Short Stories : Collection of Miniature Books Displayed at Public Library

The smallest book in the world, a tiny speck whose pages can only be turned by using a needle with care, is on display at the Beverly Hills Public Library.

Measuring a mere quarter of an inch, “Old King Cole” is part of a traveling show of miniature books on display in the periodicals room through Tuesday. The tiny version of the timeless children’s tale by an anonymous author, was published in Paisley, Scotland, by The Gleniffer Press in 1985 and duly noted in the Guinness World Book of Records. The exhibit copy is No. 9 in a limited edition of 85.

“Old King Cole” is one of more than 135 miniature books in the collection that regularly travels the country’s libraries and museums under the auspices of The Miniature Book Society.

Now in its fifth year on the road, the show is updated each September with new books published by society members.

This year’s collection includes “Four Quarters,” a book wrapped in a one dollar bill; “Scrimshaw History,” which has a sample of scrimshaw embedded in its blue leather cover; and “Venetian Masks,” illustrated with a tiny mask on the cover.

Also in the show is “Glasgow, U.S.A.” Printed on fine paper and covered in Tartan plaid, the book briefly lists and describes all the communities in the United States with the name Glasgow. It was published as a keepsake book for the society’s convention in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1991.

To qualify as a miniature, the books can be no larger than three inches tall, said Doris Selmer who coordinates the exhibit schedule.

“Some (miniatures) from the 1800s are slightly larger, but if you own one, you don’t complain,” Selmer said with a laugh. The cost for a contemporary miniature begins at about $15, but rare older books such as hymnals and Bibles can be quite valuable, costing collectors thousands of dollars, she said.

The value of miniature books is determined by age, the number of copies published and aesthetic qualities, she said. A publisher may produce 100 copies of a book, but 25 will have velvet slipcovers with an inlaid jewel.

“They really are little works of art,” Selmer said. Some publishers make their own paper or illustrate their books with woodblock prints, hand-tinted drawings, or commemorative stamps.

“Gifted,” a hinged, papier-mache gift box with a bouffant bow, won the society’s 1992 Distinguished Book Award. The text inside the periwinkle-colored box was printed with a rubber stamp, and is the lament of a lover who is gift-rich but romance poor. Twelve copies of the 28-page book were made.

Selmer said she got the bug for collecting miniature books about 15 years ago after she went to a meeting of the Historical Society of Southern California. The meeting was held at Dawson’s Book Shop, an antiquarian bookstore established in Los Angeles in 1905 and one of the few places miniature books are sold.

“I walked around and I was absolutely charmed by these little books,” she said. “I thought they were just super and I couldn’t leave there till I purchased one.”

She specializes somewhat in her collecting habits, she said. She likes books on Native Americans, books about California and the Los Angeles-area in particular, and Westerns.

“I’m more of a generalist than most collectors,” she said. “Mostly I collect the things I like.”

But other society members will collect only ABC books, for example, which are highly illustrated, she said. “There are some beauties out there.”

The joy of collecting miniature books is a never-ending hobby, Selmer said. “There’s always the quest for one more book.”

One of the largest personal collections--3,600 volumes--was recently donated to The Huntington Library by Monsignor Francis J. Weber, a Catholic priest at the San Fernando Mission who is also the archivist for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The collection, which is being inventoried and catalogued, is not yet on display.

Weber said he plans to donate all the collectibles he finds each year to The Huntington.

Selmer, who is so hooked on the little books that she wears miniature book earrings, said she is already planning her next miniature book project.

“I’ve decided I have to write one,” She said. “That’s my next adventure.”

After its close in Beverly Hills, the exhibit heads for the South Pasadena Public Library.