[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.
Collection:
Rare Books and Manuscripts
Copyright Status:
Copyright Not Evaluated
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.
Subject Terms:
Glasgow Cathedral (Glasgow, Scotland) | Blind -- Printing and writing systems -- Specimens.
Form/Genre:
Books for the visually impaired. | Broadsides. | Embossed prints.
Contributors:
Alston, John, 1778-1846, printer. | Glasgow Asylum for the Blind.