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[H384]Historical Fiction Audio Books

by Madonna Jeffries, Mad

One of the very first cases of audio books being recorded in America happened way back in 1933 when award winning anthropologist, John Peabody Harrington (1884-1961) recorded the histories, rituals, songs and languages of many native American tribes. Whilst this audio book was a very basic example it helped develop an interest in ?talking books?.

If you have elderly relatives they are, at some time during their youth, sure to have listened to the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) which pioneered the broadcasting of regular readings of classic novels.

It was about this time that the American Congress identified potential users who were in great need of the audio book - the tens of thousands of blind citizens who were not able to read regular book publications.

Congress developed the ?Books for the Adult Blind Project? and it wasn't long before the National Library Service had millions of audio books covering literally every conceivable type of subject available to the blind public.

These early ?talking books? were quite cumbersome to play as they were typically played on ?reel to reel? tape players or were recorded onto Long Player (LP) records. They were usually quite low budget recordings and consisted of a basic narration of the book.

The audio book concept took a massive change for the better during the 1960's principally due to the invention of cassette player/recorder equipment. Because of this technological advancement in recording music and talking books it brought the audio book format into the realm of popular culture as it appealed to consumers on mass. The development of the cassette player recorder allowed ease of use through the portability of the cassette player. This coincided with the universal interest in self-improvement subjects and this in turn lead to cassette recordings of an instructional or educational nature becoming incredibly popular. The cassette style recordings reached a peak with self-help audio-books and then expanded to include a wide range of general topics such as those addressing the humanities.

Further, the audio book format became even more popular with the public following the advent of the compact disc. This innovation further developed the audio book market as it allowed people to listen to their audio book whilst travelling to or from work on the bus or train or while engaged in physical exercise.

The audio book business is now a billion dollar industry with literally thousands of retailers and audio book rental and hire companies springing up everywhere. Many people are today choosing to listen rather than read their novels, and most of these industry specialists provide excellent service delivering your selection of books directly to your door.

Modern audio book publications are a far cry from the early low budget one narrator efforts. Today audio book publishers use high tech studios in which they produce high-quality recordings. These audio books feature large character casts who really put on a show and make the book exciting and well worth listening to.

With the hectic lifestyle that the majority of people today seem to have, the option of being able to listen to your favorite novel on your MP3 or iPod is a very appealing, yet simple option. Audio books can now be downloaded in just a few minutes and at a very low cost. They are the perfect choice for mixing business with pleasure and making the most out of the limited free time that many of us have today.

For avid audio books listeners it is clear that these ?audio books? are not just books-- or at least they are not what the increasingly small minority of non-audio book listeners thinks audio books are. Audio books are not merely a vocalization or reading of a book but, rather, an imaginative experience for the senses.

Audio books can do what traditional books simply cannot ? they can teach you languages. Using audio books to learn a language offers the advantage of being able to hear the proper pronunciation of foreign words. Students listening to language audio books become accustomed to not only how individual words are pronounced but also the cadence and the accentuation of the language. Doing this with a traditional paper book would require additional instruction ? more often than not, by taking a class. But who has time to take a class?

Which brings us to another valuable advantage that audio books possess?the gift of time. Audio books are a multi-taskers dream. How else could you finish the 22,937 chapters of Yongle Dadian (the world's longest book) while stuck in traffic, at the gym or cooking dinner? Audio books make it possible to read while doing almost anything you could even ?Read with your eyes closed? as Jiggerbug, an new audio book rental service, likes to put it. No more straining your eyes or finding a quiet place, with audio books you can fit in a moment of peace in a hectic day.

Audio books are not just stale narrators reciting words from your favorite book. In fact, with audio books you may to once again listen to classic radio programs from the first half of the twentieth century. There is a plethora of these recordings available such as The Shadow, The War of the Worlds (or anything else by Orson Welles), The Adventures of Superman and The Edgar Bergen Show. If you're feeling a bit risque Too Hot For Radio is a set of compact discs consisting of material that have been banned or censored from the radio. Other audio books include a full cast of characters acting out the book for the readers imagination to take over. But even if that sort of thing doesn't tickle your fancy, there's always the more ?traditional? use of audio books? listen to them for the sake of hearing some of the greatest books ever written, abridged or unabridged.

With audio books? growing popularity, just about any book imaginable can be found on the audio book format; Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, for example, is available in an abridged edition; The classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is certainly a pleasure to hear as well as read; and for fans of more contemporary literature, Dan Brown's hit The Da Vinci Code has been on the New York Times Best-seller List (as of this writing) for 139 weeks?and is still frequently rented in audio book format from services like Best Audiobook Storeg. Log on, try their free trial and discover just what an experience listening to books can be.

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Both Madonna Jeffries & Topearner are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Madonna Jeffries has sinced written about articles on various topics from Skin Care, Online College and Education. If you would like more information on a then go to. Madonna Jeffries's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.

Topearner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Audio Books, Education Toys and Audio Books. Janet Rusky is an upcoming author who runs one of the best audio book stores on the internet where 7000 titles divided in hundreds of categories are available for immediate download.http://www.best-audiobook-store.com. Topearner's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.