[Rarebooks] FS: Key early work on caring for the blind. Paris: 1786

[Karmbooks at aol.com]

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
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Email: karmbooks at aol.com