2018.30

A-1 Talking Book Machine

Yellow plastic case with faux leather finish, with removable hinged lid, speaker is stored in lid with wire running into back of base; lid has spring-loaded latch in front center; cast into lid, "National Library Service/for the Blind and/Physically Handicapped/A-1/The LIbrary of Congress"; black plastic swiveling carrying handle on front, power cord stored in recess on back; headphone and earphone jacks on lower right side; 9" turntable covered with a black rubber mat; boxy black aluminum tone arm on right; a spring loaded latch beneath the arm will lock it in place during transportation; depressing the front of the tonearm raises the stylus and lowers a foot, the foot detects the rim of a record as the tone arm is moved left, and releasing the tone arm lowers the stylus to the record; front of the base is angled and has two banks of controls: slider switches control tone, volume, and variable speed; rocker switches control power and base speed; serial number on tag on base, "06598".

H-6.375 W-14 D-14.5 inches

1989

Telex Communications, Inc.

Blue Earth, MN

APH Collection

The passage of the Pratt-Smoot Act in 1931 created the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. The act was amended in 1933 to include talking book service. The WPA began manufacturing talking book machines for the NLS in 1935. The first commercially purchased machines were bought by NLS in 1947. The first transisterized machines appeared in 1968. Three speeds appeared in 1970. The A-1 Talking Machine was the last phonograph from NLS, introduced in 1989-90. Telex Communications in Burnsville, MN began building Talking Book phonographs for the National Library Service in the late 1960s and later made cassette machines as well.

Museum Collection, 2018.30.