There is something about miniature books that is really quite breathtaking 🙂 I recently made one using case binding. It has 6 signatures, each using 4 sheets of paper, giving a total of 96 miniature pages to write on.

It measures 2.2 inches in width, 3 inches in length, and a little over 0.8 inches in thickness.

As per Wikipedia, “A miniature book is a very small book. Standards for what may be termed a miniature rather than just a small book have changed through time. Today, most collectors consider a book to be miniature only if it is 3 inches or smaller in height, width, and thickness, particularly in the United States. Many collectors consider nineteenth-century and earlier books of 4 inches to fit in the category of miniatures. Book from 3-4 inches in all dimensions are termed macrominiature books. Books less than 1 inch in all dimensions are called microminiature books. Books less than 1/4 inch in all dimensions are known as ultra-microminiature books.”

Wikipedia

By the above definition, my handmade book qualifies as a miniature! 🙂

While the notebook is really cool and fun to hold and write on, it makes me wonder – what’s the purpose of a miniature book? Is it purely ornamental or does it have any utility too?

Going back to our trusted source, Wikipedia :), here’s what we find – “Miniature books were produced for personal convenience. Miniature books could be easily be carried in the pocket of a waistcoat or a woman’s reticule. Victorian women used miniature etiquette books to subtly ascertain information on polite behavior in society. Along with etiquette books, Victorian women that had copies of The Little Flirt learned to attract men by using items already in their possession, such as, gloves, handkerchiefs, a fan and parasol. In 1922, miniature books regained popularity when 200 postage stamp sized books were created to be displayed in the miniature library of Queen Mary’s miniature doll house. Princess Marie Louise, a relative of Queen Mary also requested that living authors contribute to the existing dollhouse library. Following in Queen Mary footsteps, many miniature book collectors begin collecting miniatures for their dollhouse libraries. A miniature book has even been to the moon. In 1969, Astronaut “Buzz” Aldrin had a miniature book in his possession during a flight to the moon. It was an autobiography of Robert Hutchings Goddard, who invented the first liquid-propellant rocket that make space flight possible.

Wikipedia

Some popular types of miniature books from various periods include Bibles, encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, short stories, verse, famous speeches, political propaganda, travel guides, almanacs, children’s stories, and the miniaturization of well-known books such as The Compleat Angler, The Art of War, and Sherlock Holmes stories. The appeal of miniature books was holding the works of prominent writers, such as William Shakespeare in the person’s hands.

Wikipedia

Reading the above, it’s kinda cool to find out that miniature books actually served a purpose in the past! Small reference books that you can carry around in your purse sound pretty cute (not a fan of this word, but in this context, it is befitting). Tiny travel guides and dictionaries sound pretty handy too 🙂

I think the miniature journal that I’ve made can be used as a small artist sketch book – something to doodle on and that you can easily carry around in your pocket or your bag. It can also be used to jot down ideas. My next step is to see if I can make books that are more miniature than this. Fingers crossed!