n After long lonely hours of writing, bins stuffed with redrafts, and rude rejections from brutish publishers, every author will tell you there are magic moments when suddenly they know it was all worth while.
Joanne Rowling, Edinburgh-based author of the hugely successful, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, experienced one such moment this week when she listened to the lisping treble of 10-year-old Alastair Irving, as he felt his way through a passage in the first braille copy of the book. Alastair, a pupil at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh, was helping to launch the braille edition, produced by the Scottish Braille Press after a grant from the Scottish Arts Council and sponsorship from the Nestle Rowntree Smarties Team.
The Scottish Braille Press, an offshoot of the Royal Blind School and a charity itself, has been providing printed material for the visually impaired for more than a century.
This is SBP's first children's book for some time and the Press is currently seeking sponsorship to publish the sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Rowling is working on a third volume in the series. The first book was hailed by kids and critics alike last year as the least putdownable book of the year. The braille version costs #20 but is available to registered blind people at #2. Contact Sally McCallum, Scottish Braille Press, Craigmillar Park, Edinburgh EH16 5NB or on 0131 662 4445.
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