Scout Editions pour their heart and soul into super-cute new book, Mini Stories

How cute is this? Go on a mini adventure, with this fun and beautifully illustrated book from London design agency Scout Editions.

Written By: Tom May

8 June 2023

Multiple Mini Stories books by Scout Editions arranged on a white surface, each featuring minimalist illustrated covers including a tree, flower, sun, and other everyday objects in vibrant colours

We've long been admirers of online bookshop and publisher Counterprint at Creative Boom. Since being founded by designers Céline Leterme and Jon Dowling in 2008, its whose colourful and perfectly formed little books have never failed to delight. So we were thrilled to see their latest title released today.

Mini Stories is the creation of Scout Editions, a paper goods design and brand studio in London with a passion for RISO printing and vibrant, colourful illustration. And it's a super-cute illustrated book that delves into the back stories of the everyday objects and phenomena that surround us.

Eight Mini Stories book covers arranged in a grid, each featuring vibrant illustrations of everyday objects including a plant, flower, bird, apple, tree, sun, leaves and geometric shapes

Open pages of Mini Stories book showing illustrated golden hour sun and rainbow with explanatory text

Open book spread showing illustrated pencil with black tip, beige shaft, green wavy middle section and pink base, alongside text about pencils

Open book showing a colourful illustration of a house on the left page and a Dalmatian dog on the right page, with descriptive text alongside

Did you know, for instance, that ice cream cones were invented during the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, Missouri, when an ice cream vendor sought help from a nearby waffle vendor due to overwhelming demand? Or that the largest-ever knitting needles were made by Elizabeth Bond and measure 4.46m long with a diameter of 9cm?

Mini Stories' is brimming with such intriguing tidbits, spanning from the natural world's wonders to the innovative creations of humankind.

And these bite-sized anecdotes are accompanied by a stunning array of illustrations, originally printed on a RISO printer to impart a unique textural quality, and reproduced expertly here by book photographer Thom Atkinson.

Open spread from Mini Stories showing an illustration of an astronaut on the left page and coloured circles representing the planets on the right page

Open book spread showing a Polaroid camera illustrated in black with a beige lens on the right page, with descriptive text on the left page

Illustration of a synthesizer with a grid layout, coloured buttons and black keys, shown on an open page of Mini Stories book

Open spread of Mini Stories showing densely packed black and white illustrations of everyday objects, tools, clothing and household items surrounding the central text panel

For an extra touch of designer fun, Mini Stories boasts eight distinct bellyband designs, each adorned with a unique illustration from the book, so readers can pick a cover of their choosing. These thoughtfully designed bellybands fold out to reveal a black and white poster showcasing a collection of icons, specially crafted by Scout Editions.

A homage to both the ordinary and extraordinary, this beautiful book features a casebound cover and 288 pages of captivating content. Whether you are a lover of history, an art enthusiast, or simply someone who appreciates the magic hidden in the everyday, it's a great buy, and would make a fun gift as well.

Mini Stories is available now and can be purchased at bookstores, online retailers and directly through the Counterprint website.