About Miniature Books

Miniatür Könyvekröl Gyujtöknek / by Gyula Janka. - Budapest: Müszaki Nyomdad,1973. - 251 p.: ill..; 31x22 mm.


Brown laatherette binding; title in gold on front and spine. 4000 copies printed on 90 gs paper . Typography and design by Gyula Janka. An essay by Gyula Janka on miniature books for collectors. Hungarian, Russian, German and English text.

Gyula Janka, former director of the Budapest University Press, is to be seen as the nestor of miniature-book collectors. He issued a number of miniatures himself and as a designer and typographer he was responsable for many others. His Miniatur Könyvek Bibliográfiája (Bibliography of Miniature Books) 1945-1976 is a very important reference for Hungarian miniature books. He also was the founder of the magazine Microbibliofok (1971-1988). After his death his impressive collection was sold. Some of the books show up in this blog.

Divatképek / Fashion pictures

Divatképek a régmúltból / compiled by Gyula Kardos. - Budapest: Egyetemi Nyomda, 1987. - 74 p.: ills; 55x48 mm.

"Fashion pictures from bygone time". Text printed in Hungarian, Russian, and English . Bound in purple leather with a fashion figure in gold stamped on front cover on a blue background in a gold design . Guilt flowers on spine. Typographical design by Gyula Janka. 450 copies printed of which 250 are numbered; this is #112.

The reproductions were taken from a picture issued on the occasion of the discontinuance of the periodical "Der Spiegel für Kunst Eleganz und Mode" about 1852. On this sheet with the title The History of Fashion are 16 engravings showing the changing fashion between 1828 and 1843. These engravings were made by József Sürch. The endpapers, a pen-drawing of V. Grimm, show a view of the Danube and Budapest with the Chain Bridge that was opened in 1849.

Esztergom

Esztergom / Károly Andruskó. - Budapest: Szépirodalmi Könyvkiadó, 1974, - 40x36 mm. - 36 p., ill. - ISBN 9631502163.

Dark green leather with gilt title on front and spine. Typography and binding by István Jánosa. Compiled by Béláné Ágotai and edited by Gyula Janka.


Woodcuts of Esztergom by Károly Andruskó, with a preface by Pál Szölgyémy.

The city of Esztergom was founded in 972 by King Géza and therefore one of the the oldest cities in Hungary and until 1249 the capital of the country.
Situated in the northern part of Hungary, about 45 km north-west of the capital Budapest, on the right bank of the river Danube, which forms the border with Slovakia. The Mária Valéria bridge, connecting Esztergom with the city of Štúrovo in Slovakia, was destroyed by the retreating German troops in 1944 and rebuilt in 2001 with the support of the European Union. 
The 'Bazilika' of Esztergom is the third biggest temple in Europe
                                                                                        Gerda on the Maria Váleria Bridge in 2001 
                                                    
Károly Andruskó (1915-2008), Hungarian engraver and painter. During a long life his production was huge: over 3000 paintings, more than 500 water-colours and thousands of woodcuts.
Outside Eastern Europe he was especially known as an engraver and exlibrist ánd by his many miniature books with woodcuts of towns and regions. Mostly published under his own name and often printed and bound by Gyorgy and Valérie Varnyu.

Haláltánc - Dodendans

Haláltánc; a bevezetöt írták és a miniatürkiadást összeállitották Janka Gyula, Kardos Gyula  / Holbein. - Budapest, Egyetemi Nyomda, 1974. - 60x50 mm., 218 p.; afbn. - ISBN 9633360153

Black leather; guilt title and drumming skeleton in white on front. Numbered copy 475/1000.

Dance of Death by Hans Holbein theYounger. Hungarian, German, English and Russian text with a preface by G. Kardos. Typographical design by Gyula Janka.

Hans Holbein the Younger 
(c. 1497–1543),German renaissance artist and printmaker He is best known as one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century, and made a significant contribution to the history of book design.

In Basle he met the Dutch humanist Erasmus (portret 1523) and made illustrations for "Moriae encomium, sive Stultitiae laus", printed in 1514 by Froben.

The Dance of Death or 'Le Danse Macabre' or 'la Danza de la Muerte' was an artistic response across Europe to the devastation brought about by the plague or black death. In Holbein's work Death is still very aggressive; however, it does not dance with the deads anymore, but intervenes directly in scenes of everyday life.

The authentic edition (created around 1526) and published in Basle in 1538,  with 41 engravings served as basis of this miniature edition.

Janka

Amit még a miniatür könyvkröl tudni kell / Gyula Janka. - Budapest: [Egyetemi Nyomda], 1975. - 31x 22 mm., 268 blz., ill.


Beige leren band met titel in goudopdruk op rode achtergrond op voorplat en rug. Typografie en bandontwerp van Gyula Janka.

What we should know about miniature books. Tekst in het Hongaars, Russisch, Engels en Duits.
Beschrijving van het verschijnsel miniatuurboek (ontstaan, geschiedenis, produktie etc.) met verwijzing naar een aantal bijzondere voorbeelden.

Gyula Janka, directeur van de Budapest University Press, was de nestor van de Hongaarse verzamelaars van miniatuurboeken. Hij gaf zelf een aantal boekjes uit en verzorgde de typografie voor veel andere. Een heel belangrijk werk van hem is de Miniatur Könyvek Bibliográfiája (Bibliography of Miniature Books) 1945-1970 met supplementen tot 1976. Hij was ook de oprichter van het tijdschrift Microbibliofiok, dat van 1971 tot circa 1988 verscheen.
Zijn indrukwekkende verzameling is na zijn dood voor een groot gedeelte verkocht door de Catharijne Press. Een aantal exemplaren is via zijn dochter in deze collectie terecht gekomen.

Iniciálék

Iniciálék az Egyetemi Nyomda XVI-XVIII. századi kiadványaiban / Gyula Kardos. - Budapest, Egyetemi Nyomda, 1973. - 49x59 mm., 139 p., afb.

Oranje leren band ingelegd met zwart leer met goudopdruk. Gedrukt met een New Times 6-punts letter op 160 grams papier. Bandontwerp van Gyula Janka. Afbeelding en beschrijving van initialen die gebruikt zijn door de Egyetemi drukkerij. Tekst in Hongaars, Russisch en Engels
In een oplage van 500 exemplaren uitgegeven ter gelegenheid van de viering van 500 jaar drukkunst in Hongarije