It’s hard to resist the temptation of curling up with a book every now and again. It’s a great way of passing the time, and can take you on amazing adventures in other universes or tell you about the lives of people in this one. A good book can help you fall asleep faster than a good book. However, it is possible to get caught up in the ‘just one chapter’ mode. You can’t read in the dark or while driving. But what if you could? Audiobook Month is a celebration of the invention that made it all possible. The audiobook!

Audiobooks were created almost from the time that the first method of recording human voices was made available. Phonographic Books was one of Thomas Edison’s ideas for people with sight impairment. This vision was evident in his very first words. “Mary had little lamb” was the first word he spoke into a phone. He demonstrated the capabilities of the phonograph at The Royal Institution in Britain a year later, where a recorded poem of Tennyson was played back to the audience.

Unfortunately, his original vision was not to be. The original cylinders that came with the phonograph held only 4 minutes of audio. Even when they switched to flat platters, the duration was only 12 minutes. This is not enough time to record long chapters. Although the 60-minute cassette was a great help in the 1970’s, Audiobooks were not able to take off until the invention the CD. Audiobook Month is a celebration of these amazing tape stories and the millions they help each year.

It’s easy to celebrate Audiobook Month. Find your favorite audiobook and listen to it while you commute to work. It can be listened to while you are in the shower, in bed, on the bus, in the car, or riding the bus. There are many options, and there are more books available than ever before. You can find everything from books about mythology to books on learning new languages, as well as technical manuals in audio format. What audiobooks would you like to hear during Audiobook Month Make a list!