Audio Books Defined

Definition of a Book:

A. set of pages that have been fastened together inside a cover to be read or written in.
B.A number of sheets of paper, parchment, etc. with writing or printing on them, fastened together along one edge, usually between protective covers
C.A literary or scientific work, anthology, etc. so prepared, distinguished by length and form from a magazine, tract, etc.
Source: Webster’s Dictionary

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an electronic book (e-book).

Books may also refer to a literature work, or a main division of such a work. In library and information science, a book is called a monograph, to distinguish it from serial periodicals such as magazines, journals or newspapers. The body of all written works including books is literature.
Source: Wikipedia

A Short History of Recorded Books:

Audio Books Defined - History of Recorded Books

During the 1930s, the US Congress realized the potential of narrated recordings of books for the blind visually challenged and established the “Books for the Adult Blind Project”. Books on Tape have become increasingly popular with the advancement of technology allowing the expansion of recorded books in various digital forms into a broad array of markets for the general populous. The growth of the internet and subsequent increase of connection speeds and playback device storage data has also contributed to the huge rise in popularity of digital books.

Formats:

Audiobooks may take various digital forms to suit the multitude of audio play back devices available today. Downloadable books are generally cheaper than their traditional hardcover counterparts as there are no packaging or many of the other hardcover book production costs. This being said recorded books have associated costs such as royalties and production costs for example.

The popular formats are as follows.
Cassette tape.
Compact Discs
MP3 (Compressed audio format designed to save space on storage media.
Windows Media Audio (.wma)
Advanced Audio Coding (.aac).

Audio Books a Definition

Audio Books a Definition:

An audiobook is a narrated recording of a book, it may be an exact word for word (unabridged) or modified and or shortened version of the original printed work. A talking book may be dramatized in a multitude of genres complete with multiple readers playing various parts and enhanced with music and sound effects. Download or mail subscription services and public libraries have all contributed to the popularity explosion of spoken book recordings. Digital books are not generally seen as replacement for hardcover books but an additional option for any reader.

Free audiobooks:

Many recorded books are available free of charge and are made available via the public domain. Volunteers who are passionate about literature narrate these books; recordings are also made using text to speech software but are not as high a standard as those narrated by professional voice artists.

Everyday Use:

Audiobooks allow the user to listen to books rather than read it themselves; this makes them extremely attractive for busy people engaged in various activities such as:

Commuting
Walking or Jogging
Gardening
Educational facilities
A sleeping aid
A learning aid for Children
(Teachers of often encourage children to listen to an audio book while following along in an actual book, this helps them to learn how words and sentences sound in context.)

No matter where you are or how little time you have on your hands, there’s a book waiting to enrich your world and fill your life with wonder!

By Peter Markovic