In Miniature

I honestly didn't know what this book could really be about, but having recently visited Minatur Wunderland in Hamburg, I thought I'd be open to reading about some smaller versions of stuff!

I was expecting model villages and train sets (essentially what I'd seen and liked in Hamburg), but this was so much more. The writer takes us through a whole history of human desire to make things smaller for a multitude of reasons. It's packed with examples and anecdotes and some interesting pictures too. It also covers a whole host of topics I hadn't really considered - art installations, books, architects' models, mocked up battle scenes, miniature portraits...the range is fascinating.

I'm absolutely not a model maker myself or in any way seek out miniature things (it was raining in Hamburg and Miniatur Wunderland was open - hardly a pilgrimage for me!) However, even those with a casual interest will find something of interest here, be it Rod Stewart's love of his model trains or the Chapman brother's' inclusion of mini Ronald McDonalds in their works. There's so much in here that you can't help but be drawn in.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting and engaging read, even if model villages aren't your thing. The desire to make things smaller, even microscopic, is explored as something essentially human and the examples are often amazing, humorous or frankly baffling!

This is my favourite kind of non-fiction book! I’d previously read two of Simon Garfield’s other books, To the Letter: A Curious History of Correspondence and Just My Type: A Book About Fonts, so I knew that In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate the World was going to be full of fascinating facts, personal experiences, meetings with interesting (if obsessive) people and snippets of cultural history.

Why does humanity have a passion for miniature things? How are the objects created and what’s the point of them anyway? Simon Garfield ponders these questions and more in his very readable journey through this super study of smallness. Chapters include the trend for souvenir Eiffel Towers, the art of LSD tabs, dolls’ houses, the flea circus (I’m still scratching my head over that one…) and the model village (apparently, the best ones have model villages inside them, which themselves contain model villages). He follows his interests, so don’t expect a comprehensive study of mini stuff. Luckily, the kind of miniature things he’s interested in are likely to be yours, too. I mean, a microscopic Last Supper in the eye of a needle? Teeny tiny books? Adorable plates of food which are carefully prepared and then eaten in one mouthful? How can you not be completely fascinated by these and the fact that there are people who are obsessed with making or collecting them?

I think that a similar book about giant things just wouldn’t have the same effect.

If there’s any fault at all in the book, it’s perhaps that the author spends too long talking about model railways… as indeed a model railway enthusiast might do, if they cornered you at a party.

This book is about art, cultural history and psychology. Perfect if you enjoy non-fiction which blurs the categories.

Thank you very much to Canongate for providing me with an advance e-copy via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 1st November 2018.