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The rise of the audiobook

This week Britain鈥檚 oldest audiobook was rediscovered in Canada, decades after it was presumed lost. The audio version of Joseph Conrad鈥檚 novel Typhoon from 1935 is one of the first created anywhere in the world and was recorded by the Royal National Institute of Blind People.

Professor of Modern Literature at Queen Mary University of London Matthew Rubery managed to track down the recoding, and believes audiobooks can be even better than the paper version of a story.

鈥淭he experience of having someone whisper into your ear feels very intimate,鈥 he told 5 live Drive.

鈥淎udiobooks are great if your hands are busy but your mind is unoccupied.鈥

This clip is originally from 5 live Drive on 22 November 2016.

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