The Glasgow Cathedral, [ca. 1840]
- Title(s):
- The Glasgow Cathedral [text (tactile)].
- Published/Created:
- [Glasgow] : Printed in the Asylum at the Institution Press, by John Alston, Honorary Treasurer, [ca. 1840]
- Physical Description:
- 1 sheet ([1] p.) : ill. ; 33 x 27 cm.
- Holdings:
- Unable to reach service. Holdings currently not available
- Copyright Status:
- Copyright Not Evaluated
- Full Orbis Record:
- http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/10126399
- Classification:
- Books
- Notes:
- In 1832, the Edinburgh Society of Arts offered a gold medal for the best method of printing for the blind. The medal was awarded to Dr Edmund Fry, of London, for a plain roman letter which, slightly modified later, became very popular in Britain and North America. Fry's type was adopted, with modifications, by John Alston, of the Glasgow Asylum for the Blind, who established a printing press and published the first Bible in raised type (in 19 volumes, 1839-1840). Alston's types were cut in very sharp, thin faces in two sizes, Great Primer for ordinary use and Double Pica for learners and older readers whose fingers were insufficiently sensitive to cope with the smaller type. Alston type was also used at the School for the Blind in Paris before the adoption of Braille.
Broadside, printed in raised "Alston type," with an embossed vignette of the Glasgow Cathedral at head. The text describes the cathedral as "perhaps the most splendid edifice, & entire specimen of our ancient architecture, that is to be found in Scotland," giving details about its foundation and physical dimensions. - Subject Terms:
- Blind -- Printing and writing systems -- Specimens.Glasgow Cathedral (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Form/Genre:
- Books for the visually impaired.
Broadsides.
Embossed prints. - Export:
- XML