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Activities at the Fair [return to all activities]

Book Signing with Anne Bromer
Sunday, November 18, 2007 2:00 PM

• Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures, Anne Bromer

Miniature Books: 4,000 Years of Tiny Treasures, by Anne Bromer and noted collector Julian Edison, is the first comprehensive and accessible survey of this under-the-radar genre of book publishing. Published in association with the Grolier Club of New York, it features a foreword by ardent collector and well-known retailer, the late Stanley Marcus, and a preface by Eric Holzenberg, Director and Librarian of the Grolier Club. The book is divided into nine major subject chapters, with an additional 14 vignettes that provide insightful stories about miniature books and the people who produced and used them. Bromer’s and Edison’s years of collecting, researching, writing and discoursing on miniature books have produced a lively yet scholarly work that is the culmination of a long association.

Engaging, artful and even eccentric, miniature books are finely crafted examples of the bookmaker’s art. They were produced for reasons of practicality, ease of transport, aesthetics, curiosity and even secrecy. The history of these small bibliographic wonders is traced from medieval manuscripts to Shakespeare’s plays as well as bibles, children’s books and political propaganda. These examples include the first edition in book form of the Emancipation Proclamation, published at just over three inches in height, and the only contemporary book edition of this pivotal text; the tiny Bloem-Hofje Door from 1674, whose status as the smallest printed book in the world stood until the late nineteenth century; and Dr. Charles Knowlton’s anonymously published Fruits of Philosophy, which was the first American medical handbook on the subject of contraception.

With over 260 full-color illustrations, most of which are shown actual size, Miniature Books is, in the words of Publisher’s Weekly, “… a feast for the eyes … .” The New York Times observed that “The books are small, but the subject is surprisingly big …,” and Rob Rulon-Miller, reviewing the book for the ABAA Newletter, sees a text that “is brimming with enthusiasm and excitement,” and a book that is “a worthy companion” to some of the key bibliographic work on the subject.

Anne C. Bromer and her husband David Bromer are internationally respected rare book dealers in Boston. Bromer Booksellers is located in Boston’s Back Bay across the street from the Boston Public Library. Anne Bromer fell under the spell of miniature books for the first time 35 years ago in an old wooden tool chest. “I was entranced with these lovely volumes then and remain delighted with them decades later.” Bromer Booksellers has published 14 miniature books and issued scores of catalogues on the subject.