In est sua gratia parvis: even little things have a charm of their own

The Elements of Style, Illustrated by Maira Kalman.
Image courtesy NPR.org

On the Definition of Parvum Opus

For our studio, we chose this Latin term describing a tiny or diminutive work of art, the opposite of the magnum opus if you will, or great work of art. You may recognize the term from the introduction that E.B. White wrote for the 1979 edition of "The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. As White wrote, this book "was Will Strunk's parvum opus, his attempt to cut the vast triangle of English rhetoric down to size and write its rules and principles on the head of a pin." 

My favorite edition of this jewel of a book is the one illustrated by Maira Kalman.

For an NPR interview with Kalman, click on the kink below and enjoy!
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4985137


For more information on our Parvum Opus, we invite you to email us at: info@parvumopus.com or visit the bindery's website, www.parvumopus.com