Object Image

Old King Cole

The smallest book in The National Library in Wales is Old King Cole, printed in Scotland in 1985 by Gleniffer Press. It measures less than 1mm x 1mm, and between 1985 and 1996 this miniscule volume was in the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest printed book in the world.

The book includes the English language nursery rhyme that begins with the words Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he. It has 12 single sided printed pages, and was published as a limited edition of 85 copies....

1985
Printed material
1.0 x 1.0cm
Images and text © The National Library of Wales, 2019

To read this book you would require a magnifying glass or microscope, and a pin or needle to turn the pages. The photograph shows the tip of a pencil pointing at the book within the circle.

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