Tiny bible features in Christmas book display

Centuries of seasonal storytelling have gone on display including a tiny bible recalling the original Christmas story.

The miniature book, which is not much bigger than a £2 coin and can fit in the palm of a hand, features in a collection of festive classics on view to visitors at Leeds Central Library.

With text so tiny it can only be read with a magnifying glass, the bible, featuring the old and new testament, dates back to 1911 and is believed to be one of the smallest examples of its kind in the world.

Also on display are a 19th Century edition of stories by Charles Dickens, including A Christmas Carol.

The bible is believed to be a 1911 replica of what was known as a chained bible, they were kept fixed to pulpits in churches so people could not remove them.

Rhian Isaac, senior librarian at Leeds Central Library, said the bible was back on display “by popular demand”.

It was first shown to the public in 2022 after it was rediscovered at the library during the covid lockdown.

“We were inundated with people coming to see the bible back then so it’s great to have it back out for people to see.

“And of course it has the nativity story in so it sits alongside some of the other wonderful items on show.”

Also part of the library’s festive display is a book of children’s Christmas games dating back to 1812 which is filled with riddles and games including one where participants are tasked to dress as a bookcase.

Some of the charades within its pages have been circled by the children who must have played the game with their families at Christmas more than 200 years ago.

Other items include a collection of illustrated military-themed Christmas cards as well as Christmas editions of the Yorkshire Weekly Post and Yorkshire Evening Post from 1905, 1924, 1929, 1933.

The collection also shows how there was long tradition of families going to see a Christmas pantomime.

“On display we have a pamphlet of a pantomime called the Mother Goose of Woodhouse Moor which was performed in Leeds in 1865 and has lots of references to really local stories and the reviews were amazing at the time.”

Ms Issac said the display gave people a chance to get away from the festive hustle and bustle and look at the many different ways the Christmas story has been told through the ages.

“People still want to be entertained at Christmas, with games and traditional Christmas storytelling and we can see that was still very much the case all those years ago.”

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