Less is more: Thuy Duong browsing through a set of miniature books at her publishing house in Hanoi. — Vietnam News/ANN
IN times past, miniature books were produced for personal convenience because they could easily be carried in a pocket or a woman’s purse.
Gradually considered as sophisticated handcrafted works, mini books are not only a source of knowledge but are also collectable and treasured possessions, with some worth thousands of dollars.
According to Nguyen Thuy Duong, the founder and CEO of Phuc Minh Books, creating miniature books requires a high level of virtuosity and extreme precision that only perfectionists and passionate people have.
“Miniature books are often the crystallisation of the love of literature and the art of printing because artisans have to spend a lot of time and labour to create a masterpiece.
“Despite its small size, a micro-volume book fully demonstrates the techniques of binding, content presentation, printing and processing, and almost no error is allowed,” Duong said.
In the last two years, Phuc Minh Books has released two sets of these little books: The Body and Soul by Maxence van der Meersch, comprising three books sized 5.5cm by 7.6cm, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, which consists of five books sized 6cm by 7.8cm.
These books are produced with techniques first applied in Vietnam.
The book is covered with silk, woven with a technique so that the silk fibres are so tight that even light cannot penetrate.
In a vast old weaving workshop, Le The Kim Thu, an artisan in Van Phuc silk village, said: “To weave with a traditional loom, we select the most durable yarns and use techniques to ensure the warp and weft is smooth and tight.
“As a result, when pressing the silk to the cover, the silk does not shrink or wrinkle, ensuring durability and adhesion,” Thu said.
Creating a mini book requires special skills in each stage of the production process, from book cover making, page layout and illustration to printing and binding.
“Although the book is tiny, I had to choose the right font size so the letters still can be readable.
“Then when laying out the page, I have to pay attention to the ratio so the reader’s hand will not cover the words when they are reading.
“With most of the drawings, I will put them on the right-hand side so that they can attract the reader’s attention easily,” book designer Nguyen Thi Hong said.
The illustrations for these books are also exquisite. Tran Minh Tam, an artist who illustrated the books, said: “With miniature books, the illustrations shrink to one-eighth the size of a normal book. If the stroke is too small, it will be clear, and if it is too thick, it will be rough. I have to print many tests to see how effective the illustration is.”
To complete a set of books, the maker has to minimise everything.
This requires designers to be meticulous and skilful in choosing the right sewing needle and thread.
Up to now, Phuc Minh is still the first publishing house to make miniature books, with a minimal number of copies, and they only produce one set each year.
“Even if the book is a bit expensive, I still can afford it because they are exceptional and rare,” book collector Tu Xuan Minh said. — Vietnam News/ANN
