A Message to Jessica 2023
Bound by Bayntun-Riviere | 4.3 x 4.2 x 0.9 cm (book measurement (conservation)) | RCIN 1171607
Malorie Blackman (b. 1962)
A Message to Jessica / Malorie Blackman 2023
Copyright © Bayntun-Riviere, 2023. Photograph: Royal Collection Trust.
Malorie Blackman (b. 1962)
A Message to Jessica / Malorie Blackman 2023
Malorie Blackman (b. 1962)
A Message to Jessica / Malorie Blackman 2023
Malorie Blackman (b. 1962)
A Message to Jessica / Malorie Blackman 2023
Copyright © Bayntun-Riviere, 2023. Photograph: Royal Collection Trust.
Malorie Blackman (b. 1962)
A Message to Jessica / Malorie Blackman 2023
Copyright © Bayntun-Riviere, 2023. Photograph: Royal Collection Trust.
Malorie Blackman (b. 1962)
The Mantelpiece / Alan Bennett 2023
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This book is part of the Modern-Day Miniature Library, a contemporary collection of miniature handwritten and hand-bound books that has been assembled to celebrate 100 years since Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House was completed in 1924.
Of the nearly 600 books placed on the shelves of the Dolls' House Library in the 1920s, over 170 are tiny manuscripts handwritten by the most notable authors of the time. Together, these create a time capsule of literary culture.
Echoing the process of a century ago, today's writers were again asked to write by hand in miniature format. Their little pages were bound by leading contemporary designer-binders. After being displayed in an exhibition at Windsor Castle during 2024, the new collection of doll-size books will be kept together in the Royal Library.
Malorie Blackman's narrative verse A Message to Jessica is a note left to a sister to be read after the message-writer has died. The narrator wants to show that their connection will endure through a shared passion for literature. The little book has been illustrated with drawings inspired by well-known stories by Blackman’s daughter, Elizabeth Mira Morrison, and bound by Bayntun-Riviere. This bindery is the successor of Riviere & Son, which bound 64 books for the Dolls’ House Library in the 1920s.Provenance
Book handwritten by Malorie Blackman and sent by her to the Royal Library in June 2023. Binding hand-bound by Bayntun-Riviere of Bath and received by the Royal Library in October 2023. The manuscript and binding were given in celebration of the centenary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.
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Creator(s)
(illustrator)Acquirer(s)
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Medium and techniques
Bound by Bayntun-Riviere
Measurements
4.3 x 4.2 x 0.9 cm (book measurement (conservation))
4.5 x 4.3 x 1.1 cm (book in slip case)
Alternative title(s)
A Message to Jessica / Malorie Blackman.