Woodstock Theological Library’s rare book collection is not all large tomes of Ignatius and Augustine, but a small number of miniature books can also be found sandwiched between their larger brethren. Miniature books have been around for centuries and have been made for a variety of purposes, from serving as devotional or entertainment material that could be carried in a pocket, to almanacs of quickly reviewed facts and figures. Printing houses also manufactured miniature books to showcase their technical abilities, as creating everything in miniature required an astounding level of craftsmanship and attention to detail. Miniature books are still made today, and in fact, a book was made recently that can only be read with the aid of an electron microscope.
Woodstock owns a number of books under 5 inches tall. However, if we're adhering to the technical definition stipulated by the Miniature Book Society (height, width, and thickness under 3 inches), then we can count 4 such books amongst our collection (a mini miniature collection!). These include an Armenian devotional, The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis, Considering Reflections on Eternity by Jeremias Drexel, and the The Diamond Songster (pictured at right), which is actually two books in one: Lively Scottish Songs, and Sentimental Scottish Songs.
If you're interested in seeing these or other rare books you can find us on the lower level of Lauinger Library.
Written by Adrian Vaagenes