Check Out the Library’s Smallest Book

04.23.2018

We won’t blame you if you overlook The English Bijou Almanac.

The 19th-century miniature book, which is smaller than a quarter, features six engraved portraits of famous figures — including Lord Byron and the Renaissance artist Raphael — as well as poems by 19th-century English writer Letitia Elizabeth Landon, a calendar and a list of the members of the British Royal Family and the crowned heads of Europe.

The English Bijou Almanac is on display in the special collections department of the Eugene McDermott Library.

The department was established in the mid-1970s to house rare books acquired by the library.

In the years since, the department has grown to include the History of Aviation Archives, the Wineburgh Philatelic Research Library, the Louise B. Belsterling Botanical Library, various Unique Book Collections and the University Archives.