Tests for Colour-Blindness

Here is an example of the beauty and practicality of the physical book.  Tests for Colour-Blindness by S. Ishihara was published by Kanehara Shuppan Co., Ltd, Tokyo, in 1969.

This book is plain blue cloth on the outside, and fits neatly into its own slipcase.   Inside, the book holds 24 individual color plates, each neatly tucked into its own blank black page by fitting the corners of the plates into slits in the pages.

As the title indicates, the book is used to test patients' ability to see colors.  When I went to the eye doctor for an exam recently, she used this same book.

 This is an accordion book - when opened all the way up, the pages of the book can spread across the room to take up twelve feet of space.

A booklet accompanies the main book, explaining how to administer the tests, and cautions, "It is important that the book of test plates should be kept closed, except during use, because undue exposure to sunlight causes a fading of the colour of the plates."