An audio book is a work that, like a book, is read aloud

Karen K. from New York» Audiobooks offer many advantages that can be of great benefit to language learners, as well as people who have difficulty reading print due to impaired vision or lack of fluency. Audiobooks can be heard while doing other tasks, such as driving or exercising

An audiobook is a work that, like a book free audio books online, is read aloud, but is also an audio recording of text. It begins and ends with a few brief credits: title, creator, narrator, and terms of use. They usually have a cover image, which is usually the adaptation of the cover of the written book to a square format, like that of music albums.

Audiobooks have been around for centuries, but were originally intended for the visually impaired. In 1829, Charles Dickens published «The Pickwick Papers» as an audio book on wax cylinders. The first commercial audiobook was released in 1932 by Edward R. Murrow, who read Emily Bronte»s «Wuthering Heights.» Audiobooks gained popularity in the 1950s with the advent of cassette tapes. In 1979, «The Hitchhiker»s Guide to the Galaxy» was published as an audiobook and became a bestseller. With the advent of digital technology, audiobooks have become even more popular. Today, there are thousands of audiobooks available on CD, DVD, and online.