The Untold Story of the Talking Book

Jim Denison narrates this audiobook about audiobooks--it doesn't get more meta than that for listeners. Rubery reveals the audiobook's history from its technological emergence in the late nineteenth century to the commercial explosion of audiobooks in the last 50 years. Throughout, he contemplates the many complicated considerations that authors, narrators, producers, and listeners have grappled with, all addressing this question: What does listening to an audiobook mean in terms of reading? Denison delivers the discussion in a straightforward and clear voice that has strong projection and good cadence. He's easy to listen to, for the most part, but it's not always clear when he switches from narrative to quotations--which can be confusing. Overall, he enhances this production, so essential for audiophiles. L.E. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Starred review from January 30, 2017
Audiobooks have become a billion-dollar industry. Rubery provides the fascinating and rarely told history of the audiobook industry, connecting the dots from the birth of the phonograph and the first narration of “Mary Had a Little Lamb” by Thomas Edison to the rise of Audible, the blockbuster digital audiobook retailer and producer. He identifies the challenges and critiques that the format seems to encounter in every generation, including cultural acceptance (is it reading or not?), concerns about the proper way to produce an audiobook, and censorship. Actor Denison narrates with the right amount of emphasis and speed. He knows how to distill the meaning of Rubery’s prose and tease out nuance, which is especially crucial given the subject. He does not complicate his reading with vocal flourishes but employs a controlled and steady pace, which fits Rubery’s preference for narrative delivery discussed in the book. A Harvard Univ. hardcover.