The Talking Book

THE TALKING BOOK With the development of the Talking Book, a new reading medium for blind people is introduced which eventually will tend to reduce further the gap between the amount of instructional and leisure-time reading matter available to blind and to seeing people. One of the problems in teaching in schools for the blind has been that of making available to their students a large amount of worthwhile literature. Braille has been, and will continue to be, a valuable means of furnishing this type of material to students, and recent years have witnessed a substantial growth in the amount of braille literature available. However, finger reading has certain disadvantages, such as its ineffectiveness for group reading, and the relatively slow speed with which the average student can read. The Talking Book will enable the average blind student to listen to reading material at a rate similar to that used in oral reading, which is about twice as fast as his speed in reading braille. To the Editor, there seem to be two possible fields in which the Talking Book may be used in schools for the blind; namely, literature for general reading during leisure hours-particularly in the dormitories-and classroom instructional material. With the establishment by the Library of Congress of Talking Book libraries throughout the country, the first field of use will soon be realized ; the second must wait on further experimentation and research. The Talking Book reproducer is a combination electric radio and phonograph, measuring about 20 by 15 by 9 inches, and is entirely enclosed in a single unit, so that, when closed, it may be carried as is a suitcase. By throwing a small switch the machine is converted from a reading machine into a radio. The instrument is also equipped with various controls which allow for variation in speed of reading and in tone and volume, of both radio and Talking Book reproducer. It also contains a device by which it is possible to play ordinary records. The records are light in weight, durable, and are designed to give a maximum amount of service with a minimum amount of wear. Each record will play for approximately eighteen minutes on each side. A novel of average length will require from ten to twelve double-faced records.