Remarkable Books - Miniatures

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The elaborate decoration and gilding and tiny handwritten text reflects the care that is often given in producing religious material, which is often also prized and well-cared for so survives better than more everyday items.
Handwritten Hindi scroll
Miniature Hindi Scroll, manuscript, elaborately illustrated and decorated. c 19th century.
These small almanacs include, besides the calendar, prints of London and lists of the Lord Mayors of London. They would fit neatly into a waistcoat pocket for immediate use.
Almanacs with matching slipcases
London Almanacs for the years 1776, 1793 & 1799. Printed by the Stationers Company. 5.5cm (slipcase 6cm). [Acc R70/18622, gift of Miss Buckland, 1970; Acc 46:1294, purchased, 1946; Acc 47:499, gift of Mrs Stokes, 1947.]
As much care has been given to the binding and printing of this tiny book as would be given to a larger fomat volume. Bound in Morocco goatskin with silk end bands and tasselled marker, with a magnifying glass to aid reading. Easy to slip into a pocket or bag for ready access as needed.
Miniature Quran
[Quran], in Arabic, date and place of publication unknown. 4cm x 2.5cm. [Acc 66:1561, donor unknown, 1966.]
This tiny Bible may have been made for carrying with you, though it could also be a way of proving what was possible at this scale. Many miniature bibles only include part of the text, but this is a complete Old and New Testament. The publisher specialised in miniature books and also created a library of miniature titles.
Miniature Bible
The Holy Bible, Glasgow: David Bryce & Son, 1896. 4cm x 3cm. [Acc 47:291, purchased, 1947.]
The Mary Rose is now world-famous as Henry VIII's favourite ship, but her resting place was forgotten until she was found again in the 1830s after fouling a fisherman's nets. The ship was part of the first commercial diving operations in the Solent. The divers took wood and objects from the ship and sold souvenirs, such as this book about its discovery bound in the wood of the ship to raise money for their operations.
The first rediscovery of the Mary Rose
Narrative of the loss of the Mary Rose, at Spithead, July 20, 1545, from original manuscripts &c, in the British Museum. / Bound in the wood of the wreck. Portsea: S. Horsey, 1844. 9cm x 5.5cm. [Acc 40:1557, gift of Mrs. Dora Calder, 1940.]
For each month there is a two-line poem and a drawing, folded into a delicate paper concertina.
A poetical concertina book
[Illustrated poem booklet], circa 1840-1850. 10cm x 8.5cm [Accession information unknown.]
This book belonged to William Wilberforce, philanthropist and anti-slavery campaigner. He often visited Bath, and was married here, the dedication on the front board shows him in the city on 29 June 1833.
A present from William Wilberforce
Watts, Isaac (1674-1748), Devout meditations from the Rev. Isaac Watts, D.D…, 5th edition, London: Philanthropic Society, 1828. [Acc. 26750. Gift of Alfred Jones, 1926]
The two smallest items in the collection: an almanac for 1841, and a collection of songs, which includes music and engravings. The latter comes from a collection of tiny books by this publisher that includes a small case with a magnifying glass. Sometimes the smaller books were a publisher's way of testing what was mechanically possible.
Smaller and smaller - pushing the boundaries of what is possible
Moodie, W., Old English, Scotch and Irish songs..., Glasgow: Bryce & Son, c.1895, 2.5cm. [Acc 47:289, gift of Miss Bickerton, 1947.] AND Schloss's English Bijou Almanac for 1841, London: Schloss, [1840]. 18x15 mm. [Acc MUS 607, gift of Mrs Thorold, 1946.]

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