celebrating the small things

In 2021, the Jewish Public Library received a donation of over 1000 miniature books from Lilly Toth. Recently, we have acquired the private collection of Daisy Gross which may be even larger in number! Unlike the previous donation, however, this collection did not come with a pre-existing inventory. As a result, we are uncertain of its exact size and have only begun to scratch the surface of its contents in the cataloguing process. What is certain is that this collection demonstrates a remarkable dedication to a unique type of collecting. Not only are the individual items of this collection important, but as a corpus they demonstrate an impressive dedication to the book as form and celebrate the remarkability of miniature books. This exploration of form and novelty is found in the four items featured below.

Robert E. Massmann, REM Gospel (REM Miniatures, 1983).

Daisy Gross Collection G1.85

REM Gospel is itself a tiny 15 mm in size and comes in an appropriately small envelope labelled “Gospel According to Massman.” This is a publication from Robert E. Massmann (1924-2013), creator of the press REM Miniatures which published many novel handcrafted miniature books. Massmann was the Director of Library Services at Central Connecticut State University, but he also had a passion for miniature publishing. With the help of his wife Eloise, the press produced a large volume of books over the years. This book was produced as a keepsake for the annual Miniature Book Society Conclave, an event that has run since 1983. Its contents are one sentence long: “Look ye on the bright side whilst ye may, see not the solutions to all thy problems; there is only one; and they that findeth it are no longer interested in things living.”

Robert E. Massman, Bibliography of REM Miniatures, 1962-1978: Embellished with Original Illustrations, Drawn for REM Miniatures (New Britain, Connecticut: Robert E. Massman, 1978).

Daisy Gross Collection G1.92

Bibliography of REM miniatures, 1962-1978 is an example of the abundance of creativity in the miniature book printing community. A special case of two-volumes-in-one, this book appears at first to be two separate volumes but is in fact two volumes of opposite orientations that share a back cover! Massmann refers to this as a “dos-à-dos” binding. Its contents are also two-fold: the first volume is the bibliographical description of REM Miniature publications which correspond to the miniature illustrations contained in the second volume. Each of the images is hand coloured, which is no small feat at such a small scale (50 mm).

Peter Thomas and Donna Thomas, A Story of Life (1994).

Daisy Gross Collection G1.26

A Story of Life by husband-and-wife team Peter and Donna Thomas is a miniaturized version of their earlier book A Tale of Life. Beyond the miniaturization and inclusion of linoleum cuts (made at scale, not reduced in size in any way!), the text was also altered by substituting “woman” for every instance of “man” in the original text. This book won the Miniature Book Society’s Distinguished Book of the Year award in 1994. The paper is handmade, and each copy individually numbered, making the whole piece an intentional work of art. This notion of the book as art is important to the Thomases, as Peter writes in “The Manifesto of a Book Artist”: “To be art, a book must be made without function as a primary goal. […] An art work must have craftsmanship that equals or exceeds its aesthetic content for a work to be a real success.”

E.E. Cummings, Little Tree (San Diego: Twin Heart Press, 1991).

Daisy Gross Collection G1.34

Little Tree is also a fine example of the appreciation for craftsmanship and form in the miniature book community. Many pages contain a punch-out in the shape of a tree which emphasize the subject matter at hand. The content of miniature books is often less important than the book as a physical object – in this instance, it contains the poetry of e.e. cummings. Poetry is common in miniature books, as are works in the public domain. The focus on form and the fine craftsmanship required to make an item so small reinforce Peter Thomas’ suggestion that a book can be a piece of art rather than a mere utilitarian object.