The Fine Print

"Small is our book, yet not the less it holds a year of hidden days," proclaims a 3/4-inch-tall English almanac from 1841. Boxed with a tiny magnifying glass, the almanac (far left) is one of nearly 200 miniature books in the Madelyn C. Hickmott Collection at Rauner Library. Miniature books thrived for centuries because they were affordable, light and, if necessary, easily concealed. From Bibles and prayer books to classics and comics, minis showcased the finesse of printers, illustrators and bookbinders. Size served subject in the Fairy Annual (also shown), published in London in 1838. According to its diminutive title page, this excerpt of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream was edited by a member of the play s fairy kingdom: "Robin Goodfellow, Attendant Sprite to their Majesties Oberon and Titania." Karen Endicott