Padre Nostro - 1952

THE SMALLEST BOOK IN THE WORLD ORIGINS In 1952 the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, severely damaged by bombing, was seeking funds for reconstruction. Perhaps inspired by the father of movable type after whom the museum is named, the then Director devised a rather original way to meet the need, taking on a real technical challenge: the creation of a book so small that it could be read only through a magnifying glass. The Museum won the challenge by producing copies of this tiny technical marvel, investing the proceeds in the necessary restoration work. CHARACTERISTICS Each page of the book, with a surface of 3.5 x 3.5 millimeters, contains the Lord’s Prayer in seven languages: English, French, German, Anglo-American, Spanish, Dutch and Swedish. The booklet is engraved with movable metal type (not reduced by photographic processes) and is hand-bound with gilded ornamentation placed in a minuscule Plexiglas box that also serves as a magnifying glass.

Estimate:$56.02

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