Those tiny inspirational books found near the checkout counter of any gift shop are not a new novelty. In fact, they are the poor cousins to a storied trove of elaborate "
Thumb Bibles," ancient miniature Japanese
wood blocks, and vision-straining
Ethiopian scrolls that speak to mankind's age-old delight with tiny objects. From a time when books were the only mass media comes this collection of miniature marvels that were designed for portability (imagine carrying a year's worth of
magazines in your pocket) and concealment, as well as an intrinsic cute factor. Some books were no larger than a
coin, while others could pass for a
billfold. Each country of origin left its
stamp and
personality, and just imagine the man-hours required for this
Book of Hours. It appears that some of the best things come in small packages
# posted by SV @ 1/26/2004 08:58:00 AM