The Smallest of the Small

At a mere 3.5 millimeters or 1/8 of an inch this miniature rendition of the “Lord’s Prayer” has claimed to be one of the smallest books ever made with text readable only with magnification. This book was produced by the Gutenberg Museum in 1953 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Johannes Gutenberg ├ö├ç├┐s printing of the Gutenberg Bible in Mainz, Germany. Also printed on that occasion is a miniature book measuring 32 millimeters or 1 Ôö¼ÔòØ inches that reproduces selections from the Bible. This is one of 51 miniature books that were created in Europe in the 1950’s, now housed in the Pascal Pia Collection, named for the French avant-garde literary critic, author, and editor. His collection of 20,000 books was acquired by Vanderbilt Special Collections in 1982.