By Kevin Grace
The next 50 Minutes – 1 Book lunchtime talk in the Archives & Rare Books Library will be Thursday, March 24, in the Schott Seminar Room, 814 Blegen Library at 12:00 noon.
Our first two talks have been on anthropodermic bindings and on Barry Moser’s King James Bible. This month we take a look at the smallest book in the world, a printing of Anton Chekhov’s short story, “The Chameleon.” This book measures only 0.9 mm and is 30 pages, but is so small that a strong magnifying glass is necessary to really see it. Mark Palkovic, the head librarian of the Albino Gorno Memorial Music Library (CCM) will discuss this work. Mark is an international expert on miniature books, and has been instrumental in building the miniature book collection in the Archives & Rare Books Library.
These miniature books not only document a part of the heritage of the printed book, but illustrate the range of printing and publishing technology as well. Courses in book history, marketing and business, graphic design, art history, and literature frequently avail themselves of these primary examples from the book world.
Please join us on the 24th for a convivial book gathering and as always, feel free to bring your lunch for this noontime talk.