Collections Connections - January 2026

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January 2026

The Man from Coupvray, Monsieur Louis Braille   

The future inventor, educator and gifted organist Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in the community of Coupvray, on the outskirts of Paris. An accident in his father’s workshop and a subsequent infection led to his total blindness by the age of 5. An exceptional and driven student, he was accepted into the Institution Royale des Jeunes Aveugles (the Royal Institute for Blind Youth) in France, where, as a precocious inventor at the age of 15, he developed a new writing system of tactile code using six raised dots. His system lent itself equally well to text, numerical and musical notation. Subsequently named after him, braille code went on to revolutionize literacy for people with visual impairments around the world.

After years of service as an educator in the very institute where he was taught, Louis Braille died at the relatively young age of 43 of tuberculosis. Though his tactile writing system did not achieve the widespread adoption in his own lifetime, he has nevertheless now reached a legendary — almost mythological — status. The flesh and blood Louis Braille was a living example of the impact of determined and inspired human action and scientific innovation. His life journey came full circle when he was buried in his hometown in 1852.

Louis Braille´s birth date of January 4th is now recognized as World Braille Day, when the legacy of his invention is celebrated globally. As braille enters the 202nd year since its inception, this issue of Collections Connections honors the man, the myth and his singular innovation of six raised dots that has enriched the lives of millions.

Braille literacy in the 21st century remains a vital concern for persons with visual impairment and an issue close to the heart of NLS. We invite you to learn more about this exceptional man and his transformational tactile language system as we heartily salute Monsieur Braille. In keeping with the scientific and methodical approach of the gentleman from Coupvray, this issue of Collections Connections will reverse our usual order of our book listings, so as to begin with nonfiction works.

Nonfiction
Fiction
Library of Congress Resources
Quick Picks from NLS Librarians, Newly Available on BARD

Nonfiction                                                  Return to top 

The Man from Coupvray

The Reading Fingers: Life of Louis Braille 1809-1852 BR14555
Roblin, Jean
1 volume

First authoritative English-language biography of the French inventor of braille text. Covers Braille's family background and how he became blind. Discusses his education, love for music and contribution to intellectual advancement through his raised-dot system for reading. Translated from French. American Foundation for the Blind.

Triumph over Darkness: The Life of Louis Braille DB68015
Bickel, Lennard
6 hours, 17 minutes. Read by Alexander Strain.

Biography of Frenchman Louis Braille (1809-1852), who perfected a raised-dot alphabet code named in his honor when he was only 15. Discusses the development of the system of reading and writing that opened the world of learning for blind people.
BR17820 2 volumes.

Other braille edition:
BRC00598 3 volumes. Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.

Louis Braille DBC25015
Roblin, Jean
1 hour, 25 minutes. Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Read by Jane Voros.

A poignant story of the man who developed the braille system of printing for the blind. Recorded from the 1960 edition published by the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

The Man from Coupvray, for Young Adults

Louis Braille: A Touch of Genius DB63350
Mellor, C. Michael
8 hours, 15 minutes. Read by Laura Giannarelli.

Biography of Louis Braille (1809-1852), a blind Frenchman who by age 16 designed a code of raised dots enabling blind people to read and write easily. Discusses his schooling, his love of music and the advantages of his tactile reading system. For junior and senior high and older readers. BR16790 4 volumes.

Louis Braille: Windows for the Blind DB09596
Kugelmass, J. Alvin
3 hours, 3 minutes. Read by Michael Moodie.

Biography of the inventor of the system of reading that opened the world of books to the blind. Though Braille's revolutionary innovation remained unrecognized during his lifetime, it is now used in every language and in every country throughout the world. For high school and adult readers.

The Man from Coupvray, for Kids

Louis Braille: Inventor DB46863
Bryant, Jen
2 hours, 58 minutes. Read by Janis Gray.

Recounts the life of Louis Braille who, at 15, created a system of raised dots that allows blind persons to read and write. Describes Louis's childhood, the accident that caused his blindness, the support he received from his family, and his education, which led to his creation of the braille alphabet. For grades 5-8 and older readers.
BR11716 1 volume.

Louis Braille DB26767
Keeler, Stephen
0 hours, 35 minutes. Read by Sylvia Grandmaison.

Blinded at the age of three, Louis Braille was a hardworking, dedicated teacher at the Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. He developed a simple system of reading and writing for blind people. Although he died unknown and before his system was accepted, today it is used around the world. For grades 2-4.

Louis Braille, the Boy Who Invented Books for the Blind DB41325
Davidson, Margaret
1 hour, 14 minutes. Read by Brian Conn.

Louis Braille was blinded in an accident at the age of three in the early 1800s. His desire to learn earned him a place at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris. Young Louis's excitement at being in the school was dampened by the tedious method of using raised letters to read. Louis developed the dot alphabet now called braille. For grades 3-6.
BR18623 1 volume. Uncontracted braille.

Also:
BR09495 1 volume.

A Picture Book of Louis Braille DB53405
Adler, David A.
0 hours, 15 minutes. Read by Erik Sandvold.

Presents the life of the 19th-century Frenchman who was accidentally blinded as a child. Louis Braille originated the raised dot system of reading and writing used throughout the world by visually impaired individuals. For grades K-3.

Out of Darkness: The Story of Louis Braille DB44992
Freedman, Russell
1 hour, 12 minutes. Read by Ray Hagen.

Louis Braille accidentally blinded himself with one of his father's tools when he was three years old. In 1819, at the age of 10, Braille began attending the Royal National Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, where, by the age of 15, he had developed a system of raised dots for reading and writing that is now used worldwide by blind people. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
BR11319 1 volume.

Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille DB86519
Bryant, Jen
0 hours, 30 minutes. Read by Peter Holdway.

A narrative biography of Louis Braille, who lost his sight as a young child while playing in his father's workshop. After being exposed to coded military messages at the Royal School for the Blind in Paris, Louis invented his own alphabet — a system for writing using six dots. For grades K-3.
BR21722 1 volume. Unified English Braille.

The World at His Fingertips: A Story About Louis Braille DB69606
O'Connor, Barbara
0 hours, 57 minutes. Read by Steven Carpenter.

A biography of Frenchman Louis Braille (1809-1852), who was accidentally blinded as a child and who as a teenager developed an alphabet of raised dots. Relates his struggle to gain government backing for the reading and writing system that is now called "braille" in his honor. For grades 3-6. 1997.

Another version:
The World at His Fingertips: A Story About Louis Braille DBC04206  
O'Connor, Barbara
0 hours, 55 minutes. Read by Eleanor Crawford. A production of the Braille and Talking Book Library, Perkins School for the Blind.

Some Impacts of the Man from Coupvray in the United States

The Unseen Minority: A Social History of Blindness in America DB37927
Koestler, Frances A.
29 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Esther Benson.

Examines U.S. contributions toward improving the condition of blind individuals. Discusses the invention of braille and the origins of the talking book. Includes portraits of Louis Braille of France, Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan Macy and Dorothy Eustis, as well as detailed accounts of mid-twentieth-century federal and state legislation.
BR19219 8 volumes.

Some Impacts of the Man from Coupvray, for Kids

All About Braille: Reading by Touch BR15653
Jeffrey, Laura S.
1 volume

Discusses Helen Keller, Louis Braille and other noted blind persons, including mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer and musicians Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. Provides information on learning braille, using computers with braille displays and walking with a cane or guide dog. For grades 3-6 and older readers.

Also:
Talking with Kids: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Blindness DBC16405 Nash, Brian K. 1 hour, 10 minutes. Read by Atticus Barnes. A production of Wolfner Talking Book and Braille Library. For grades 2-4.

Some Inspirational Man from Coupvray, for Kids

The Kid Who Named Pluto: And the Stories of Other Extraordinary Young People in Science DB58645
McCutcheon, Marc
1 hour, 31 minutes. Read by Lou Grenville.

Profiles of nine students whose scientific inventions made an impact on the world. Includes Louis Braille, who developed a way for blind people to read and write; Philo Farnsworth, who made the first television design; and prolific science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. For grades 4-7.

Also:
The Children's Book of Faith DB51656 Various authors. 2 hours, 3 minutes. Read by Rick Foucheux. For grades 2-4 and older readers.
Mightier Than the Sword: Rebels, Reformers, and Revolutionaries Who Changed the World Through Writing DBC24886 Melander, Rochelle. 4 hours, 53 minutes. Read by Rochelle Melander. A production of the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library. For grades 3-6.
Stories for Boys Who Dare to be Different: True Tales of Amazing Boys Who Changed the World Without Killing Dragons DB92416 Brooks, Ben. 3 hours, 1 minute. Read by Thomas Judd and Josh Higgott. For grades 3-6.

Braille Code Futures

Braille into the Next Millennium DB50969
Various authors 
16 hours, 47 minutes. Read by Annie Wauters.

Essays examining the history and future of braille include such topics as the development of the literary, Nemeth, and music codes; braille production; legal issues; library service; and literacy and computer access concerns. Edited by Judith Dixon, with a foreword by Frank Kurt Cylke and a preface by Kenneth Jernigan. BR13188 4 volumes. Unified English Braille Code.

Unified English Braille

The Rules of Unified English Braille BR25717
Horspool, Matthew
1 volume. Unified English Braille.

"The Rules of Unified English Braille is the definitive UEB rulebook produced by the International Council on English Braille (ICEB). This third edition, released in 2024, supersedes the second edition published in 2013. This edition introduces several new features including: a comprehensive index of all rules; use of Unicode braille patterns for all examples; and the addition of many more cross references. All changes to the UEB code since 2013 have been incorporated into this new edition." — Provided by publisher.

Also:
The ABCs of UEB: A Guide for the Transition from English Braille American Edition (EBAE) to the Rules of Unified English Braille (UEB) BRE00095 Risjord, Constance. 1 volume. Unified English Braille. A production of the Braille Authority of North America.

Historical Context — The Development of English-Language Braille Codes

The War of the Dots BR10878
Irwin, Robert B.
1 volume

Recounts the struggle to achieve a uniform type for English-speaking blind readers. Discusses various raised-type systems, from embossed Roman letters used in the 1830s to the establishment of Standard English Braille in 1932.

Braille Memoir

Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law DB96188
Girma, Haben
7 hours, 32 minutes. Read by the author.

The autobiography of the first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School. Girma describes her childhood, world travels, development of a text-to-braille communication system, and time at Harvard Law, as well as the ways she uses her talents to advocate for those with disabilities.
BR22702 3 volumes. Unified English Braille.

Also:
The Braille Encyclopedia: Brief Essays on Altered Sight DBC31623 Cohn, Naomi. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 3 hours, 11 minutes. A production of Minnesota State Services for the Blind, Communication Center. For high school and Adult.
Connecting Dots: A Blind Life BR26195 Miele, Joshua Alexander; Jamieson, Wendell. 4 volumes. Unified English Braille.
Blinded, But Now I See: It's Not Just About Me BR25739 Morin, Jane E. 1 volume. Unified English Braille.

Braille Literacy Advocacy

The World Under My Fingers: Personal Reflections on Braille BR10436
Pierce, Barbara
1 volume

Aimed at convincing parents of children with low vision to expose them to braille. Firsthand accounts of people who have either depended on braille all of their lives or who were denied braille instruction and "have paid the price of that neglect for years." A contributor explains that reading print is like listening to a distant radio station with static, while reading braille is like sitting in a symphony hall.

Also:
Making It Work: Educating the Blind/Visually Impaired Student in the Regular School DB65756 Castellano, Carol. 8 hours, 0 minutes. Read by Michele Schaeffer.
Seeing Beyond Blindness DB65093 Kinash, Shelley. 10 hours, 58 minutes. BR17387 3 volumes.
We Know Who We Are: A History of the Blind in Challenging Educational and Socially Constructed Policies: A Study in Policy Archeology DB65455 Ferguson, Ronald J. 9 hours, 0 minutes. Read by Patrick Downer. BR17501 3 volumes.

Braille: Slate and Stylus

The Slate Book: A Guide to the Slate and Stylus BR13457
Dunnam, Jennifer
1 volume

Advocates the use of the slate and stylus as a means of taking braille notes before learning electronic methods. Provides suggestions and exercises to assist in becoming proficient in this skill, which is equivalent to writing with a pen or pencil.

Practical Application of Braille in Everyday Life

Label It! Braille and Audio Strategies for Identifying Items at Home and Work DB67704 Dixon, Judith M.
2 hours, 27 minutes. Read by Madelyn Buzzard.

Advocates investing time and energy to label items to organize one's environment and make daily life more manageable. Offers tips on methods, tools, and materials for creating labels for apparel, medications, food containers, appliances and miscellaneous items.

Some of the Scientific Cutting Edge, in the Time of Louis Braille

Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age DB60460 Essinger, James
8 hours, 53 minutes. Read by Erin Jones.

Links a 19th-century invention by Frenchman Joseph-Marie Jacquard (1752-1834) to modern-day computers. Identifies Jacquard's loom, which used perforated cards to store instructions and control weaving, as one of the world's first automated programs. Profiles other pioneers, including English mathematician Charles Babbage, who helped transform programming concepts into information-age prototypes.

Also:
The Ice Finders: How a Poet, a Professor, and a Politician Discovered the Ice Age BR13250 Bolles, Edmund Blair. 2 volumes.
The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends Who Transformed Science and Changed the World DB73415 Snyder, Laura. 19 hours, 59 minutes. Read by Dan Bloom.
Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics DB78973 Forbes, Nancy; Mahon, Basil. 11 hours, 29 minutes. Read by Gary Telles.
The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments DB67102 Johnson, George. 4 hours, 36 minutes. Read by Butch Hoover.

Some of the Scientific Cutting Edge, in the Time of Louis Braille, for Kids

Dreaming in Code: Ada Byron Lovelace, Computer Pioneer DB94287
McCully, Emily Arnold
3 hours, 0 minutes. Read by Emily Arnold McCully.

Reveals how the daughter of Lord Byron, Britain's most infamous Romantic poet, became the world's first computer programmer. Raised in isolation and tutored by the brightest minds, Ada developed a hunger for mental puzzles and mathematical conundrums that led to future computer programming concepts. For grades 5-8.
BR22654 2 volumes.

Also:
Ada Lovelace DB107019 Jeapes, Ben. 2 hours, 43 minutes. Read by Marietta DePrima.  
Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine DB85167 Wallmark, Laurie. 0 hours, 21 minutes. Read by Erin Jones. For grades K-3.

Fiction                                                                  Return to top 

Fiction About Braille Code, for Kids

Braille Boy DBC30394
Sampson, ZuZu
0 hours, 7 minutes. Read by Jacque Troy.  A production of the Wisconsin Talking Book and Braille Library.

Written by a second-grade student, this is the story of a sci-fi superhero battling a mischievous alien to save braille from being ruined. For preschool-grade 2.
BR25730 1 volume. Unified English Braille.

Braille Literacy Fiction, for Kids

The Secret Code BR12369
Rau, Dana Meachen
1 volume

The class is learning to read, but Oscar has a special book with bumps instead of letters. Oscar is blind, and he shares his knowledge of reading braille with his friends. For preschool-grade 2.

Also:
Just Read! BR25054 Degman, Lori. 1 volume. Unified English Braille.

Contemporary Braille Mystery

The Braille Killer: An Alice Bergman Novel DB124174
Kuhnley, Daniel
10 hours, 44 minutes. Read by Daniel Kuhnley and TJ Spehar.

"Blind at birth, Alice Bergman's sight has been restored — but her childhood struggles and the assault she endured have never been forgotten. For the last 10 years, she's been secretly receiving letters from her attacker-letters written in braille. Now a homicide detective, Alice is assigned a murder case. The victim? A blind girl. The scene is preternaturally clean, far more than can be explained in any rational way. Alice is able to relive the girl's last moments — but she can't see the girl's killer. That doesn't matter, though. Alice knows the killer is the same person who attacked her as a teen." — Provided by publisher.

Also in the Alice Bergman series by Daniel Kuhnley:
The Night Mauler DB124998 9 hours, 20 minutes. Read by Daniel Kuhnley and TJ Spehar.
The Chrono Slasher DB125315 8 hours, 39 minutes. Read by TJ Spehar.
Birth of a Killer: An Alice Bergman Novella DB117454 4 hours, 50 minutes. Read by TJ Spehar.

Bestselling Authors and Blockbusters of Louis Braille´s Time

Victor Hugo (1802-1885)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame DB28784
Hugo, Victor
18 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld.

This historical romance, set in 1482, concerns Quasimodo, the hunchback bell-ringer of the Paris cathedral of Notre Dame, and his love for the gypsy girl Esmerelda.
BR11219 5 volumes.

Also by Hugo, from this era:
Hernani: A Tragedy in Five Acts DB34143 3 hours, 20 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld. BR08655 1 volume.

Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870)

The Three Musketeers DB64277
26 hours, 41 minutes. Read by Frank Coffee.

Seventeenth-century France. D'Artagnan arrives in Paris, determined to join the king's bodyguards. He duels with each of the three musketeers — Athos, Porthos, and Aramis — and becomes their close friend. Their swashbuckling escapades occur amid court intrigues dominated by Cardinal Richelieu. A translation by Richard Pevear. 
BR17264 6 volumes.

Also in Dumas' The d'Artagnan Romances series:
Twenty Years After DB91723 27 hours, 58 minutes. Read by Frederick Davidson.
The Vicomte de Bragelonne DB91724 23 hours, 0 minutes. Read by Simon Vance.
The Man in the Iron Mask DB53705 26 hours, 0 minutes. Read by Steven Carpenter.
Another edition:
The Man in the Iron Mask DB15198 10 hours, 58 minutes. Read by Livingston Gilbert.
The Red Sphinx, or, The Comte de Moret DB88780 24 hours, 7 minutes. Read by Gregory Maupin.

Also by Dumas from this era:
The Count of Monte Cristo DB56946 44 hours, 23 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld. BRG04781 1 volume.
Another edition:
The Count of Monte Cristo DB11299 18 hours, 51 minutes. Read by Guy Sorel. BR11938 4 volumes.
Castle Eppstein DB31705 9 hours, 38 minutes. Read by John C Reed. 
Fernande: The Story of a Courtesan DB28947 4 hours, 16 minutes. Read by Laura Giannarelli.
Camille: A Play in Five Acts DB10682 2 hours, 11 minutes. Read by Guy Sorel.
The Queen's Necklace DB56355 15 hours, 30 minutes. Read by Suzanne Toren.
The Black Tulip DB18585 8 hours, 28 minutes. Read by Noah Siegel.

Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850)

Old Goriot DB34559
11 hours, 5 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld.

First published in France in 1835. Anastasie and Delphine, daughters of Goriot, deplete their devoted father's estate when they marry. The ungrateful younger generation alternately humiliates and ignores the old man, finally abandoning him altogether. He is befriended by Rastignac, a law student living in a boarding house. As Goriot is losing touch with the world, Rastignac is learning what money and Parisian society are all about.

Another version:
Pere Goriot DB17442 Balzac, Honoré de. 9 hours, 45 minutes. Read by Guy Sorel.

Also by Balzac:
Eugénie Grandet DB106919 7 hours, 36 minutes. Read by Jonathan Fried.
The Lily of the Valley DB32780 9 hours, 48 minutes. Read by Noah Siegel. BR08644 3 volumes.
Cousin Bette DB34926 16 hours, 55 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld. BR08897 4 volumes.
The Human Comedy: Selected Stories DB105483 17 hours, 47 minutes. Read by Stephen Van Doren.
Droll Stories DB14685 18 hours, 10 minutes. Read by Dale Carter.

Stendhal (1783-1842)

The Red and the Black: A Chronicle of the Nineteenth Century DB24310
20 hours, 40 minutes. Read by Noah Siegel.

French society at the end of the Napoleonic Wars sets the stage for this classic psychological study of an opportunist and the people he uses. Julien Sorel, a handsome and brilliant young tutor, systematically destroys the lives of the people around him as he seeks to fulfill his lust for power and wealth.

Also by Stendhal:
The Pink & the Green; Followed by, Mina de Vanghel DB29534 4 hours, 9 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld.
The Charterhouse of Parma DB49099 21 hours, 19 minutes. Read by Robert Sams.

Another version:
The Charterhouse of Parma DB16346 16 hours, 38 minutes. Read by Jonathan Farwell.

George Sand (1804-1876)

Mauprat DB14285
12 hours, 12 minutes. Read by James DeLotel.

English version of nineteenth-century romantic novel about Bernal de Mauprat, a violent, brutish young man who is driven by love for his cousin, Edmee, to become civilized and well-educated. Contains introductory information about the French author's life and works.

Also by Sand:
Horace DB42526 12 hours, 10 minutes. Read by Steven Carpenter.
Lucrezia Floriani DB39375 8 hours, 16 minutes. Read by Suzanne Toren.
Marianne DB31128 5 hours, 39 minutes. Read by Barbara Caruso.
The Haunted Pool DB15946 3 hours, 51 minutes. Read by Suzanne Toren.  
In Her Own Words DB14271 13 hours, 5 minutes. Read by Suzanne Toren.

Popular International Authors in Louis Braille´s France

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)

Ivanhoe DB25304
21 hours, 35 minutes. Read by Patrick Horgan.

England during the time of Richard I is the background for this novel of chivalry. Among the characters are Robin Hood, King Richard and Rebecca and Rowena, two beautiful women who both love Ivanhoe. First published in 1819.

Also by Scott:
Waverley, or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since DB44321 27 hours, 57 minutes. Read by George Holmes.
Guy Mannering DB51375 32 hours, 17 minutes. Read by George Holmes. BR13236 8 volumes.
Rob Roy DB42490 25 hours, 17 minutes. Read by George Holmes. BRG00942 8 volumes.
The Heart of Midlothian DB39542 26 hours, 59 minutes. Read by Patrick Horgan.
Kenilworth DB19768 19 hours, 11 minutes. Read by Marc Overton.
The Bride of Lammermoor DB12446 13 hours, 51 minutes. Read by Michael Clarke-Laurence. Quentin Durward DB17432 21 hours, 31 minutes. Read by Guy Sorel.
The Talisman DB39586 13 hours, 18 minutes. Read by Patrick Horgan.
The Lady of the Lake: And Other Poems DB09828 9 hours, 37 minutes. Read by Norman Barrs.

Byron — George Gordon Lord Byron (1788-1824)

Don Juan DB39523
34 hours, 46 minutes. Read by Gordon Gould.

Epic poem based on the legend of Don Juan. Byron's hero is a young, handsome, adventurous, shallow, and philandering man, whose escapades land him in endless difficulties, but not without many a good time along the way. Written entirely in eight-line stanzas, the epic was begun in 1818, and the 17th part was published just weeks before Byron's death. The poem is a satire on societal follies and prententions.

Also by Byron:
The Major Works DB59312 41 hours, 6 minutes. Read by George Holmes.
Selected Poetry DB16476 21 hours, 4 minutes. Read by Beryl McDonald.
Poems BR20167 2 volumes.

Mary Shelley (1797-1851)

Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus DB25835  
8 hours, 32 minutes. Read by Ronald B. Meyer.

Classic horror story. A monster, endowed with life by a young scientist named Frankenstein, later turns on his creator. Originally published in 1818.
BR12173 3 volumes.

Also by Mary Shelley:
The Last Man DBG01513 23 hours, 49 minutes. Read by Philip Smith.

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)

The Deerslayer DB22249
21 hours, 22 minutes. Read by Tom Luce.

Classic novel of Natty Bumppo, also known as Deerslayer, and his days as a young hunter among the Delaware Indians. A rousing story of warfare between the Indians and the white settlers around Lake Otsego before 1745.

Also in Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales:
The Last of the Mohicans DB19920 15 hours, 4 minutes. Read by Gordon Gould. BRG00120 2 volumes.
The Pathfinder, or, The Inland Sea DB59262 18 hours, 22 minutes. Read by Michael Scherer. 
The Pioneers DB59281 17 hours, 40 minutes. Read by Michael Scherer.
The Prairie: A Tale DB52639 18 hours, 16 minutes. Read by Robert Donley.

Also by Cooper:
The Spy: A Tale of the Neutral Ground DB16416 18 hours, 39 minutes. Read by Bradley Bransford.
The Pilot: A Tale of the Sea DB50222 21 hours, 49 minutes. Read by Ted Stoddard. BR12729 5 volumes.

And an exact contemporary of Louis Braille whose works were also popular in France at the time:

Nickolai Gogol (1809-1852)

Dead Souls DB51078
18 hours, 1 minute. Read by Annie Wauters.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov travels across the Russian countryside with a money-making scheme to buy up "dead souls" — deceased serfs still on the tax roll until the next census. When he is eventually arrested, his lawyer mounts an unusual defense. A satire originally published in 1842, newly translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Another edition:
Dead Souls DB19682 14 hours, 52 minutes. Read by Jack Hrkach

Also:
Diary of a Madman, and Other Stories DB26055 5 hours, 44 minutes. Read by George Guidall-Shapiro. BR11088 2 volumes.
The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol DB50339 16 hours, 41 minutes. Read by Michael Scherer.
The Overcoat, and Other Tales of Good and Evil DB35776 9 hours, 21 minutes. Read by Robert Blumenfeld.

Library of Congress Resources                                        Return to top 

Some Websites

About Braille
www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/informational-publications/about-braille

A general overview of the braille system of embossed writing.

Louis Braille: His Legacy and Influence, Online Exhibit 2009
www.loc.gov/exhibits/louis-braille/index.html

A Library of Congress exhibit about the influential man from Coupvray

Braille 200
www.loc.gov/nls/braille-200

A timeline of the history of braille and braille production at the Library of Congress, for the 200th anniversary of Louis Braille´s code.

Braille Education
www.loc.gov/nls/services-and-resources/braille-education

Information about braille certification, including links to general information about braille.

Videos

BARD Mobile iOS: How to Read a Braille Book
www.loc.gov/item/2021690811

In this brief tutorial, Judy Dixon provides a tutorial on how to read a braille book with the NLS BARD Mobile app for iOS devices.

Making Braille Music Materials Digitally Accessible
www.loc.gov/item/2024696998

Junior Fellow Lily Smith describes her experience digitizing braille scores and making music material accessible to the blind and print disabled. Junior Fellow Vivian Tompkins discusses her internship project in the Music Section of NLS.

NLS Braille & Talking Books & Magazines
www.loc.gov/item/2021690156

NLS patrons speak about the benefits of receiving free braille and talking books, magazines and music materials in the mail: The freedom to read their way.

Four Proponents of the Braille Collections of NLS

Haben Girma

Haben Girma: National Book Festival 2020
www.loc.gov/item/2024697121

In this video, Haben Girma discusses her memoir, "Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law (BR22702, DB96188)," at the National Book Festival. As the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, she explores and her journey from isolation to accomplishment. Girma's advocacy for people with disabilities won her the Helen Keller Achievement Award as well as praise from President Obama, who named her White House Champion of Change.

Haben Girma Live Q&A: 2020 National Book Festival
www.loc.gov/item/2024697280

Haben Girma answers questions from the virtual audience about her work at the 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival.

Matthew Whitaker

Conversation with Matthew Whitaker
www.loc.gov/item/2024697403

Jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker talks with Karen Keninger, then-director of NLS, before his virtual concert to kick off a year-long commemoration of the 90th anniversary of NLS in 2021.

Matthew Whitaker in Concert
www.loc.gov/item/2024697404

A virtual concert commemorating NLS' 90th anniversary featuring jazz pianist Matthew Whitaker and his quartet, including Marcos Robinson on guitar, Karim Hutton on bass and Isaiah Johnson on drums. Whitaker, who has been blind since birth, is an NLS patron who has used the division's accessible scores and reading materials as he garnered accolades across the jazz world. This 2021 event showcases the work of the NLS Music Section in providing patrons with direct access to the largest collection of braille, audio and large-print music materials in the world. Introduced by then-Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden.

Justin Kauflin

Conversation with Justin Kauflin
www.loc.gov/item/2021689555

Pianist Justin Kauflin spoke with Karen Keninger and John Hanson and answered a variety of questions from the audience about his experience and career before his performance in the Library of Congress' Coolidge Auditorium in 2014.

Jazz Pianist Justin Kauflin in Concert
www.loc.gov/item/2021689556

Justin Kauflin performed a solo piano concert in the Coolidge Auditorium in 2014. Works performed include both jazz standards and original compositions.

Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder Discusses Library Commission "Sketches of a Life"
www.loc.gov/item/2021688062

Stevie Wonder talks to Norman Middleton of the Library of Congress' Music Division in 2009 about his Library of Congress commission "Sketches of a Life" and his thoughts about composition and music.

Stevie Wonder Performs "Sketches of a Life"
www.loc.gov/item/2021688048

Singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder, the awardee of the second Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, premieres "Sketches of a Life," a sprawling, hybrid pop-classical concerto, written between 1976 and 1994. The work was unveiled in the Coolidge Auditorium in 2009. Introduction by James Billington, then-Librarian of Congress.

Quick Picks from NLS Librarians, Newly Available on BARD       Return to top 

Scottish Occult Fantasy Romance
Love's a Witch DB132903
O'Malley, Tricia
12 hours, 18 minutes. Read by Imogen Church and John Hartley.

A New York State of Mind Historical Romance
Grace of the Empire State DB132766
Tizzard, Gemma
10 hours, 53 minutes. Read by Erin Bennett.

Animal Telepathy Cozy Mystery
Take the Monkey and Run DB130087
Morrigan, Laura
10 hours, 38 minutes. Read by Elizabeth Rose.

D&D, You & Me
Roll for Romance: A Novel DBC32397
Woods, Lenora
11 hours, 25 minutes. Read by Ellie Gossage. A production of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Talking Book Program. 

Some Self-Referential Nordic Noir
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer DB132555
Jónasson, Ragnar
5 hours, 56 minutes. Read by Cicely Whitehead, Rufus Wright and Jane Slavin.

Birds of a Feather
Hitler and Stalin: The Tyrants and the Second World War DB132778
Rees, Laurence
18 hours, 20 minutes. Read by John Sackville.

Memoir of a Wildland Firefighter
Hotshot: A Life on Fire DB132388
Selby, River
10 hours, 30 minutes. Read by the author.

Bad Hombres of New Mexico
Murder on the Largo: Henry Coleman and New Mexico's Last Frontier DBC10499
Williams, Eleanor
6 hours, 16 minutes. Read by John Pound. A production of the New Mexico Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, New Mexico State Library.

Learning to Hold Back
Delay, Don't Deny: Living An Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle DB130090
Stephens, Gin
6 hours, 10 minutes. Read by Laura Hatch

Narrow is the Path
Blind Zen, Martial Arts and Zen for the Blind and Vision Impaired DBC32282
Verstappen, Stefan
5 hours, 40 minutes. Read by Jenny Grill. A production of Minnesota Braille and Talking Book Library.

We Just Can’t Keep Up With the Kids These Days
High School Musical The Musical The Series: The Novelization DB132532
Nathan, Sarah
2 hours, 49 minutes. Read by Katie Koster.

Collections Connections is an e-newsletter assembled by collection development librarians that highlights works that are available for immediate download from BARD (http://nlsbard.loc.gov), the Braille and Audio Reading Download site of the Library of Congress' National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. To sign up for the newsletter, please visit www.loc.gov/nls/new-materials/collections-connections or send an email to connections@loc.gov.

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