#MiniatureMonday

Star trek : a television series, 1966-69

Trimble, Bjo Yolanda Carter publisher.; George Barr artist.; Don Simpson; Robert Wood; Mattewillis Beard; Tim Courtney; Amistad Press.

It’s surprising that there was never a plot line in the original Star Trek series where the crew and ship were shrunk to miniature size–maybe this book can fill in the oversight!

“Contains pen and ink portraits of eight characters of the TV series and of Gene Roddenberry, the producer.”– Y. Carter

Bound in blue cloth boards, with colored paper label with depicting The Enterprise drawing by Don Simpson. Colored paper spine label. “Star Trek” title is on front cover and spine. Black and white endpapers depicting outerspace.
Copy #244, Signed by Yolanda Carter–Catalog

Oh no! The original Enterprise crew is mini! Your response, Captain Kirk?

Classic. Keep up the good work.

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

#MiniatureMonday

[Box covered in Italian manuscript waste by Giulio Giannini & Figlio.]

Some may say that this is not a book, but a box. And they would be correct. However, this mini from the Smith Miniatures Collection is covered with a manuscript fragment, adding both to its charm and to its ‘bookness’.

Item also includes an advertisement printed on parchment and a descriptive card about the box.

Binding: A decorative wooden box covered in original Italian manuscript fragments; two leather ties for closure. Golden sticker on inside front lid with publisher’s information printed in red. Includes an advertisement printed on parchment and a descriptive card about the box.

Publisher: Florence, Italy : Giulio Giannini & Figlio. “Artistic bookbinding Works in leather and marbled paper, Writing paper and greetings cards.” –Publisher’s advertisement.

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

Images by Diane R. & Bethany K.

#MiniatureMonday

An Autumn Garden designed, written and bound by Claire Lawson-Hall, illustrated in linocuts by Muriel Mallows. The Alembic Press

It’s technically been Autumn for a while now, but the weather and the leaves here in Iowa have finally caught up to what the calendar says these last couple of weeks.

This fun little autumnal “Jacob’s Ladder” features alternating journal entries through the fall months, and multicolor linocut images of leaves, fruit and other fall themes.

You can learn more about The Alembic Press here and their minis here.

Hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy the Autumnal colors!

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

#MiniatureMonday

#PatSweetSeries

[Chained alchemical library] created by Pat Sweet

During the Middle Ages in Europe, books in some libraries were attached to the shelves with metal chains- long enough that they can be taken down and read at the shelf, but are still protected from theft.

Here are some examples of full sized chained libraries that still exist.

Here we have a beautiful miniature version that includes everything, the books, chains, lectern and shelf. However, it is hard to say how much protection this tiny set would provide from theft, as the entire item, shelf and all can easily fit in one hand!

“Six blank books ranging in size from 31-55 mm. chained to a wood model lectern.”–Catalog

You can learn more about Pat Sweet, and see more of her work on her website: https://www.bopressminiaturebooks.com/

^These book are protected from your thieving ways, bunny! And from anyone smaller then you!

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

#MiniatureMonday

#PatSweetSeries

The dragon gallery / [designed, printed and bound by Pat Sweet]

Another book with a fun textured cover! This book includes images of famous dragons from around the world.

“A collection of dragon portraits from all of history and all around the world. The book is bound in lizard-printed green paper, with a spine of brownish-black real lizard skin and a small line of gold metallic paper between them. There are fifty dragons in all, ranging from 5th century BC to Maxfield Parrish, all trying their best to escape from their frames.”–Bo Press website.

You can learn more about Pat Sweet, and see more of her work on her website: https://www.bopressminiaturebooks.com/

^October is a good month to curl up with a dragon book!

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

#MiniatureMonday

#PatSweetSeries

The captain’s map / [Pat Sweet].

If you ever dreamed of finding hidden treasure as a kid, this mini is for you! It contains text from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and, most importantly, a map showing were the treasure can be found.

“The portfolio is bound in beige Japanese paper, and lined with paper printed with old map. It contains a tinted copy of the map on the recto, and the pertinent lines from the poem on the verso.”–Bo Press website.

Micro-miniature book containing sheet of text from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and color map, each 78 x 30 mm, folded to 20 x 16 mm. Bo Press bookmark, 30 x 5 mm, slipped in

You can learn more about Pat Sweet, and see more of her work on her website: https://www.bopressminiaturebooks.com/

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student

^Even Tim Curry and the Muppets want to join in the hidden treasure fun, but hope the treasure is not also mini.

#MiniatureMonday

#PatSweetSeries

Kleinodienbuch der Herzogin Anna von Bayern = Jewel book of the Duchess Anna of Bavaria / Hans Mielich, Bound by Pat Sweet

This little book is certainly one of the gems of this collection!

It features gilded snakeskin covers with metal embellishments, along with a beautiful box with a descriptive booklet. It also includes images of paintings depicting the jewels of the Duchess of Bavaria. These paintings were commissioned in 1552 from Hans Mielich, the court painter of Duke Albert V of Bavaria, and were meant as an inventory of the Duke and Duchesses jewel collection. The elaborate manuscript inventory has survived long after much of the jewelry was lost, and now resides in the Bavarian State Library. (From Pat Sweets description of the project)

She also writes:

I have tried, in my presentation of the Jewel Book, to reproduce in miniature some sense of the outrageous Renaissance ostentation that makes the original such a brilliant and worldly example of wretched excess.“

"The book is bound in gilded snakeskin with a beaded and embellished front panel of celadon snakeskin. The tri-fold box is bound in a gold on black arabesque pattern Indian silkscreened paper with a raised rectangle on the front bound in a textured Japanese metallic gold paper. The interior of the box is lined in a Japanese chiyogami feather print.” –Colophon, in booklet

Library has number 5 of 10

Scans of the original manuscript from the Bavarian State Library can be viewed onlinehere (Two examples below, highly recommended, the pics of the printed pages in the mini cannot do justice to details in the original paintings)

^Both of these from Kleinodienbuch der Herzogin Anna von Bayern - BSB Cod.icon. 429

You can learn more about Pat Sweet on her website: https://www.bopressminiaturebooks.com/

–Diane R., Special Collections Graduate Student