In The Miniaturists Barbara Browning explores her attraction to tininess and the stories of those who share it. Interweaving autobiography with research on unexpected topics and letting her voracious curiosity guide her, Browning offers a series of charming short essays that plumb what it means to ponder the minuscule. She is as entranced by early twentieth-century entomologist William Morton Wheeler, who imagined corresponding with termites, as she is by Frances Glessner Lee, the “mother of forensic science,” who built intricate dollhouses to solve crimes. Whether examining Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the Schoenhut toy piano dynasty, portrait miniatures, diminutive handwriting, or Jonathan Swift’s and Lewis Carroll’s preoccupation with tiny people, Browning shows how a preoccupation with all things tiny can belie an attempt to grasp vast---even cosmic---realities.
Foibles of Insects and Men 1 The Mother of Forensic Science 39 Dilation and Contraction 57 Suite for Toy Piano 81 Gulliver Phantasies 107 The Handwriting on the Wall 135 Lead Paint and Other Poisons 159 That Which Is More Proportionable to the Smallness of My Abilities 185 Works Cited or Obliquely Referenced 211
Barbara Browning is Professor of Performance Studies at New York University. Her books include The Gift, I’m Trying to Reach You, and The Correspondence Artist.
"An appealing collection of fresh, free-wheeling essays."
(Kirkus) "The Miniaturists feels like more than just a book; it is a multi-layered project crafted into a deeply personal reading experience. The chapters are an engaging exploration of ‘the miniature’ as a concept throughout human history, and the author’s love for the esoteric will no doubt appeal to readers who enjoy learning for the sake of learning." - Rachel Denham-White (Limina)
