Pioneers and Perseverance
- A History of the Royal School for the Blind, Liverpool 1791-1991

by Mike Royden

In 1989, the History Department at the University of Liverpool was approached by The Royal School for the Blind, Liverpool, to compile a pamphlet detailing the history of the school which was to celebrate its 1991 Bi-centennial. Mike Royden, who was specialising in local and landscape history, was offered the project by the department. After producing a detailed catalogue of the 200 year old archive, which was still held at the school, it was released that there was much to be told about this unique school. The pamphlet became a book of 100,000 words on the oldest blind school of its kind in the world. The book was published in 1991. A special leather bound edition of the book was presented to the Queen in 1991 as momento of her visit to the school as part of their Bi-centennial celebrations.

Original back cover text;

'This book is more than a history of the oldest school of its kind in the world. Mike Royden looks at the changing society in Liverpool in the late eighteenth century, the philosophical, medical and educational developments, and the founding of contemporary institutions.

He has placed the school in its local, national, and international context and has unearthed a wealth of material of value to the social historian and general reader alike. This is more than just a narrow history of a school - it is the reflection of a society around it.'


Pioneers and Perseverance - A History of the Royal School for the Blind, Liverpool 1791-1991 has been out of print for some time, but copies do become available from time to time with online sellers. Click below for availability.



Pioneers and Perseverance - A History of the Royal School for the Blind, Liverpool 1791-1991
by Mike Royden
Countyvise Ltd; 1st Edition edition (Mar. 1991)
Paperback: 314 pages
Over 100 illustrations
ISBN-10: 0907768393
ISBN-13: 978-0907768395