Record Number: 1285

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Henry Mayhew interviews a street entertainer -a 'blind reader': "I was not born blind, but lost my sight four years ago, in consequence of an aneurism... At last I thought I might earn a little by reading in the street. The Society for the Indigent Blind gave me the Gospel of St John, after Mr Freer's system, the price being 8s.; and a brother-in-law supplied me with the Gospel of St Luke which cost 9s. ...I first read in public in Mornington Crescent. For the first fortnight or three weeks I took from 2s6d to 2s9d a day... Since the 1st of January I haven't averaged more than 2s6d a week by my street reading and writing... There are now five or six blind men about London who read in the streets. We can read nothing but the Scriptures, as 'blind-printing' -so it's sometimes called -has only been used in the Scriptures."

Century:

1800-1849, 1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1850 and 31 Dec 1859

Country:

England

Time

daytime

Place:

city: London
specific address: Euston Square and Mornington Crescent
other location: on street corners

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

passive reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

anon

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

street entertainer blind reader

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Title:

Gospel

Genre:

Bible

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

brail edition for the blind

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

1285

Source:

Print

Author:

Henry Mayhew

Editor:

n/a

Title:

London Labour and the London Poor

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1861

Vol:

3

Page:

154-155

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, (London, 1861), 3, p. 154-155, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=1285, accessed: 08 September 2024

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Additional Comments:

Mayhew writes that the blind reader is about 38 years of age