Updated as of July 1, 2024.
Check out these sources of inexpensive hard-copy braille books.
Ready-to-Read Braille Books
BRL—Beulah Reimer Legacy
Very reasonably priced, high-quality Braille-print picture books. Great for learning braille as a teen with books you grew up loving and for braille readers taking care of younger children.
Seedlings Braille Books
Seedlings has a wide variety of braille books for purchase (after you get your three free Angel books—see above). Seedlings books use Unified English Braille (UEB) except for the EBAE category (noted below). Check out these great categories of braille books available:
- Print-Braille-and-Picture Books in Uncontracted Braille (62 titles available)
- Print-Braille-and-Picture Books in Contracted Braille (102 titles available)
- Print-and-Braille Books in Uncontracted Braille (46 titles available)
- No pictures, but the Uncontracted Braille and print words are matched line for line to assist in the learning process.
- Print-and-Braille Books in Contracted Braille (100 titles available)
- No pictures, but the Contracted Braille and print words are matched line for line to assist in the learning process.
- Contracted Braille (“braille only” – no print or pictures) (553 titles available)
- Contracted Braille Books in EBAE (262 titles available)
National Braille Press (NBP)
NBP has a variety of titles including some not available anywhere else, including technology guides for blind/low vision individuals, cookbooks, recreational reading, books in Spanish and English, and more.
The Braille Bookstore
The Braille Bookstore offers many titles in hard copy braille for all ages, including adults.
Read How You Want
Read How You Want is a commercial publisher of accessible books, and available formats include Braille and DAISY digital books. While this publisher is located in Australia, prices are in U.S. dollars, and the variety of titles includes many that are not common in the U.S.
American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
While APH books are not necessarily low in price, schools have funds that can only be spent at APH. In addition to textbooks and early learning books, APH offers books with tactile graphics that can be helpful in science and other classes.
Other Low-cost Braille Books Sources
Bookshare – Downloading ready-to-be-embossed books
While Bookshare does not provide hard copy books, it does provide the option to download books in BRF (braille-ready file) format. Note: you must be a member of Bookshare to download these files. Then, you may either emboss the books yourself or find another entity (teacher, agency, individual) to perform the embossing.
Braille Library & Transcribing Services, Inc.
This group offers braille in three ways:
- Lending library with more than 2,000 titles for children and adults. “There is no charge for borrowing our books; just tell us your name and contact information and we’ll get you started.”
- Purchasing library books.
- Transcribing books upon request (fee for this service).
Categories include:
- Adult Fiction
- Adult Non-Fiction
- Children’s
- Cookbooks
- Crafts
- Print/Braille
- Textbooks
Louis Database of Accessible Materials
This resource contains information about where to locate many books, including those with ready-to-emboss tactile graphics. “The American Printing House for the Blind (APH) maintains and promotes the Louis Database of Accessible Materials, named in honor of Louis Braille. Louis contains information on accessible materials produced by over 75 organizations throughout the United States and Canada. These materials include educational materials in braille, large print, audio, and electronic file format.
Our aim is to provide maximum visibility to accessible educational materials and to meet that goal, the Louis search also includes information from these national repositories.”
Contact the Bridges Helpdesk for More Information
- Our Accessible web form
- Email: Helpdesk@imagemd.org
- Text: Send to: (410) 357-1546
- Voice mail: Call (410) 357-1546, leave a voice mail message, and we will return your call
This unique project is being coordinated through The IMAGE Center of Maryland, a center for independent living in Towson, and it is funded by a grant from the Maryland Department of Education Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services.