Modern books to grace shelves of Queen Mary’s dolls’ house
WHEN Queen Mary’s dolls’ house was created in the 1920s, its library was filled with miniature books by contemporary authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Thomas Hardy to capture the literary culture of the decade.
Now, as the world’s largest dolls’ house celebrates its centenary, the library has been updated with tiny new manuscripts by writers including Alan Bennett, Julia Donaldson and Anthony Horowitz to offer a snapshot of contemporary literature in Britain.
The Queen, 76, will host a reception at Windsor Castle today for the authors, illustrators and binders behind the new miniature collection, among them Elif Shafak, Malorie Blackman and her own son, Tom Parker Bowles.
Her Majesty, a voracious reader and patron of a number of literary charities, has also handwritten an introduction to the project that has been bound and presented as her own tiny book.
In it, she hails the “incredible richness of 21st century literary talent”.
The Queen says the dolls’ house, a 1:12 scale replica of an Edwardian residence built for King George V’s consort as a gift from the nation after the First World War, “continued to enchant generations of children and adults who still came to marvel at its perfect proportions, extraordinary attention to detail and ... the artistic genius apparent in every room”. The Queen adds: “For me, it is the library that is the most breathtaking space in the house.”
She expresses delight that a selection of modern literature would now be added to the library. “These new books highlight the incredible richness of 21st century literary talent – and demonstrate how fortunate we are to have access to so many outstanding writers.”
‘Children and adults came to marvel at its attention to detail and artistic genius apparent in every room’