Check out the tiny bible discovered at a library!

Have you ever seen a book this small?

Lots of people love reading books in their spare time, but have you ever come across one so small, it can fit neatly in the palm of your hand?

Well, visitors to Leeds Central Library now have an opportunity to see one! A tiny bible was recently rediscovered at the library during lockdown.

The 876-page holy book, which contains both the Old and New Testament, is only five centimetres long and 3.5 centimetres wide.

It's believed to be a 1911 replica of what was known as a chained bible which was kept fixed to the pulpit so people didn't take them.

The book is thought to be a 1911 replica of a chained bible

The tiny bible's text is so small, it can only be read using a magnifying glass.

Rhian Isaac who is a special collections senior librarian at Leeds City Library said the book was presented as the smallest bible in the world when it was printed, although this was almost certainly not true.

It's not exactly known where the book came from as it only resurfaced when the library decided to do a survey of its items during lockdown closures.

"It's a bit of a mystery, really," said Rhian about the bible's origins.

"A lot of items in our collection were either bought over time or they might have been donated.

"We've done quite a lot of work during lockdown on cataloguing our rare books and special collections.

"Before that, hardly any of these books had ever been seen by anyone or ever been found, really."

The bible can only be read using a magnifying glass

The librarian said around 3,000 items in total have been newly catalogued, including some unusual finds, with some dating all the way back to the 15th century.

"It's a massive thing for us," she said. "Now people can come in and find them and look at them."

Now the miniature bible has been found, anyone can go and have a look at it in person along with some of the library's other recent finds.

"We ask people to get in touch and we can bring them out for people to see," Rhian said.

The book is only five centimetres long and 3.5 centimetres wide

"You don't have to be an academic or an researcher. If you're just interested, we can get them out for you and you can come and read them in our beautiful grade II-listed building, which is a wonderful place to come and do some studying.

"We would rather these books were used and read. That's what they were made for and that's what we encourage people to come in and do, instead of locking them away.

"They belong to everyone in Leeds. We're just the guardians of them, really."