W. and R. Chambers, An Introduction to the Science of Astronomy (Glasgow: Printed in the Asylum at the Institution Press by John Alston 1841). Book, Alston type. Dimensions: 181 x 511 x 65mm (open)

RNIB Collection Acc No: L1/2

Credit: RNIB

The Glasgow Asylum was an early publisher of secular as well as spiritual works, intended to help raise the moral sensibility of their readers. This textbook provides an introduction to astronomy, exploring topics including planetary systems, stars, and the hemisphere. It privileges, however, a sighted perspective, describing for example the action of bringing a telescope to the eye to enhance vision. Early discussion of embossed books is permeated by an anxiety around the relationship between sight and touch. Alston himself stated that knowledge obtained by touch ‘must, of course, be acquired much more slowly than that acquired by sight’.

A relief image of this work is available in the exhibition.

References:

John Alston, Statements of the Education, Employments and Internal Arrangements, Adopted at the Asylum for the Blind, Glasgow (Glasgow: the Asylum for the Blind; John Smith & Son, 1837)

Object description:

This book is open on an embossed illustration and some embossed writing in capital letters on the right hand page. A reversed embossed illustration can be seen and felt on the left hand page. The illustration on the right page is titled at the top centre of the page ‘Fig. 4’. Below this the text ‘North Pole’ is embossed, and below that a circle representing the earth stretches down to approximately the bottom quarter of the page. Underneath the circle is the text ‘South Pole’: to the left of the outer edge of the circle is the text ‘West’ and to the right is ‘East’. The circle has five embossed horizontal lines running across it – one through the centre and two lines either side that representing the main lines of latitude.  Each line is labelled above it.  From the top of the circle to the bottom the labels are as follows: ‘Arctic Circle’, ‘Tropic of Cancer’, ‘Equator’, ‘Tropic of Capricorn’ and ‘Antarctic Circle’. A vertical embossed line runs through the centre of the circle from top to bottom cutting through the horizontal lines and is not labelled.  A further diagonal line runs through the centre of the circle joining the outside edges of ‘Tropic of Cancer’ on the right hand side to the outer edge of the ‘Tropic of Capricorn’ on the left hand side.  This line is labelled ‘Ecliptic’.  On the far left of the main illustration near the binding edge is a semi-circular line representing the surface of the earth.  Above this line are lots of short lines representing waves.  On the waves are three sailing ships sailing around the edge of the world. [End description]