Twenty-year-old Louis Braille first published his idea of using dots as the basis of a tactile alphabet for the blind in 1829.
Braille, who had been blind from the age of three, had recently finished his schooling at the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris and was earning his living as a part-time teacher and church organist.
The National Federation of the Blind was fortunate in being able to borrow a rare copy of the book, entitled Procédé pour Écrire les Paroles, la Musique et le Plain-Chant au Moyen de Points à l'Usage des Aveugles et Disposé pour Eux, which is translated as Procedure for Writing Words, Music, and Plainsong in Dots, in time for the celebration of Braille's 200th birthday in 2009. Our staff took photos of each page of the book, transcribed the French original, and translated the text into English.
We are pleased to present this first electronic edition of Louis Braille's revolutionary masterpiece of 1829, the book that made true literacy possible for the blind.
- See images of the book, Procedure for Writing Words, Music, and Plainsong in Dots, accompanied by transcription and translation of each page
- Read the entire book, Procedure for Writing Words, Music, and Plainsong in Dots in the English translation of the original French
- Read the entire book, Procedure for Writing Words, Music, and Plainsong in Dots in the original French transcription
More Information
For more information, please email us at [email protected] or call 410-659-9314, extension 2310.