The latest addition to the AAUGH.com library is another Peanuts book in Braille, the system of raised-dot printing for the blind. This is an edition of Here’s Snoopy, a 1988 storybook for kids. Unlike the American Brotherhood for the Blind editions, this doesn’t include raised pictures… or even unraised pictures. Each spread of the book has the text and a description of a picture in Braille on the right hand side, and the exact same text and description in standard printed characters on the left. This makes for quite an oddity – a Peanuts book with no pictures at all!
(That’s not the only oddity; it’s also probably the only official Peanuts book where Schulz’s name is misspelled as “Schultz” on the title page… and yes, the misspelling is there in the Braille as well as in the standard printed text.)
And also unlike the American Brotherhood for the Blind editions, which were only meant for libraries, you can actually purchase this Braille book. Go to http://www.braillebookstore.com/Books-for-Preschoolers2.htm and go down the booklist in alphabetic order until you find Here’s Snoopy. From the drop-list there, you can select any of four editions: one with printed text and “grade 2” Braille (which means Braille with some abbreviations built in), which is what I have; one with printed text and “grade 1” Braille (no abbreviations); and editions with either grade 2 or grade 1 Braille with no printed text. The printed-and-braille editions are $13.95, the Braille-only ones are $7.95. And a cool part of the bargain: if you order one of these in the US or Canada, there are no shipping charges, because the postal systems are required to ship Braille books for free.
