Staff Pick
Whether it’s tiny towns, tiny portraits, tiny food, or flea circuses, this book takes a closer look at why miniatures intrigue so many people and become obsessions for some. It’s a true microhistory in every sense of the word. Recommended By Leah B., Powells.com
I'm obsessed with all things miniature, and I know I'm not alone. Teeny tiny things are magical, mesmerizing, and adorable. This book delves into our collective obsession with the miniature, from dollhouses to tiny scenes in snow globes, model trains to mini food, and everything in between. Looking through the lens of the miniature makes us feel more powerful in an uncertain, chaotic world, and who among us doesn't want that? Recommended By April L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
For fans of Mary Roach and Mark Kurlansky, a delightfully entertaining and illuminating investigation into our peculiar fascination with making things small, and what small things tell us about the larger world. Tiny Eiffel Towers. Platoons of brave toy soldiers. A doll's house designed for a Queen. Eerie tableaux of crime scenes. Model villages and railways. These are just a few of the objects you can discover in the fascinating book In Miniature.
Bringing together history, psychology, art, and obsession, Simon Garfield explores what fuels the strong appeal of miniature objects among collectors, modelers, and fans. The toys we enjoy as children invest us with a rare power at a young age, conferring the efficacy of adults. For some, the desire to play with small things becomes a desire to make small things. We live in a vast and uncertain world, and controlling just a tiny scaled-down part of it restores our sense of order and worth.
As it examines flea circuses, miniscule foods, ancient tombs, and the Vegas Strip, In Miniature will change the way you look at the world and encourages all of us to find greatness in the smallest of things.