An editorial selection by Form & Paper. Publisher specifications checked October 18, 2026. Researched, not hands-on tested.
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A small shelf asks a useful question: which book deserves the space? Start with a subject you will return to, then check the exact edition. A book that fits but goes unopened has not solved much.
The short answer. For everyday design, begin with The Design Book. For a flower arranger, consider Flower Color Guide. For art discovery, look at Great Women Artists in compact format. All three are under 190 mm tall in the publisher specifications. Shelf depth, spine thickness and the room to take a book out still need checking.
This is a focused comparison of three Phaidon editions already in our researched catalog, not a survey of every compact art book. Its purpose is to separate three questions that shopping photographs tend to blur: what will fit, what will be comfortable to use, and what you actually want to read.
Small books, compared on the same scale.
163 × 123 mm
178 × 127 mm
188 × 162 mm
Swipe the table to compare all details.
| Book | Size in millimeters | Approx. inches | Edition / ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Design Book | 163 × 123 | 6.42 × 4.84 | Hardback 9781838661434 |
| Flower Color Guide | 178 × 127 | 7.01 × 5.00 | American English paperback 9780714877556 |
| Great Women Artists | 188 × 162 | 7.40 × 6.38 | Compact hardback 9781837291434 |
Measure the shelf, not the photograph.
For an upright book: compare the shelf’s clear vertical opening with book height. The front-cover width normally runs from the spine toward the back of the shelf, so it matters to shelf depth. Spine thickness determines how much horizontal shelf run the book occupies; do not substitute cover width for thickness.
For a book lying flat: the cover dimensions describe its closed footprint. Thickness determines stack height. Check usable depth, doors, brackets and nearby objects rather than measuring the outer dimensions of the furniture.
Leave room to use it: a nominal fit is not the same as an easy fit. Allow room for fingers and removal. The sources used here do not establish thickness, weight or the exact space required to open each binding, so we do not calculate stack height or guarantee a fit.
What the extra width changes.
The compact Great Women Artists is 39 mm wider than The Design Book. Its closed-cover area is about 52% greater: 188 × 162 compared with 163 × 123 mm. That is a calculation of cover area, not a measure of image quality, shelf-run occupancy or how much better a book is.
For example, with a 200 mm clear vertical opening, a 188 mm book leaves only 12 mm above it before allowing for handling or uneven surfaces. Measure the actual space and consider how you will remove the book. If a title requires an awkward arrangement every time you reach for it, another format may serve the room better.
01The Design Book
For the person who notices everyday objects
This is our smallest selection by height and width. Phaidon’s revised reference brings together more than 500 designs, with images and short contextual entries. Choose it for someone who enjoys asking who made an ordinary object and why it took that shape.
Before you choose. A compact reference makes more sense here than a large display book. Choose a larger format if generous reproductions are the main attraction; the smaller page is a trade-off, not an upgrade.
- Edition
- Hardback · 544 pages
- Closed size
- 163 × 123 mm
- ISBN
- 9781838661434
Source: Phaidon edition and specifications. Checked October 18, 2026.
View on Amazon: The Design Book (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
02Flower Color Guide
For someone who thinks in color
Taylor and Michael Putnam organize this reference around flower color. Its 178 × 127 mm format offers a different reason to keep a small book nearby: returning to a palette rather than working through a continuous narrative.
Before you choose. Choose it for an existing interest in arranging flowers. It is not a promise that a particular flower will be available locally. Match the American English edition and keep paper away from the wet work of arranging.
- Edition
- Paperback · 484 pages
- Closed size
- 178 × 127 mm
- ISBN
- 9780714877556
Source: Phaidon edition and specifications. Checked October 18, 2026.
View on Amazon: Flower Color Guide (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
03Great Women Artists: Compact Format
For an art-curious reader
This compact edition is an alphabetical introduction to more than 400 artists, pairing artworks with short texts. It is the broad art choice in this shortlist, with more page width than the other two.
Before you choose. Choose it for discovering artists to explore further. For a sustained account of one artist or period, start with a monograph instead. Confirm the compact-format ISBN; the title also exists in a larger format.
- Edition
- Hardback · 460 pages
- Closed size
- 188 × 162 mm
- ISBN
- 9781837291434
Source: Phaidon edition and specifications. Checked October 18, 2026.
View on Amazon: Great Women Artists: Compact Format (affiliate link, opens in a new tab)
When a larger book is the better choice.
If you want photographs to occupy more of your field of view, do not choose solely by the smallest footprint. A dedicated reading surface may make a larger book workable even in a small home. Our six-book gift edit compares larger architectural and garden books alongside compact references. Choose the reading experience first, then decide where it will live.
Three checks before ordering.
Is “compact” enough to identify the edition? No. Match the ISBN in the table, the language and the binding. Similar titles and covers can belong to different formats.
Can the pages be held open comfortably? These specifications do not answer that. We have not handled these copies. If opening behavior matters, look for a reliable edition-specific preview or inspect a copy before ordering.
What else should I confirm? Check the selected edition, seller, current price, availability and delivery on Amazon. A listing can offer multiple formats. This guide does not display prices or make live stock claims.
How we made this comparison.
We checked the three linked publisher pages on October 18, 2026. The rectangles use the same scale, with the first listed dimension treated as height and the second as width for these portrait-format editions. Area and inch conversions are our calculations. The recommendations are editorial judgments based on documented subject and format, not physical testing. No manufacturer supplied a rating or a promise that a book will fit your furniture.
For a gift that follows a familiar habit, explore our thoughtful host gifts. Or return to Books to choose by curiosity, then by space. Read How We Choose for our research approach.