The first Talking Book
On 7 November 1935, RNIB sent out the first Talking Books to blind and partially sighted people including 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd' by Agatha Christie. The books were recorded on 12-inch discs made from shellac and each side lasted 25 minutes so that a typical book or novel would fit onto ten double sided records.
Original version of 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'
Modern Talking Books
Since 2002 we've been recording books digitally. Talking Books are now issued on unique long-playing CDs which can hold more material than standard CDs. The players are designed for ease-of-use by people with sight problems.
Contemporary version of 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'
75 years of Talking Books
Find out more about the history of Talking Books - from trail-blazing gramophone records for blinded First World War veterans to modern digital recordings, we're incredibly proud of this flagship service.
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