How does time go by so quickly? Seems like we were just finishing up the Thanksgiving turkey and here we are getting the peas ready to be planted in the garden. Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow on Febuary 2, which according to the laws of nature means that there will be six more weeks of winter. I am not sure if it is still winter where you live but here in New Jersey we had a string of days in mid-Febuary where the temperature climb past 60 degrees. Old Phil must be watching too much late night television since he obviously did not really see his shadow.
The first bit of news is that the new and improved website for The Microbibliophile (version 1) has been built and ‘turned on’ for your viewing pleasure. The address of the site is www.themicrobibliophile.com. The site has some interesting features such as a special section for "young bibliophiles," exclusive ‘web’ content, and a ‘blog’ that I hope will prove interesting for everyone. Please visit the site and let me know what you think. I am interested in your suggestions, comments, and criticism. More eyes and ideas are the route to a successful venture.
Sometimes it is fun to revisit the words of favorite books to refresh your mind. A great example is Msgr. Francis Weber’s Dean of Microbibliophiles, Wilbur Macey Stone. Stone, as you may know, was an early 20th century collector and spokesman for miniature books. Weber quotes one of Stone’s writings as he [Stone] “became bogged down in the quagmire of miniature books.” Already a collector of juveniles, Stone began to realize that “little people like little books.” How true the message was when written and how true today. One of the focal points of our new web site will be information and activities for young bibliophiles. Certainly, the printed version of The Microbibliophile will continue to bring the readers the diverse set of subjects as all our readers enjoy and look forward to with each issue. However, young people have proven that they prefer their knowledge content to be delivered in forms that change rapidly, sometimes daily, and can be viewed in a mobile format. I do not believe that the printed media will die anytime soon but we have to recognize the fact that a large portion of our audience and future bibliophiles prefers a digital portal for their quest for information.
Our March issue of The Microbibliophile provides several new miniature book reviews from Plum Park Press, Bo Press, and the Cider Press with a great selection of journal contributions. You know my feelings about the value of diversity and all of the special benefits that can be brought to the pages of The Microbibliophile with some strokes of your pen. Keep sending me your feedback and suggestions as well as articles. I would especially like to request some information about you "the collector." The feature "Meet the Collector" opens the door for both the reader as well as the writer, sharing is certainly part of our culture, so share, and "speak" as if we are at the Sunday dinner table.
Share The Microbibliophile with a friend, we all like to talk about miniature books, which is our passion. Please look at your bookshelves, there most certainly is a story there that you will want to share. How about "My First Miniature Book"? Thank you for the opportunity to bring The Microbibliophile into your life.