The Moon System
The majority of people who go blind in later life are unable to master the
small dots of the braille system.
For such people the Royal National Institute
for the Blind provides an easier alternative system of embossed type.
This, with
its clear, bold outline, is readily learned by people of all ages.
It is particularly suited to introducing the newly-blind adult to the art of
reading by touch: many adult readers, having acquired confidence and a sense of
achievement by learning Moon, graduate to the more comprehensive braille system.
From 1923, Moon has been printed direct from type. Several of the types are
square-bodied, so that four characters can be produced, depending upon which way
up the type is used, from one piece of type; others, on square or narrower
bodies, make two characters; and some only one. Fourteen types are required to
make the alphabet, and twelve other types are used for contractions and
punctuation marks. The type is set by hand. There are about 900 letters and
space in a Moon page measuring 12 inches by 10 inches, and these can be set by
an experienced typesetter in half an hour. The paper is moistened before
printing to take the embossing without splitting, and after printing the pages
pass through a mechanical gas-heated drier.
Because it is much slower to produce than braille, there is far less
literature available in Moon, but over the years a reasonably wide range has
been published. In addition to the full-length books produced primarily for libraries, many
shorter works are published (mainly short stories).
A weekly newspaper (with a
football supplement in the winter) is issued free of charge, and there are four
monthly magazines, for which a small annual subscription is charged.
Playing
cards and Lexicon cards are also embossed with Moon characters.
The Bible
(authorised version) is wholy available, and certain sections of the
New English Bible are also produced. All literature for sale may be obtained
from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (Moon Branch), Holmesdale Road,
Reigate, Surrey, who will be pleased to send upon application a printed or
embossed catalogue of material in stock.
Moon alphabet
The Moon alphabet is composed of three kinds of letters:
1. Eight roman letters unaltered in form:
2. Thirteen other characters based on parts of roman letters
(capital or small):
3. Five new forms-
To facilitate learning, all except six of these characters are arranged
in groups:
In four of the above columns, one character placed in four different
positions signifies four different letters.
In the middle column, two
characters, each in two different positions, signify four different letters.
The
remaining six characters are grouped in three pairs:
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