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You'll Need an Electron Microscope to Read the World's Smallest Book

By John Farrier in Book & Lit, Science & Tech on Nov 9, 2009 at 4:37 pm



Image: Robert Chaplin

Teeny Ted from Turnip Town by Malcolm Douglas Chaplin is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the world’s smallest book. Each page measures about 11 by 15 microns:

The Robert Chaplin/SFU Nanobook project was produced using a focused-gallium-ion beam with the assistance of Dr. Li Yang, and Dr. Karen L. Kavanagh of Simon Fraser University, located at the summit of Burnaby Mountain, Burnaby, BC. The gallium beam has a minimum diameter of 7 nanometers, and was programmed to carve the space surrounding each letter of a book. The book was typeset in block letters with a resolution of 40 nanometers, and is made up of 30 microtablets, each carved on a polished piece of single crystalline silicon. The entire collection of microtablets is contained within an area of 69 x 97 microns square with an average size of tablet being 11 x 15 microns square.

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COMMENT
  1. pwscott
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    I assume this idea came from Russia. See previous post for that reference.http://www.neatorama.com/2009/11/08/teeny-tiny-books/ :^P

  2. pwscott
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

    ^moderation?^ That's twice in one month.

  3. Alex
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Ah, duplicates happen. With over 22,000 posts on Neatorama, even I don't remember what's been on ... :)

  4. John Farrier
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    I can't find any previous post on this topic anywhere in the archives.

  5. e cigarette
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 9:51 pm

    Is this FOR REAL?!?!

  6. ted
    Nov 9th, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    What's with the laff-in style typeface?

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