About Audiobook CreationLearn More

The audiobook first appeared in 1932 with the establishment of a recording studio by the American Foundation for the Blind, which led to the creation of book recordings. The following year, Congress passed an amendment allowing the Library of Congress to begin producing audiobooks. Early recordings include William Shakespeare's plays The Constitution and the novel As the Earth Turns by Gladys Hastie Carroll. Most record companies emerged slowly, mostly to help the blind. In 1955, the Audio Library became a major distributor of recorded books.