In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate the World

by Simon Garfield

Overview

Bestselling, award-winning writer Simon Garfield returns with an enthralling investigation of humans’ peculiar fascination with small things—and what small things tell us about our larger world.

“[Simon Garfield is] an exuberant truffle-hound of the recondite and delightful factoid.” —Sunday Times (London)

Simon Garfield writes books that shine a light on aspects of the everyday world in order to reveal the charms and eccentricities hiding in plain sight around us. After beguiling fans with books about everything from typography to time, from historic maps to the color mauve, he’s found his most delightful topic yet: miniatures.

Tiny Eiffel Towers. Platoons of brave toy soldiers. A doll’s house created for a Queen. Diminutive crime scenes crafted to catch a killer. Model villages and miniscule railways. These are just a few of the objects you will discover in the pages of In Miniature.

Bringing together history, psychology, art, and obsession, 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 on us a taste of adult-sized authority. 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 explores flea circuses, microscopic food, ancient tombs, and the Vegas Strip, In Miniature changes the way we perceive our surroundings, encouraging all of us to find greatness in the smallest of things.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501199585
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	643,667
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Simon Garfield is the author of eighteen acclaimed books of nonfiction including Timekeepers, To the Letter, On the Map, and Just My Type. A recipient of the Somerset Maugham prize for nonfiction, he lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

"Digressive, gossipy, thoughtful and thoroughly entertaining . . . Simon Garfield is an exuberant truffle-hound of the recondite and delightful factoid."

Sunday Times

"A sort of museum between hard covers...As good as pop history gets."

Sunday Express

”In Miniature is a delicious read; quirky, unpredictable and written with a genuine savour for the subject.

Mail on Sunday (UK)

"A fun read."

Booklist

Praise for Simon Garfield

"Time well spent ... Simon Garfield has made his name as an author who can spin fascinating narratives."

Financial Times

"This intriguing study of our urge to make scale models is full of bizarre stories and poignant insight...engaging and exuberant...The moral seems to be that we're all small, relatively speaking, which is perhaps why In Miniature is not only highly entertaining; it is also moving"

The Observer

"Simon Garfield's enthusiasm...is irresistible...Garfield offers not just intriguing snapshots of curiosities but some rather interesting history lessons."

The Spectator

"Intriguing...full of bizarre stories and poignant insight...not only highly entertaining; it is also moving."

The Guardian

Praise for In Miniature

"If you are someone who appreciates the quirkier byways of human endeavour, there's plenty to surprise and delight in this compendium."

The Times (UK)

"A sort of museum between hard covers...As good as pop history gets."

Sunday Express

Praise for Simon Garfield

"Time well spent ... Simon Garfield has made his name as an author who can spin fascinating narratives."

Financial Times

"A fun read."

Booklist

2018-12-22

Garfield (Timekeepers: How the World Became Obsessed with Time, 2018, etc.) turns his attention to models and miniatures and other small things that grab and reward our attention.

"At its simplest, the miniature shows us how to see, learn and appreciate more with less," concludes the author, following a tour of the world of miniatures that has encompassed model railroads (Rod Stewart and Neil Young are enthusiasts), model boats (including slave ships, which somehow magnify the horror), model houses, and even miniature towns and cities. The size and scale are less important than the relationship of standing for something bigger, so the author also discusses hotels on the Las Vegas strip, including the Bellagio, the Venetian, and Paris. "The more one speaks to those who have adopted Vegas as their home," he writes, "the more one hears talk of Europe as the phantom and Vegas as the real deal." Garfield begins and ends with the Eiffel Tower—not because of its impressive architecture or the perspective on the city it affords but because "the opening of the tower marked the birth of the mass-consumed souvenir and the dawn of the factory-made scale model." Consequently, others were inspired to build their own, including one constructed of 11,000 toothpicks that took approximately 300 hours to build. As much history as the author provides, he seems even more interested in human psychology: Why would someone spend so much time and effort to construct something that is ultimately without purpose, and why would others flock to see it? Garfield devotes a lot of attention to the ideal of order in a world of chaos while recognizing that the obsession can seem insane. Yet, as he writes of a man who has devoted much of his life to constructing a fleet of matchstick ships, "his dinner guests scoff that his work is pointless, but he's happier in his world than they may ever be in theirs."

In other words, it takes all kinds. Another entertaining book from Garfield.

Kirkus Reviews

Adrian Scarborough narrates Garfield’s examination of “how small things illuminate the world.” By small things, the author is referring to such miniatures as the world's smallest book; the largest model railroad, in Hamburg; and Queen Mary's dollhouse. He also includes “micro-miniatures,” things listeners would need a microscope to see. Garfield approaches the meaning in miniatures with a dry wit that's a little jaded but sometimes expresses awe. In essence, he believes that miniatures illuminate their larger counterparts and help us understand and manage the world. Scarborough acts as a guide, combining amazement and humor. Both author and narrator leave listeners with the feeling that they're peering through glass at small wonders. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2019 - AudioFile

Adrian Scarborough narrates Garfield’s examination of “how small things illuminate the world.” By small things, the author is referring to such miniatures as the world's smallest book; the largest model railroad, in Hamburg; and Queen Mary's dollhouse. He also includes “micro-miniatures,” things listeners would need a microscope to see. Garfield approaches the meaning in miniatures with a dry wit that's a little jaded but sometimes expresses awe. In essence, he believes that miniatures illuminate their larger counterparts and help us understand and manage the world. Scarborough acts as a guide, combining amazement and humor. Both author and narrator leave listeners with the feeling that they're peering through glass at small wonders. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

APRIL 2019 - AudioFile