If love is blind, then this is its handbook
- By : Nat
- Category : Classic finds, Reviews
This is the latest addition to my Peanuts book collection, and one of the more expensive items I’ve purchased. Some of you who have been reading for years or who were there at my presentation at Beaglefest a few years back might recognize what this is, but there are probably a few of you who are saying “hey, it just looks like someone took a normal copy of Love is Walking Hand in Hand, chopped off the spine, and re-bound it with a comb binding.
And you’d be right. Mostly.
What makes this book special is what they added. This was a book reworked by the American Brotherhood For The Blind as part of their Twin-Vision line, adapting published books for the blind. They insert pages in Braille, so that blind folks can read with their fingers.
Now, if you’re familiar with these Determined Production books like this (and, more popularly, Happiness is a Warm Puppy), you know that they’re made of two-page spreads, an adage facing a picture. These Twin Vision books have the adage in Braille…
…and then, turn the page, and there’s Schulz drawing, plus a raised, layered 3-D version of the same!
Dozens of raised Peanuts image – simplified a bit from their print equivalent (you’ll notice that there is no cover image on the comic books violet is reading in the raised version) make this a rather cool item.
I contacted the association that made these years ago, and they told me there were five Peanuts volumes in this series: this one, Happiness is a Warm Puppy, Suppertime, Security is a Thumb and a Blanket, and Christmas is Together-Time. However, that list is incomplete, as I know that Home is on Top of a Dog House also exists. (The Schulz Museum and Research Library has a set, so next time I’m there, I’ll check their titles.) These were never meant for private ownership; they were distributed to libraries and schools for the blind. This copy was given to the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind in 1970. Eventually, these things are either worn out or go unread and get retired, which is how I’ve gotten the ones I’ve gotten – the AAUGH.com Reference Library now has copies of four of these, still missing the Suppertime and Christmas volumes. Frankly, I’m a bit amazed that I’ve gotten this many; they only made about 100 copies of each of these, and they are subject to great wear and tear. (Looking back in my posting history, it looks like I got my first one in February 2002, my previous one in February 2010, and now this arrives today. It’s a short month, but it has its advantages !)
With both The Peanuts Collection and The Snoopy Treasures, I hoped that way could be found ton include one of these raised pages, but no such luck. But if I’m ever at Beaglefest again, I’ll bring another one along so folks can give it a feel.
