1976* The Hobbit (Alan Haines)

Release Date: 1976* unconfirmed
Reader: Alan Haines
Language: English
Organization: American Printing House for the Blind
Translator: n/a
Copyright: © 1938 Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: n/a
Duration: Estimated 8+ hours
Unabridged: Yes
Country: USA
Licenced: Yes
Formats: 12 sides 10 in. 16 rpm
NLS Book Number: TB 01654

Produced for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled service of the Library of Congress. This is a complete reading of the book made purely for eligible members of this special library service and not available for commercial release.

Alan Haines, born was a British actor and playwright with a long career on stage and television.

This is the first of three recordings made so far by the Library of Congress. It was followed a few years later by Bob Askey’s reading in 1978 and then Carol Jordan Stewart’s reading in 2001.

A 10-inch record spinning at 16 rpm (specifically 16 2/3 rpm) was a niche format primarily used for spoken word, “talking books” for the blind, or background music, because it prioritized quantity of audio over high-fidelity sound quality. Used at maximum capacity, 12 sides would be enough for an unabridged reading.