[Rarebooks] FS: Key early work on caring for the blind. Paris: 1786
Karmbooks at aol.com
Karmbooks at aol.com
Thu Jun 3 12:45:16 EDT 2004
Hauy, Valentin. ESSAI SUR L’EDUCATION DES AVEUGLES, ou Expose de Differens
Moyens, Verifies par l’Experience, Pour les Mettre en Etat de Lire, a l’Aide
du Tact, d’Imprimer des Livres dans Lesquels Ils Puissent Prendre des
Connoissance de Langues, d’Histoire, de Geographie, de Musique, Etc., d’Executer
Differens Travaux Relatifs aux Metiers, Etc… Paris: Imprime par les
Enfans-Aveugles, Sous la Direction de M. Clousier, Imprimeur du Roi. 1786. First edition.
4to. (8),126,16,(38)pp. The actual “Essai” (pp. 1-112) is embossed in raised
italic style type intended to be traced with the fingers. It is printed only on
one side of the leaf, with two leaves then pasted together to form a single
double-sided page. Engraved headpiece. Cont. mottled calf, a bit scuffed, gilt
decorated spine with red calf label and 2 old paper labels. $5,000.00
(trade discount allowed)
The first printed book intended to be read by the blind. Portions of the
raised type that have not been flattened over time can still be easily traced with
the fingers. See Garrison & Morton #5833 (“to him belongs the honour of being
the first to emboss paper as a means of reading for the blind”). Norman
#1023. The copy in the Norman collection is described with “a ‘frontispiece’
consisting of a slip of paper embossed with raised characters, mounted to size.”
This may be something special, as there is no mention of this slip in the N.U.C,
or OCLC’s World Cat, and our copy as well as the other currently in the trade
do not contain the slip. Only 1 copy in the past 35 years has come up at
auction (AMERICAN BOOK PRICES CURRENT).
Kenneth Karmiole, Bookseller, Inc.
P.O. Box 464
Santa Monica, CA 90406
Tel. (310) 451-4342; Fax. (310) 458-5930
Email: karmbooks at aol.com
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