An audio book is a recording of the contents of a book read aloud. It is usually distributed on compact discs (CDs), cassette tapes, or digital formats (such as mp3). Historical records of events have been made for thousands of years in one form or another. ... A book is a collection of leaves of paper, parchment or other material, bound together along one edge within covers. ...

Unabridged audio books are word for word readings of a book, while abridged audio books have text edited out by the abridger. Audio books also come as fully dramatized versions of the printed book, sometimes calling upon a complete cast, music and sound effects.

The popularity of portable music players such as the iPod have made audiobooks more accessible to people for portable listening. A fourth-generation iPod with earphones. ...

See also: Radio drama Radio drama, which had its greatest popularity in the U. S. and in most other countries before the spread of television, depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the story in her or his minds eye. It resembles reading, in some ways, more than...