[24] leaves. No. 89 of a limited ed. of 250.

John Betjeman was born and brought up in North London. He began writing poetry at school and continued at Oxford, where he made the acquaintance of the poets W. H. Auden and Louis MacNiece. He developed a strong interest in architecture and was a founder member of the Victorian Society in 1958. In 1960 he was awarded The Queen’s Medal for Poetry and in 1972 he was appointed Poet Laureate. Betjeman was already a well-known figure due to his regular appearances on television and this appointment ensured his poetry, written in a humorous and accessible style, reached a very wide audience.

The Gleniffer Press was set up in Scotland in 1968 and mainly produced miniature hand-made books. In 1979, the press made what is still the smallest letterpress book in the world; an edition of 'Three Blind Mice'. Their titles include 'The Wee Burns' and 'Squidgy Chocolate Cake' by Delia Smith, 'Thumbykin' by Hans Christian Andersen and a 6.5cm tall edition of the New Testament.

This book was produced in 1976 and contains 6 poems, picked by Betjeman himself. Many of this limited run of books were given to friends of Betjeman. The volume was presented to the Royal Library by the publishers in 1977.