Anecdotes of the Deaf and Dumb 1886 – Roe – Scarce Victorian Social History
 
ANECDOTES OF THE DEAF AND DUMB By W. R. Roe
Headmaster of the Midland Deaf and Dumb Institution, Derby
 
Features
 
Scarce Victorian social history publication
Written by the Principal of a regional Deaf and Dumb Institution
Illustrated throughout with engravings
Charitable work supporting deaf education in the Midlands
First edition, published and printed in Derby
Genuine institutional and philanthropic context
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Published & Printed: Francis Carter, Iron Gate, Derby
Date: 1886
Edition: First Edition
Format: Octavo (8vo)
Pagination: 127 pages
Illustrations: Engravings throughout
Binding: Original publisher’s green cloth, gilt-lettered
 
Exterior Condition
 
Original green cloth binding, intact and structurally sound
Gilt lettering and decoration present to front board and spine
Light, age-consistent wear including:
Soft bumping and small nicks to corners
Rubbing at head and tail of spine
A few light marks, patches of light fading, and gentle creasing to boards
 
Interior Condition
 
Pages lightly tanned, with darker toning to endpapers
Text and illustrations clear and legible throughout
Occasional light creasing to inner margins
Occasional light or small marks, or small stains
A few very small edge rips, not affecting text
Pencil inscriptions to front pastedown and front free endpaper
A handful of light gutter cracks between some gatherings, typical of age
All pages remain secure and attached
 
About the Book
 
Anecdotes of the Deaf and Dumb was published with the explicit aim of raising awareness and financial support for the Midland Deaf and Dumb Institution in Derby, which served six Midlands counties.
 
The book presents a wide-ranging series of short, factual anecdotes addressing education, employment, family life, and social perception of deaf individuals in the nineteenth century. It also includes occupational statistics and contemporary theories regarding deaf-mutism, offering a revealing insight into Victorian institutional thinking.
 
⚠️ Contextual Note

The language and attitudes reflected in this work are very much of their time. Certain terminology is now outdated and would not be considered appropriate today. The book is offered strictly as a historical document, valuable for scholarly and contextual study.
 
About the Author
 
William Robert Roe was Headmaster of the Midland Deaf and Dumb Institution, Derby, and an advocate for deaf education in Victorian England.
 
Rarity & Market Context
 
This is a genuinely scarce first edition.
 
OCLC records (as of 2023) only five institutional holdings worldwide, including the British Library and major UK and US research libraries. Original cloth examples are infrequently encountered, and no other original copies are currently identifiable on the open market, at the time of listing.
 
Collector Notes
 
An uncommon and socially significant Victorian publication, written by an institutional insider and issued to support deaf education. Despite age-related wear, this is a complete, honest example of a genuinely scarce first edition, well suited to collections focused on disability history, Victorian philanthropy, education, or regional printing.