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[Audiobook] Free Audiobooks (Mostly Public Domain) @ Librivox

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[Audiobook] Free Audiobooks (Mostly Public Domain) @ Librivox
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ccarnage on 26/01/2022 - 15:27 librivox.org (2147 clicks)
Last edited 26/01/2022 - 15:55 by 1 other user

Hey everyone,

Just thought I'd remind/introduce people to this amazing service (this is my personal favourite 'bargain' of all time). It's supported by the Internet Archive foundation, and is a not-for-profit community where volunteers get together and narrate audiobooks. There are SO MANY amazing recordings on here for FREE, but here are the catches:

1) Recordings are almost exclusively of out-of-copyright books, I haven't found this to be a problem at all since I love the classics.
2) Because they are done by the community, there can be some pretty low quality recordings. Instead of looking for a particular book, I often tend to stick with a narrator I like and then choose new books that sound interesting from their recordings, so gets around this (plus narrators tend to record books they like, so if you liked a book that a narrator read and then go check their other recordings, chances are you'll like those books too… it's almost like you're getting book recommendations at the same time!)
3) Many recordings involve an ensemble of 'various readers' (eg one per chapter / section of the book). I tend to not like these as much, so I stick with 'solo reader' versions, then at least you can listen to the first 5-10 mins of a recording and see if you like the reader's voice (many books have 3-4 versions of their recordings with an author, so you can sample the first few mins of each version and choose your fav reader :))

SOME OF MY FAVOURITES
- Mark F. smith (reader) is amazing. He's narrated over 100 books and I love his backlog. Some of my favourites include his Jules Verne narrations, HG wells narrations, Jack london narrations, and one of my favs: 'Beasts, men, and gods' which has been described as 'like lord of the rings, but a true story'
- David Clarke (reader), The entire sherlock holmes series (including all of the mini-stories collections + the full length books), and probably my favourite recording of all time 'Count of monte cristo'. (reading that made me then get on the Alexander Dumas hype train, the entire three musketeers series + others were then consumed in a matter of weeks)
- Saki's short stories collections (most of these are 'various' readers, but graham redman has read a lot of the stories and he has a nice voice), especially 'the chronicles of clovis' (which is 'various' but not actually, read 99% by graham redman), clovis is basically a victorian-era shitstirrer it's fantastic, and saki's works are all fantstic commentaries on life in the victorian era

This is an amazing community / platform that really adds value to the world, and I've donated at https://librivox.org/pages/how-to-donate/, but you can also donate your time by reading or other ways (I'm planning on making a librivox mobile app, there are a few of them available already, but they don't really have the best UI tbh and I've found most are very basic and/or buggy/ outdated)

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Comments

  • esq on 26/01/2022 - 15:30
    +8

    Thanks mate I like audiobooks and enjoyed reading the writeup.

  • Agret on 26/01/2022 - 15:39
    +14

    Sign up for Australian libraries too, you can just apply online. Then add your accounts to Libby and you can switch between cards within the app and read online copies of magazines and get free audiobooks. The collection of audiobooks & magazines differs between libraries too so it's worth having the few cards.

    My local library (Yarra Plenty Regional Library) also works with an app called Borrowbox which allows you to access audiobooks too.

      • thangcuoi on 26/01/2022 - 16:02
        +3

        Librarians are against censorship. If anyone tell you otherwise, they are most likely lying to you.

        We are also against misinformation.

        No, Thomas the Tank Engine won't be banned under Melbourne council gender guidelines

        • gringo on 26/01/2022 - 17:51
          +3

          In an increasingly digital world, libraries outsource their ethics to database providers.. they are a middleman and don't maintain their own collections anymore. If it's in copyright in the USA and out of copyright here.. good luck.

          • Jimbuscus on 26/01/2022 - 21:44

            @gringo: Reminds me how there are too many video games for Australian Classification Board to rate, so most of our ratings are based on an overseas ratings board, can't remember if it was ESRB or not.

            ESRB aren't a government body, they where created to avoid regulation.

      • gimli on 26/01/2022 - 16:17
        -1

        looks like you need to improve your trolling game

      • Jamesx on 27/01/2022 - 13:01

        ozbar sounds like OZB Barred

    • Chongy288 on 26/01/2022 - 15:53

      Agreed! This was the greatest rediscovery!
      Shame some libraries have more content than others, Brisbane city council don’t seems have stuff that other surround councils have and their requirements need in person application plus also proof of residence.

      • Travelbug on 26/01/2022 - 18:31
        -3

        That's because most people in Brisbane can't read.

    • Psygnosis on 26/01/2022 - 15:55
      +13

      Best to sign up to US libraries since they’re generally a million times better than the Aussie ones. LA library and a few others don’t require in person sign ups, so it’s quite easy.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 26/01/2022 - 16:09

        Just make up an address or?

      • thangcuoi on 26/01/2022 - 16:12

        Did you provide a fake address during sign up?

        • Psygnosis on 26/01/2022 - 16:25
          +8

          Yeh just select a random spot in LA in google maps and put in that address. You may need a VPN once to sign up, but once you’re in then it’s very straightforward.

          Other libraries that don’t require in person sign in are:

          Santa Clara Public Library
          Broward County Library
          King County Library
          Chicago Public Library
          Boston Public Library

          And many more

          • Jimothy Wongingtons on 26/01/2022 - 16:45

            @Psygnosis: Thanks I can confirm the la one requires Vpn for setup but very easily sorted. Nice range, even has junji ito manga which I was itching to re-read.

          • Jenny Death on 26/01/2022 - 19:14
            +2

            @Psygnosis: It's cool you can do this, but let's not forget this is at USA taxpayers expense. I don't think I'd feel great about having to pay for someone in a random country to access my library.

            • ZilogX on 30/01/2022 - 09:23
              -1

              @Jenny Death: NSIS… Being a citizen of the world means you share the whole world's resources equally. Borders are figments of political fantasy. My taxes are everyone's taxes, that's the way it works in the karma realm…

          • the3rdmole on 04/02/2022 - 21:10

            @Psygnosis: It worked for a few days and then stopped. It kept asking me to verify the account and the pin is not working. Any tips for this?

        • Agret on 26/01/2022 - 16:45

          I just picked a random address on Google Maps and signed up okay, it says the last 4 digits of my phone number are my PIN though and I have no idea what phone number I put in. Will have to reset it, take note of that :P

          Edit: Appears there is no way to reset your LA library PIN code, guess you would have to call them on the phone. Will have to register a new account now.

        • jv on 26/01/2022 - 23:34
          +6

          Arnold Schwarzenegger
          3110 Main Street, Suite 300
          Santa Monica, CA 90405-5354

      • Guffaw34 on 26/01/2022 - 18:54
        +1

        Just signed up for the LA library. So easy - and their selection is astonishing! Thanks for the tip!

      • Team Ozgiftcards on 27/01/2022 - 09:01

        Good tip thx!

    • Jimothy Wongingtons on 26/01/2022 - 16:07

      Thanks for for the tip- bcc library selection looks quite limited but the Libby app is actually pretty slick from my poking around so far!

  • ShouldIBuyIt on 26/01/2022 - 15:42
    +1

    +1 for the heads up and write up.

  • sween64 on 26/01/2022 - 15:55
    +2

    I'm planning on making a librivox mobile app

    When you do, please post here or in the forums. Android or iOS?

    • ccarnage on 26/01/2022 - 15:59
      +3

      There are a few apps already available for now just FYI so don't let that hold you back. It'll be react-native most likely, so cross platform, and I'll definitely post when I do finish it :)

  • Savas on 26/01/2022 - 15:57
    +4

    MyAnonaMouse has a better range of audiobooks.

    • cristtos on 26/01/2022 - 17:11

      Do I need an invite?

      • Savas on 26/01/2022 - 17:20
        +1

        no… you can join during certain times twice a week. They ask you like 5 questions or something. The site has a better range than Pirate Bay but still doesn't have everything.

  • Wonderfool on 26/01/2022 - 16:29
    +1

    Alot of these are actually also free on audible but it's nice to have them in one collection.

  • Lacerta on 26/01/2022 - 17:42
    +2

    I tried librivox many years ago, but was disappointed by the low quality. Thanks for the personal suggestions; I'll give it another go.

  • shaybisc on 26/01/2022 - 17:44

    Interesting.

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