Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-02-16
Literary CurfOsiiies.

| Pliny asserts that the lliad of Homer
| had been written on a piece of parch-
ment, so small as to be enclosed in a
nutshell. Huet, although skeptical,
made an experiment which convinced
him that it was possible, although others
NAV still doubt. He tells us that a
piece of vellum ten inches long and
eight wide, can be put in the shell of a
large walnut. On this he considers it
possible to write in single line thirty
verses of the Iliad, and TO squeeze 25O
! lines in single page. The two sides
! of the leaf would hold the 200 verses
/ of Homer's poem. A line of Had con-
/ tains about thirty letters, hence 900 let
| tiers would have TO be written in every
line, which, if not beyond the bounds
of possibility, is beyond those of proba-
bility.
| Charlotte Brente's small writing con-
/ tains twenty letters to the linear inch.
and she put IL lines into an inch.
| This would give nearly 1000 verses of
Homer in the space that Huet considers
can be made to hold 1000. Elan re-
cords that Lac9demonian artist wrote
| i'm letters of gold posy of two verses,
enclosed in the rind of grain of corn.
Peter Bules, celebrated and irasci-
I bic writing master, is said TO have writ
ten minute copy of the Bible, each
leaf containing the same matter as a
page of the great Bible. The entire
4 book was enclosed in walnut not
Z larger than a hens egg. The British
Museum is said to contain portrait of
. Queen Anne. little larger than hand
Z in size, but the lines of the drawing
are formed of very small writing, and
contain the contents of small folio
volume
Passing from writing to printing,
one of the smallest books ever produced
is an octave entitled, 1.-The Bible in
Miniature (sic), or Concise History
of the Old and New Testaments, Lon
don, printed for +. Newbury, corner
of St. Paufs Churchyard, l1s0." 1t
extends to 256 pages, is strongly bound
and adorned with eXecrable steel en-
cravings. a single page, taken at ran
dom, is found to contain 81 words, or
105 letters. The page measures Ia
inches, about an inch being occupied by
the text. This small book on great
subject, is exceeded in infinitesimalness
by literary pigmy blushing i'm its
thirty-seeond edition. "Small rain upon
the tender herb. Deut XxxH.2. Thirty
second edition, London Religious Tract
Society, 56 Paternoster Row." is the
full title page of work which may
probably claim the designation OF the
smallest book in the world. 1t Is an
octave of l2S pages. and each page holds
some 40 words. or about 40 letters. 1t
measures shade over Il inch.
If we take as a test of smallness the
greatest amount of matter compressed
into the least space, the palm is proba-
bly, due to Bible recently issued at
the Oxford press. Ii measures IA
inches by 231 inches, is about an inch
thick. and weighs when, handsome Y
bound in calf, with silk Innings, less
than 3l5 ounces. Another 9rm have
lately issued Bible which is only
smaller than that just described.
The largest book the world has so far
seen is believed to be the work entitled
specifications of Patents for Inyen-
tions," published for many years past
under the editorial Care of MIR. Bennet
Woodcroft, +. X. ). The work is still
in course of publication, about ten
parts of it appearing daily, or between
three or four thousand yearly. Each
specification forms pamphlet stitched
in blue paper cover, illustrated when
necessary, with engravings. Some spe-
eifications only cover. single leaf;
others are as large As good-sized
volume. If we are to regard that as the
smallest book which contains the few
est letters, the palm is probably due to
''The Wordless Book" which after the