September 14, 2005

A couple of fun audio book articles…

I recently came across a couple of articles about audio books and audio learning that I thought I would share:

Audiobooks compute for lengthy commutes (Catchy title!)

Favorite quotes:

“It usually took me an hour and a half to get to work,” she says, “and [the books] made sitting in traffic a breeze.”

“Audiobooks are wonderful tools to help people experience books, whether they’re in a hellish commute or working in the garden,” says Mary Beth Roche, president of the Audio Publishers Association.

Katherine Truesdale, 33, has listened to more than 60 audiobooks while working out at the gym. Otherwise, she says, her exercise sessions would be boring, and she wouldn’t be able to keep up with everything she wants to read.

Roche cites studies that show children can listen to books two levels beyond what they’re able to read in print. And the listening experience helps build their vocabulary, she says, because they hear new words in context.

Did You Hear the One About a 31-Hour Marathon with Tom Wolfe?

Favorite quotes:

I see all of these developments as great supplements to my reading regime, but I wonder if one day, hearing literature will be more common than reading it. Could the printed word ever go the way of the eight-track?

It remains critical that we cultivate reading as a valuable pastime in our culture, starting with the printed page but supplementing with audio from grade school upward.

I can’t concentrate when I listen to audio books at work or at home—my mind wanders. Instead, I use my 15-minute ride to and from work to squeeze in more “reading.”

As they become more popular, I’m hoping bigger stars will be lured into the process. I’d also like to see more cross-pollination between existing audio material and books. Why not, for example, cut in historical voices when appropriate—as Simon & Schuster Audio did when it inserted Harry Truman’s voice into the recording of David McCullough’s biography of that president. The effect is startling—and adds something that can’t be done in print.

Cool stuff! The Audio Learning Revolution has officially begun.