Bibliocycle

Some of the smallest items in the Archive are currently on display in the lobby of the library.  One of these is a clay tablet with miniature writing dating from 2000 BCE, which was donated in 1930 by Benjamin F. Schlesinger, P. A. Class of 1892.   Also on display is the smallest book printed using moveable type.  The book reproduces a letter from Galileo to a lady friend, and was by C. W. Cannon, P. A. Class of 1904 .  Photos displayed with the book reveal the text inside, because the book is very fragile and cannot be shown open.    Also on display is our copy of one of five in a series of “the world’s smallest book.”  An accompanying photo reveals the text of the book, which is The Lord’s Prayer. The book was donated by Dudley L. Vaill, P. A. Class of 1927.  Another version of the Lord’s Prayer was found in the cubby holes of Bertha Bailey’s desk.  The prayer is inscribed within a small circle, in this case a three-cent piece, with the prayer repeated to fill the circle.   Finally, the display features a sermon book belonging to the eldest of the five Samuel Phillips which came to the Archive with the Phillips family papers. He wrote all his sermons in very small handwriting to save paper, and must have had excellent eyesight to be able to read them in the dim light of his church.