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Every entry on the site, filed under the format it belongs to. Nothing here is a catalogue of books: these are entries about how the formats are made.
Braille
Six dots, and everything built on them.- Six Dots, and What They CarryThe cell as an information system: 63 combinations, and how a whole writing system is built from them.
- Contracted Braille Is a Different LanguageGrade 2 replaces common words and letter groups with single cells.
- What an Embosser Actually DoesPaper, pressure and dot height.
- Braille Is EnormousA single print novel becomes several large volumes.
- The Pin ArrayA refreshable display raises and lowers pins under a line of text.
- Braille for Music and MathematicsSeparate notations layered onto the same six dots, and why a maths textbook is one of the hardest things to transcribe.
Structure
What makes a file navigable rather than merely readable.- Navigable, Not Just ReadableA wall of correct text is close to useless.
- DAISY, and What It Was ForA talking-book standard that married audio to structure so a reader could jump by chapter or page.
- EPUB Done ProperlySemantic markup, alt text and reading order in a format most publishers already produce.
- Alt Text Is Editorial WorkDescribing an image is a judgement about what the image is for in that page.
- The PDF ProblemA page image with letters printed on it carries no structure at all.
Audio
A recorded book is a performance with rules.- A Recorded Book Is a PerformancePacing, character, and the decision not to act.
- What a Narrator Does With a FootnoteTables, footnotes, captions and diagrams have no obvious spoken form.
- The BoothFoam, a stand, a chair that does not creak, and takes measured in hours per finished hour.
- Synthetic Voices, Honestly AssessedWhere text-to-speech is now genuinely good, where it still fails, and why the answer differs between a thriller and a chemistry textbook.
- Readers Listen FastExperienced listeners run well above natural speaking rate.
Large Print
A typographic discipline, not a font size.- Large Print Is TypographyNot a font size but a whole reset: leading, measure, contrast, paper stock and the reason a photocopier enlargement fails.
- The Measure Is the Hard PartBigger type on the same page width produces too few words per line to read comfortably.
- Paper, Ink and GlareCoated stock scatters light and defeats the point.
- Which Typefaces Actually HelpLetterform disambiguation, aperture and weight — the properties that matter for low vision, and why they are not the same as 'clean'.
Permission
Who may make the copy at all.- Who May Make the Copy At AllFor most of the twentieth century, producing an accessible version required permission that was rarely given.
- Crossing a Border With a CopyAn international agreement allowing accessible copies to be shared between countries — described factually, as the mechanism it is.
- The Book FamineThe estimate that a small fraction of published titles ever appear in an accessible format, and what drives the gap.
- Born AccessibleBuilding the accessible version into publishing rather than retrofitting it afterwards.
The Room
The people and equipment that do the work.- The Volunteer TranscriberMuch of this work has always been done by trained volunteers.
- Proofreading by TouchA braille proof is checked by a braille reader.
- A Collection Is Not a LibraryHow accessible collections are organised, and why availability is a production question rather than a shelving one.
- What It Costs to Make One BookHours, equipment and proofing, per title.