Pocket-sized books have been our companions since books have been in print. There’s comfort to a book that’s tiny enough to hold in one hand, and an intimacy to keeping it safe in your pocket. The content is usually timeless, designed to be read more than once and consulted throughout daily life. In medieval times, monks and nuns carried “girdle books”- Bibles small enough to clip to your belt. During WWII, classics such as The Great Gatsby were made into pocket books small enough to fit in a soldier’s uniform. Today smartphones fill the role the tiny book used to, as something that travels with us, that transports us to another place. A resting place for our attention. But a book does not demand anything of us. A book teaches us to focus when the scroll and the algorithm fracture our attention spans. Most importantly, a book teaches us how to be idle.

We don’t fear missing anything when not reading. The tiny book simply waits there in our pocket for when we’re ready to pick it up again. We hope you can find a few new companions on display here, and take them with you wherever you go.