Ruth E. Adomeit (January 30, 1910 – February 16, 1996) was an American writer, editor, collector of miniature books and philanthropist.

Life

Adomeit was educated at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

, where she began her interest in miniature books after her father, George Adomeit, gave her two of the Kingsport Press's miniature books by

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

and

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

. She edited ''The Miniature Book Collector'' from 1960 to 1962, and was a leading member of the Miniature Book Society. She was also a

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

with a keen interest in bats and was a "Founder’s Circle member" of Bat Conservation International.

Miniature book collection

After her father sparked her interest in miniature books Ruth started a collection that would be among the largest in the world. The books include miniature volumes by

and

, as well as miniature form record keeping of cuneiform tablets (2000 B.C.) to contemporary small press and artists' books.

Rare books

The collection includes many rare books such as ''From Morn Till Eve'', a miniature book that presents biblical quotations in a devotional form, with one phrase for each morning and evening of a month. The

Online Computer Library Center OCLC, Inc. See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was founded in 1967 as the ...

(OCLC) had listed "the only known copy as being in the collection of famed miniature book collector Ruth E. Adomeit".

Lilly Library

Adomeit left her collection of miniature books to

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, where it is housed in the Lilly Library. She also left historical papers, the "Ruth E. Adomeit papers, 1907-1958" concerning her father, and the "George G. Adomeit papers, 1880-1968" to the

Archives of American Art The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 20 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washing ...

Works

*''Three Centuries of Thumb Bibles: a Checklist'', New York: Garland Pub., 1980. "It remains the standard reference book on the subject, essential to any scholar or collector in the field." *Foreword, in Whitney Balliett, ''Duke Ellington Remembered: New York notes'', Newport Beach, CA: Gold Stein Press, 1981. A short essay in memory of Achille J. St. Onge (Worcester, MA; 1935-1977).University of Iowa miniature book collection
Retrieved 2012-01-08

References

External links

Ruth E. Adomeit
at Heifer International Foundation book of remembrance {{DEFAULTSORT:Adomeit, Ruth E. 1910 births 1996 deaths American book and manuscript collectors Women collectors Lilly Library 20th-century American philanthropists Wellesley College alumni American people of German descent 20th-century American women philanthropists