64mo

With extremely small dimensions of just 2" x 3" (50mm x 76mm), the 64mo format has a tiny surface area around 6 square inches or 39 square cm. Also known as Sixty-Fourmo, this book size gets its name from 64 leaves of paper folded into one signature during old bookbinding methods. Even smaller than 48mo books, 64mos showcased the ultimate limits of miniature book publishing. The minuscule 2" x 3" pages allowed books to be discreetly pocketed and palmsized. Especially popular in the early 19th century as novelty miniature editions, 64mos tested the boundaries of legible typography. Originating from early printing press formats, 64mo could only comfortably fit around 25-50 micro-pages printed on both sides. Impractical for lengthy reading, 64mo remains a marvel of book shrinking skills, condensing content down to an extreme. More as a showcase of craft than for practical use, 64mo represents the limits of how tiny books could become while still imparting readable information. Their success was in sparking wonder by being astoundingly portable and petite.