How it all began
On 7 November 1935, RNIB issued one of its first audio books - The murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie - and so began one of the most popular and well-known services ever provided by a charity in the UK. This autumn, RNIB Talking Book Service will reach its 75th anniversary, a milestone in the history of a service which has grown into the largest collection of unabridged audio books on CD in the country.
RNIB's first audio books were produced in response to the thousands of de-mobbed soldiers who had been blinded in action during the First World War. A typical book fitted onto ten 12-inch double-sided records, which were played on a talking book machine. An article in The Times in 1936 quotes a blind ex-soldier's reaction:
"The person who thought of the talking book ought to have a monument three times the size of Nelson's… This is how I enjoy my talking book. Every night about 10 o'clock…I make the fire up, draw my armchair near…then I switch on the talking book. Don't you think that is real luxury?…Not being able to sleep much and being very poor at braille you can imagine how useful the talking book is to me."
The service today
Today, over 40,000 blind and partially sighted people enjoy talking books from RNIB's National Library Service. The pioneering technology of 1935 has evolved beyond all recognition during the past 75 years and today our readers receive their talking books in DAISY audio format, which means most books fit entirely on one CD. Last year, we sent out 1.76 million talking books and readers can choose from over 17,000 titles.
It costs RNIB £2,500 to produce a new talking book. We rely on generous donations to continue providing this vital service and to continually develop it so that it meets the needs of future generations. From pioneering gramophone records in 1935 to downloads and streaming in 2010 and beyond, we're proud that our Talking Book Service is still at the forefront of new ways of reading for blind and partially sighted people.
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