Overview: The act of reading produces an intimate bond between the reader and the book. That bond becomes even more intimate when the book fits in the palm of the hand. The book is picked up and cradled in the hands and its size causes it to be held close in order to read it. The materials—fine leather and smooth paper—appeal to the sense of touch while the printing and illustrations engage and delight the eye.

The focus of this exhibition was the small-scale book. The National Gallery of Art Library, by accident rather than by design, has a substantial number of palm-sized books. A selection of these miniature publications, based solely on their dimensions and not their content, was shown in this exhibition for the first time.

Organization: The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery of Art. Gregory Most, head of the slide library, was curator.