In 2005, Caroline Brandt, collector and co-founder of the Miniature Book Society, made a major gift to the UVA Library of her miniature book collection. Named in honor of Brandt’s first husband, UVA alumnus C. Coleman McGehee, the McGehee Miniature Book Collection showcases the art of printing in nearly 15,000 editions — from children’s books and artists’ books to classics of history and literature.
In 2018, the collection, among the largest of its kind in the world, was the subject of “Eminent Miniatures,” a popular exhibition in the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, where the collection is housed. And in 2024, a major milestone was reached as McGehee Rare Book Librarian Kim Cull cataloged the 10,000th volume in the collection, a 25-mm-tall book showcasing illustrations of different medieval craftsmen adapted from a 15th-century German manuscript.
For more on the collection, the 10,000th volume, and miniature books in general, read “Miniature books? Tell me more!,” Kim Cull’s post on “Notes from Under Grounds,” the blog of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.
