Created by Shelagh McCarthy
These tiny books shown below measure 57mm high and 47mm wide – around the same length as a mouse’s tail! They were part of the Infant’s Library created more than 200 years ago.
Why are The Infant’s Library books so small?
These books were designed to help children learn by reading to their dolls. The series starts with the alphabet and ends with books about animals, flowers, birds, games, outdoor scenes, objects and a (very!) Short History of England.
A small book for a small person
The very first work author Charlotte Brontë created was a miniature book containing a short story written for her baby sister Anne. Written and stitched together when Charlotte was just 12 years old, it was one of many tiny handmade books made by Charlotte and her siblings. The later books were made for and about the children’s toy soldiers.
Books for a dolls’ house
The book shown below is from the library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House. The little royal house has a garage with cars, baths with silver taps that really work, there’s even real wine in tiny bottles in the cellar, and a gramophone with very small records that play the National Anthem. The dolls’ house library contains nearly 600 books, handwritten by famous writers such as the author of Winnie-the-Pooh, A A Milne, and James Barrie, who wrote Peter Pan.
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