In August 1914, Arthur Pearson, a former newspaper magnate, learned of a Belgian soldier who was languishing in a London hospital. The man had been blinded by a rifle bullet during the siege of Liege, and Pearson felt sympathy for the man, having himself been blinded by glaucoma. He resolved to work to prevent blinded Allied servicemen from returning home, only to slip into 'hopeless and useless lives'. He therefore opened St Dunstan's in 1915, a hostel where returning soldiers could 'learn to be blind', where they were taught Braille and a trade, equipping them to re-enter the world as useful and self-respecting citizens. When Pearson died in 1921, no less than 1,800 St Dunstaners attended his funeral. Father of the Blind is the biography of an extraordinary man who refused to consider blindness an affliction, but rather a handicap which could be overcome. His charitable work has continued long after his passing.

About the Author
Andrew Norman was born in Newbury, Berkshire, UK in 1943. Having been educated at Thornhill High School, Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and St Edmund Hall, Oxford, he qualified in medicine at the Radcliffe Infirmary. He has two children Bridget and Thomas, by his first wife. From 1972-83, Andrew worked as a general practitioner in Poole, Dorset, before a spinal injury cut short his medical career. He is now an established writer whose published works include biographies of Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen, T.E. Lawrence, Sir Francis Drake, Adolf Hitler, Agatha Christie, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Andrew was remarried to Rachel in 2005. All Andrew Norman's books are displayed on his website: www.andrew-norman.com and www.thehistorypress.co.uk


Book Information
ISBN 9780752451824
Author Dr Andrew Norman
Format Hardback
Page Count 160
Imprint The History Press Ltd
Publisher The History Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 430g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 170mm * 20mm