniature books thread > https://twitter.com/natlibscot/status/1163393407512961025
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