A Miniature Book about Books

Courtesy of John Howell for Books

Why Richard Hoffman Said, “I Hate Miniature Books.” Venice, CA: Ethan B. Lipton, 2018. Miniature Book. 2 15/16 x 2 3/8 inches.

The Miniature Book Society’s annual conclave is coming up. This year, the three-day event will be held on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington, from August 9-12, and its title is Tiny Matters: Creative Exploration of the Miniature Arts & Book History.

Courtesy of John Howell for Books

The book’s half-title and title page are printed in burgundy and gold with typographic ornaments.

With that in mind, we wanted to highlight a miniature book about books that California bookseller John Howell is offering on behalf of its author and designer, Ethan Lipton. The 94-page book, printed letterpress by Norman Clayton at Classic Letterpress in Ojai, CA, last year is called Why Richard Hoffman Said, “I Hate Miniature Books.” It’s an homage to Richard Hoffman, with whom Lipton studied printing arts at California State University in Los Angeles. According to Howell, “The book is designed in the style that Hoffman used in printing his books, and has a bibliography of the fifteen miniatures that Hoffman printed, as a guide to collectors.”

Lipton had two hundred copies printed, about half of which he gave to friends. The remaining copies are being sold to benefit the International Printing Museum in Carson, CA, where Lipton has been a longtime board member. Lipton recently underwent surgery to remove a non-malignant tumor in his cerebellum, which has impaired his mobility and speech.

The price for this beautiful, gilt-stamped cloth-bound mini with decorative endpapers is $85.