The Charlotte M. Smith Collection of Miniature Books
Return to: 19th Century American Miniature Books in the Smith Collection
The portion of this website in front of you brings together in preliminary fashion a variety of lists and descriptions for United States Miniature Books published before 1901 (or by a publisher whose output largely dates before 1901). The books have been organized, generally, by press or publisher as described in Robert C. Bradbury's Antique United States Miniature Books, 1690-1900 (No. Clarendon, Vermont: The Microbibliophile, 2001). This page describes titles held by the University of Iowa Libraries for the presses or publishers described below. The descriptions generally follow Bradbury's format: Author. Title. Imprint (if it varies from the heading), date. Size in inches. Number of pages. Brief physical description. Illustrations note. Copy # of [##] copies (when known)..
Philadelphia Imprints
The Book of Nouns, or Things Which May Be Seen. Philadelphia: Jacob Johnson, 1804. 64 pp. 2 3/8" x 2 1/8".
Faded blue wrappers, and label on front wrapper. Fine. Very rare. B19th Johnson 4 B41
Sermon on the Mount. Philadelphia: American Sunday School Union, 1832. 56pp. 2 7/16" x 2 3/16".
Leather. Title in gilt on front cover. B19th B439
Book of Common Prayer. Philadelphia: Thomas T. Ash & Co., 1836. 2 3/8" x 3 15/16".
Stamped leather. B19th: Not listed.
Hooker, Herman. The Portion of the Soul; By the Rev. Herman Hooker. Philadelphia: Herman Hooker - 178 Chestnut Street., 1843. 127pp, [8]. 4 1/2" x 3 1/8".
Bound in blue cloth with gold stamped decoration on spine. Blind stamped on front and back cover. Gilt edges. Gift of Carol Kapell in Memory of Pauline B. Deems. B19th not listed.
Honey Drops. Philadelphia, PA: American S.S. Union, 1855. 128 pp. 2 1/8" x 1 7/16".
Bound in black cloth over boards with the title and decorations on the spine, and the floral illustration on the front cover both stamped in gold. Edges are gilt stamped. Covers are worn and the pages are yellowed with age. Second copy Gift of Carol Kapell in Memory of Pauline B. Deems. B19th Amerinca S.S. Union 38 B1051.
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One version of Honey Drops, B19th American Sunday School Union 38 B1051. |
Another version of Honey Drops, B19th American Sunday School Union 38 B1051. |
Jenkins, Jabez. Dictionary, Jenkin's Vest Pocket Lexicon. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1865. 563 pp. 3 1/16" x 2 1/8".
An English Dictionary of all except Familiar words. Includes Scientific and Technical terms, and foreign moneys, weights and measures. By Jabez Jenkins. Embossed leather. B19: This edition not listed.
Jenkins, Jabez. Jenkin's Vest-Pocket Lexicon. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippencott, 1872. 563 pp. 3 1/8" x 2 ¼".
B19th: This edition not listed.
A Lesson From a Bed Quilt. Philadelphia, PA: Bible and Tract Distributing Society, ca1877. 2 1/4 x 2 3/4"
B19th: This title not listed but Bradbury cites four other titles with this imprint published around 1877.
Walton, Izak and Charles Cotton. The Complete Angler; Or, Contemplative Man's Recreation: Being a Discourse on Rivers, Fishponds, Fish and Fishing. Part I. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott and Co. 335pp. 4 5/8" x 3 1/8".
Bound in red cloth with black decoration on covers and spine. Gift of Carol Kapell in Memory of Pauline B. Deems. B19th not listed.
Not present when inventoried 1/3/02:
Campbell, Thomas. The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell. Philadelphia: John Locken, 1845. 288 pp. 4 3/8" x 3".
Edited by Rufus W. Griswold. Printed by Haswell and Barrington. Stereotyped by Mogridge & M'Carty. Frontispiec engraving of Indian and man by J.L. Morton, Chas. Heath sc. Loose binding.
Note:
The Charlotte M. Smith Collection of Miniature Books also includes Philadelphia imprints published by the Peck firms.
The Charlotte M.Smith Collection of Miniature Books also includes Philadelphia imprints published by Fisher and Brother.


