Columbus, Ohio USA
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The Aldus Society May Lecture
Discover the Joys of Miniature Books with Distinguished
Cincinnati Book Preservationist and Artist Gabrielle Fox

May 2010 Issue

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Trained in England, Gabrielle Fox is a leading expert and artisan in the binding, conservation, and restoration of fine books.

For its May 2010, meeting, The Aldus Society, a Central Ohio group devoted to books and the printed arts, will hear a lecture by Cincinnati book preservationist and book artist Gabrielle Fox who will speak on her true passion, miniature books. Her talk will include a history of miniature books as well as sharing details of books she has created.

Miniature books in the United States are usually considered to be books that are no more than three inches in height, width, or thickness. Some aficionados collect slightly larger books while others specialize in even smaller sizes. Outside of the United States, books up to four inches are often considered miniature.

A prime motivation in the early publication of miniatures was the ease of carriage and use they offered. These books are surprisingly easy to read. However, today it is the skill of the manufacture process that is most prized along with the beauty of the finished product and it is as an art form that they are most cherished by today’s collectors. Napoleon Bonaparte was a fan of miniature books and it is believed that he carried a 49 volume series called the Bibliotheque Portative du Voyageur during his military campaigns. These books were contained in a leather covered box which, when locked, gave the appearance of a large folio book.

A particularly impressive form of miniature book is the Thumb Bible which is not always a complete Bible. Some contain just the New Testament while others contain only the Old Testament. The name Thumb Bible apparently dates back to a visit to Britain in 1844 by the famous American midget Charles Stratton, better known as Tom Thumb. It was after this visit that miniature Bibles came to be known as Thumb Bibles.

For over 200 years, the smallest book produced was a publication printed in 1674 entitled Bloem-Hofje. The book was described as “the size of a finger nail.” In 1878 a version of Dante’s Divine Comedy was produced, and it was even smaller, being printed in two-point type. In 1978 Three Blind Mice produced by the Glennifer Press in Paisley, Scotland, became the smallest book ever made. This was surpassed in 1985 by the same printers when they released 85 copies of the nursery rhyme, Old King Cole. The volume measured an incredible one twenty-fifth of a square inch, and its pages could only be turned with the aid of a needle!

Trained in England, Ms. Fox is a leading expert and artisan in the binding, conservation, and restoration of fine books. She finds her creative outlet by designing and producing unique bindings and boxes for miniature letterpress books. Her miniature books have found homes in some of the great book collections and exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic.

She travels from her own bookbinding studio in Cincinnati to teach intensive workshops on a variety of book subjects and she cares for books in both institutional and private collections. Her career has included training and teaching in many distinguished institutions in the United States and Great Britain and her work has earned many awards and commendations. Her work is currently exhibited nationally. She also teaches classes at the Cincinnati Art Academy.

The program will be held Thursday, May 13, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. at The Thurber Center, 91 Jefferson Avenue. The event is free and open to the public. Socializing begins at 7 p.m. and allows members and guests the opportunity to discuss among themselves their book interests and latest finds. For more information, call 614-299-9985 or visit www.aldussociety.com or www.gabriellefox.com

© 2010 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.

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In the U.S., miniature books are said to be no more than three inches in height, width or thickness.