Viewfinder speaks to actor, writer and director Barnaby Edwards about TextbookStuff.com, an audio company dedicated to bringing literature to life.
Q. Barnaby, what exactly is TextbookStuff.com?
A. We are a new company, producing unabridged audiobooks of classic literature – poems, short stories, letters, diaries and so on – aimed primarily at the student market, but also, we hope, with appeal to the general public. Each release features full sound design and incidental music to support and enhance the text without intruding on it, so you get a listening experience that is second to none. We also have some of the finest audiobook performers in the business, including Martin Jarvis, Miriam Margolyes, David Soul, Andrew Sachs and John Sessions, so you can be guaranteed an excellent reading.
Why should students check it out? As well as a pleasurable experience, our releases offer a very useful revision aid. If, for example, you are studying Andrew Marvell or Christina Rossetti, we have got the exam curriculum covered: in each selection we make a point of including the set texts of that particular author. In choosing the content of our audios we have consulted the national curriculum, the Department of Education, all the main examination boards and various university courses.
What does audio add to the experience? Reading is of course an intensely personal thing for all of us, but there is no doubt that hearing a poem or a story read aloud by a top-class reader can transform the written word, allowing you to immerse yourself in the work in a way that is utterly absorbing, memorable and entertaining. It is particularly true of poetry: the rhythm, the cadence, the metre, the flow of the verse, really come to life when read aloud. And on an entirely practical level, our audiobooks free you up to do your ‘reading’ on the move: walking to college, on the bus, even in the gym!
David Soul (www.textbookstuff.com)
What are your credentials? Both I and my colleague Nicholas Pegg have literature degrees, and we are both actor-directors with a combined experience of over forty years in audio production. We also have a literary consultant, Dr Martin Wiggins of The Shakespeare Institute, who is advising us on content.
What sort of educational materials does your web site offer? TextbookStuff.com is designed as a hub for students to explore every aspect of these texts. We have interactive reading lists (with direct links to Amazon), podcasts, videos, trailers, links, forums and even exclusive audio giveaways. And it’s all free!
Which titles do you have for sale? We currently have two ranges: horror, including classic ghost stories by syllabus favourites Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker and M.R. James; and poetry, with our first four releases including selected works by Robert Browning, Edward Thomas, Christina Rossetti and Andrew Marvell.
Where are these titles available? Everywhere. All our releases are download-only (no CDs) and we want students to be able to get them easily and cheaply from as many different outlets as possible. You can currently purchase our titles from iTunes, Amazon, Play, Lulu, emusic, tunetribe, Big Finish and Virgin - either as complete albums or as individual tracks (so for each author you can buy a complete release, or just the poem or story you’re studying).
What releases are planned for the future?
It’s early days yet, but I can confirm that we’ll definitely be doing more poetry titles. Beyond that, it largely depends on what students want. We’d like to hear from them: accessibility is one of our chief aims, and we’re hoping that students’ suggestions in the forums at www.textbookstuff.com will help to shape the output of our company. Our future is in your hands!