48th Annual Report of Moon’s Society, For Embossing & Circulating the Holy Scriptures and other Useful Books, &c., in Dr. Moon’s Type for the Blind (1896). Annual Report. Dimensions: 210 x 270 x 5mm (open)
RNIB Collection Acc No: A1/1
Credit: RNIB
Moon attributed part of the early success of his embossing project to his technological innovations, inventing in the 1840s a stereotype cheap to manufacture but which was robust enough to withstand printing several editions of the Bible. This annual report, published shortly after Moon’s death in 1894, shows the continued technological development of his embossing system, which required the Society to move twice to larger premises. Supporters argued its relationship to the Roman alphabet made it easier to learn by people with acquired sight loss. It is one of the few systems from the nineteenth century other than braille still in limited use today.
Object Description:
Credit: RNIB
This pamphlet is open on pages 2-3. Page 2 contains a large image, which is orientated from the bottom of the page to the top, rather than from left to right. ‘194, Queen’s road, Brighton’ is written above the image. Below the image is written: ‘Embossing Room. Showing the machinery used for embossing the Books for the Blind, also some of the drawers in which many thousands of the stereotyped plates are kept in readiness for immediate use’. The image itself is shows a room which contains machinery and two young male operatives (about twenty years in age). The men are positioned next to each other at the bottom left hand side of the image, facing a window on the opposite side of the room (towards the top of the right hand side of the image). Behind them on their left are a series of drawers. Both men wear white aprons over their clothes (waistcoats over white shirts – their trousers are not visible). The man closest to us holds what looks like paper in his hand. In front of them to the right is a large mechanical printing wheel. Page 3 contains text and a small photographic portrait titled ‘The Late Dr. Moon’, set in an oval frame and positioned within the text block about half way down the page on the left hand side. Text transcription: ‘Report. More than a year has now elapsed since the beloved Founder of this Society entered into rest; and in looking back upon that period, Miss Moon perceives with gratitude, how the hand of God has guided and directed her day by day in the work her much loved Father left her to carry on for those afflicted ones in whom he was so deeply interested, and with whom he suffered. Oftentimes has she felt a yearning for the counsel and encouragement she had been so accustomed to receive on every occasion whilst assisting her dear Parent; but she gratefully realises that a Mightier Counsellor has ever been near to advise her, and that His goodness and mercy have followed her throughout the trying year that is now past. Such being the case she is encouraged to believe that, as the days and months and years roll on (should she be spared to continue the Work), she will still be graciously supported by the hand of a loving Father who will incline the hearts of His dear people to contribute cheerfully of their substance, so that the Blind of every nation may have the Gospel of Life presented to them in the simplest of all Embossed types, one [end transcription].