Book Review: Miniatures: How to Make them, Use Them, Sell Them

I'm surely dating myself with today's song - I remember this show! It came out after "Saturday Night Fever" hit it big. Of course, I was very, very young then. An infant, practically.

Anyway... this book, Miniatures: How to Make them, Use them, Sell them, is also a relic from the days of disco. It was published in 1976.

In spite of it's age, this is a book full of clever ideas that could be used today - including simple things like a description of how to make your own miniature hand-dipped candles; more detailed plans and patterns for building your own wooden furniture; and even instructions for fabricating accessories out of metal, for the more ambitious.  The author covers a wide range of other items including lamps and chandeliers, household gadgets, food, decorative items, rugs, picture frames, flowers, and more.

I got the impression from reading this book that in the '70's purchased miniatures were much harder to come by - well, I guess before the internet everything was much harder to come by - and that hobbyists tended to be at a high income level. For example, in a chapter titled, "Soft Goods," the author notes how easily a bearskin rug could be created:

"When your fur goes to the furrier for remodeling, ask for scraps and cut them into bearskin shapes or whatever you like."

I was amused by this matter-of-fact assumption on the author's part that her audience would be able to relate to and implement this idea. (Or maybe I'm just not living right, I certainly don't know anyone who has an ongoing relationship with a furrier.) But there were many, many more down-to-earth suggestions, including a section on using natural materials to imitate food - cherry pits painted to resemble peaches, lentils painted to look like cookies, etc.

The only gripe I have is that all the pictures in the book - and there are a generous number of them - are in black and white. I borrowed this one from the library, and I will almost certainly buy it to have on hand as a source of ideas - it can be had for next to nothing on Amazon. I recommend this as an addition to the library of anyone who is interested in miniatures.