Miniature books are not a modern invention. Researchers can date them back to ancient Mesopotamia (3500 BC) where miniature clay tablets were used to record texts. Evidence of miniature books in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries also survives, from books produced in Holland, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Scotland (Jones). The texts were handwritten on small parchment pages measuring roughly 3×1 inches (McCormack, Smith). Although the first miniature book ever published is unknown, the first miniature book published in the United State, A Wedding Ring fit for the Finger, or the Salve of Divinity on the Sore of Humanity, was printed in 1690 in Boston, Massachusetts (McCormack, Smith).
Growing Fashion for Publishing Minis
During the golden age of miniature printing, from approximately 1775 to 1825, countries worldwide not only saw an increase in miniature books and other secular publications but also an increase in miniature book series (Archer). As the books industry grew, more and more printers took up the challenge of hand setting minuscule type in tiny volumes. In fact, fine printers flaunted their skills in producing increasingly smaller books in what was becoming a rather competitive miniature book market (McCormack).
Shakespeare in Miniatures
Classics were popular subjects for miniature books, and William Shakespeare became the author most frequently printed in miniature (Jones). The first miniature Shakespeare set was published in 1880 by W. Kent & Co. Some notable miniature Shakespeare books include
- 1880, The Works of Shakespeare, W. Kent & Co.
- 1886, The Illustrated Pocket Shakespeare, A.C. Armstrong & Sons
- 1904, Shakespeare’s Complete Works, David Bryce & Sons [Also known as the “Ellen Terry Shakespeare”
- 1904-1907, Treherne Miniature Shakespeare, Anthony Treherne & Co.
- 1906, Rosen Miniature Shakespeare, S. Rosen
- 1910, The Sonnets, Leopold B. Hill
- 1910, Knickerbocker Shakespeare, Knickerbocker Leather & Novelty Company
- C. 1920, David McKay Shakespeare, David McKay
- 1920, The Little Leather Shakespeare, Little Leather Library.
The most popular set was Shakespeare’s Complete Works published by David Bryce & Sons, also known as the “Ellen Terry Shakespeare” (Edison). These copies were distributed throughout England to honor Ellen Terry, a popular Shakespearean actress of the late- nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries (“The Most Novel”). In 1904, Shakespeare’s Complete Works was published in a series, each book measuring 2 1/8 x 1 3/8 inches (Jones). The number of miniature Shakespeare books published around the turn of the century reflects a society that highly valued classic works and little books that could be tucked away in a pocket.
- Title page of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the Knickerbocker set at Illinois State University’s Milner Special Collections Library (Z1033.M6 S43 1890). Photos courtesy of Katie Sall.
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Title page of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream from the Vest-Pocket Shakespeare set at Illinois State University’s Milner Special Collections Library (Z1033.M6 S43 1890).
Influence on the Vest-Pocket Shakespeare
The Vest-Pocket Shakespeare shares a number of features with these other miniature Shakespeare set, including the Ellen Terry set (1904), the Knickerbocker set, and the Little Leather Library books.
According to Julian Edison, the Vest-Pocket Shakespeare’s “format, size, and engravings are identical to the 1904 Bryce (Ellen Terry) edition” (Edison). Both the Ellen Terry and Vest-Pocket Shakespeare sets came with bookshelves, although the Ellen Terry set’s bookshelf rotated, allowing one to spin the case to select from the forty volumes. The Vest-Pocket Shakespeare set came with a three-shelf stationary bookcase that housed all forty miniature volumes.
It seems that the makers of the Vest-Pocket Shakespeare wanted to the continue the tradition of providing readers with furniture for storing their miniature books. The Little Leather Library set, for example, came with Abraham Lincoln bookends to hold the volumes together as a set on the shelf. The Little Leather Library was a publishing company started in 1916 by Albert and Charles Boni, along with Max Sackheim and Harry Scherman. The company created approximately 101 miniature titles as promotional items during WWI (Carswell).
In the beginning of every Vest-Pocket Shakespeare book, there is a page that reads “carefully edited with the best of texts.” This claim to editorial authority appears on many other Shakespeare volumes from the period, including the Knickerbocker miniature set, pictured below:
Works Cited
Archer, Caroline. “Technically Tiny.” Printweek (Haymarket Business Publications Ltd) Business Source Complete, 2009, pp. 22-23. Web. Accessed 14 November 2016.
Carswell, Beth. “The Little Leather Library.” AbeBooks. URL.
Edison, Julian I. “Miniature Book News.” Digital Library, no. 3, March 1966, pp. 1-8. Accessed 10 November 2016.
Jones, Carrie P. “Grab Your Bifocals.” Antiques & Collecting Magazine: Miniature Book Society Newsletter. vol. 114.7, no. 38, 2009, pp. 1-13. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
McCormick, Edith. “Publishing World: Minding the Miniatures.” American Libraries, vol. 11, no. 3, 1980, pp. 161–164. URL.
Smith, Sam. “Miniature Books: Type that Blinds.” Chicago Tribune 11 Nov 1979, ProQuest. Web. 16 Nov. 2016 .
“The Most Novel Xmas Gift.” Aberdeen Press and Journal, no. 2, 7 Dec. 1934, pp. 5. The British Newspaper Archive. Accessed 9 Nov. 2016. URL.
Vest-Pocket Shakespeare 