‘Quite exceptional quality… true miracles of engraving, illustration, binding and presentation.’ So said Louis Bondy of this tiny book in his standard work on the subject, Miniature Books: Their History from the Beginnings to the Present Day, Sheppard Press, London, 1981. When you see an example in this condition it’s easy to understand why he singled out these works for such praise. Miniature books are defined as smaller than 4 inches, although most collectors concentrate on smaller fare. This one is a ‘micro-miniature’ and measures just 19mm by 15mm. You can, just about, read it. It is an almanac for the year 1838 and was published late in 1837, ready for the Christmas and New Year gift market. It contains a calendar for each month along with dates of astronomical events (there was an eclipse of the moon on the 9th April, for example) as well as six engraved portraits as illustrations. Pride of place as the frontispiece is the new Queen, Victoria; there are also ones of Mozart, Walter Scott, and a well deserved self-portrait by the author and artist. L.E.L. or Letitia Elizabeth Landon, 1802 - 1838, was known as L.E.L for much of her writing career. She was a pioneering woman author who was forced to make a living from her pen due to the death of her father. Her intelligence, hard work and creativity ensured her success – she was called ‘the female Byron’ and her direct, sensual poetry was enormously popular for decades. She was apparently much maligned in her lifetime for suspicions of a somewhat louche lifestyle but her work is well regarded today and she was hugely influential to later women authors in the nineteenth century. The book comes with its original slip case, a tiny five-sided box the book slots into. This too is in excellent condition and made of coloured leathers. The books were sold in these slip cases but many customers chose to have them further protected with a box rather like the ones made for jewellery. These were almost certainly obtained elsewhere, to the purchaser’s taste. The one here is very attractive, covered with red leather and lined inside with green velvet. The book nestles on one side, on the other is a tiny horn-handled magnifying glass behind a silk ribbon. The glass works. Once again, it is all in excellent condition. A stunning example of a cornerstone miniature.