Wednesday 10 November 2010

75 years of RNIB's Talking Book service


Audio books are a joy for all listeners and their versatility means that they can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages. The RNIB are celebrating the 75th anniversary of their Talking Book service. The service arose from a demand from soldiers who lost their sight in the First World War.

'The Society of Authors and the Society of Publishers lent the service their support to avoid copyright problems and the Post Office granted cheap postage rates. By September 1937, 966 specialist 24 rpm players had been sent out to readers with 42 new titles recorded.'

'around 75m books on vinyl, cassette and now special compressed CD, have been issued free to more than 2 million people. The most popular authors include JK Rowling, James Patterson, Agatha Christie, Danielle Steel, John Grisham and Jodi Picoult. Over the last 12 months Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel, Dear Fatty, by Dawn French, and How to Cheat at Cooking, by Delia Smith, were among the most popular listens.'

For more book discussions visit our forum.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/10/rnib-talking-books-anniversary

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