If you prefer listening to unabridged versions of audio books, you will hear every word, sentence and paragraph exactly the way it was written from the printed version of a full-length text. Since many people feel that their listening comprehension is far greater than their reading comprehension, individuals with reading disabilities, language differences, or who visually impaired may find listening to unabridged versions of audio books less challenging. Another positive about unabridged audio books is that they make great collector's items. You can buy, swap, or sell your audio books without fear of excessive wear from handling and use.
Sometimes, an abridged version of an audio book may end up being better than the printed version of an original full-length book. Consumers tend to buy abridged versions of audio books, because they are shorter and less expensive. During the abridgement process an audio script writer will work on a book to condense the wording into a manageable length. For example, 100 typed pages of a book with approximately 30,000 words is equal to a three-hour audio tape. Music and sound effects are often added to make the audio book more entertaining to listeners. In some cases, the author may not have been involved in the audio production of the abridged version. However, you may see an abridged audio book that says, "approved by the author" meaning that the author approved the way the audio book was produced.
You can find unabridged audio books from bookstores and the Internet. Keep in mind, some bookstores may only have a limited number of audio books displayed on their shelves. Because of this, you may not be able to find a particular unabridged version of an audio book at the bookstore, but you can use the Internet to find it in many cases.
There are hundreds of Internet websites that offer unabridged audio books for purchase or free download. Audio books are compatible with desktop and laptop computers, PC tablets, iPods, smartphones, and other types of mobile devices. Try using well-known and reputable audio-book websites that offer a wide-selection of unabridged audio recordings. Some audio-book websites offer membership programs that you can join, and will allow you to download an unlimited number of audio books. You may have to pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee for this service, though.