I’m an English professor, so of course I enjoy reading. But looking back on my childhood, I am certain that my interest in literature was stimulated not so much by reading books myself as by ...

Duvall Hecht in 1995 with his first wife, Sigrid, who helped him start the company Books on Tape. “Everyone looked to Duvall and Sigrid as industry leaders,” an audiobook executive said.

Each page of each “book” in it would be stored on possibly a square millimeter of tape. The library would serve 100 or more universities, each of which would have a multitude of viewing screens.

Daniel Roth, editorial director of Simon and Schuster`s audio publishing division, is reflecting on the skyrocketing demand for nonmusical audiocassettes. ”This is a technological extension o… ...

The first 400 miles were a breeze. Then, somewhere north of Chattanooga, Tenn., still more than 600 miles from home, we hit the dead zone. As in dead to the world. Zonked out. Pooped. Beat. If you&… ...

After understudying ”Hamlet” on the stage, Frank Muller was eager and ready for a shot at the title role. When the opportunity finally came, the mercurial actor didn`t stop with Hamlet. He ...

In the Jan. 10 Dr. Gridlock column, reader Russell Klosk suggested audio books as a way to break the monotony of commuting. "Time seems to pass quicker, and I am both learning and enjoying the ...

It doesn't take Roger Matthew long to drive three miles across Bozeman from home to his office, but he makes the most of his short commute by "reading" books on ...

Although Books on Tape offered recordings of books across genres, Mr. Hecht was partial to works of history, especially World War II, and accounts of the life of Churchill.

Why? "I like the fact that it's a blend of two technologies--one really old and the other relatively new. I also travel an awful lot. Very often when I'm on a plane late at night, I find it's the ...