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Jozsef TariHungarian collector of miniature books
Country:
 Hungary |
Content:
- József Tari: The Hungarian Collector of Miniature Books
- Passion for the Written Word
- Eclectic Collection with Rigorous Standards
- Exceptional Collection Highlights
- Miniaturized Newspapers
- Guinness World Record Contention
- The Ultimate Microscopic Masterpiece
József Tari: The Hungarian Collector of Miniature Books
József Tari, a Hungarian collector of miniature books, has been amassing his library of tiny publications since 1972. With over 4,500 literary works to his name, he is the proud owner of the world's smallest book, measuring a mere 2.9 x 3.2 millimeters.
Passion for the Written Word
As a typographer and book designer, Tari has always been fascinated by the written word, which led him to his collecting hobby. Most of his extensive collection is in Hungarian, but it also includes works from countries such as the USA, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Indonesia, and Japan.
Eclectic Collection with Rigorous Standards
Tari's interests range from religion to sports, from literature to cookbooks. However, only books with dimensions not exceeding 76 millimeters in both length and width qualify for inclusion in his collection.
Exceptional Collection Highlights
Tari's collection includes books that are over a century old. His most prized possession is the 2.9 x 3.2 millimeter miniature booklet, which can fit snugly inside a walnut shell.
Miniaturized Newspapers
In addition to his 4,500 books, József's collection also features 15 miniature newspapers, including the world's smallest, which measures a mere 19 x 26 millimeters.
Guinness World Record Contention
Despite Tari's claim of having the world's smallest book, the Guinness World Record officially recognizes A.P. Chekhov's "The Chameleon" as the smallest, measuring 0.9 x 0.9 millimeters.
The Ultimate Microscopic Masterpiece
The most remarkable book in Tari's collection is a creation of Canadian physicists Karen Kavanagh and Lee Young. Using cutting-edge technology, they created "Teeny Ted from Turnip Town," which measures a microscopic 0.07 x 0.1 millimeters. The book, which tells the tale of a teenage boy named Ted, requires a microscope with an 8,000x magnification to read. Kavanagh and Young used a focused beam of helium ions to etch the text onto ceramic microplates. "Teeny Ted from Turnip Town" in its microformat is valued at $20,000.
