2017 Beren and Lúthien (Steven Carpenter)

Release Date: 2017.09.01
Reader: Steven Carpenter
Language: English
Publisher: Library of Congress
Copyright: © 2017 National Library Service
Duration: 6 hours 41 minutes
Unabridged: Yes
Country: USA
Licenced: Yes
Formats: Digital
NLS Book Number: DB88461

Produced by Potomac Talking Book Services for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled service of the Library of Congress. This reading was made purely for eligible members of this special library service in the USA and not available for commercial release.

Steven Carpenter is a professional actor, director and voice artist and is currently Associate Artistic Director at the Washington Stage Guild. Like George Holmes, he is an Alexander Scourby Award winner (receiving the honour in 2008). He is perhaps best known for his work with GraphicAudio, who produce “a movie in your mind” dramatized audiobooks with full casts, sound effects, and music. His voice work often appears in Westerns, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi/Adventure audiobooks.

This production is unusual for NLS Tolkien productions in that it wasn’t made by American Print House (APH). This was a move by the NLS to diversify its recording locations while maintaining the same high standards. It was a natively digital production and is well-indexed. You can jump directly between the different “versions” of the story (e.g., The Tale of Tinúviel vs. The Lay of Leithian) using the DAISY level-jump features.

This features a very “dry” studio sound (minimal room reverb), typical of Potomac’s high-end vocal booths. This makes it very easy to hear the nuances in Tolkien’s more obscure vocabulary. Carpenter was briefed on the specific Tolkien pronunciation rules. You will notice his “th” sounds (as in Lúthien) and his rolled “r”s are particularly crisp in this final section.

The book was officially listed in the September–October 2017 issue of Talking Book Topics (Volume 83, Number 5). In the NLS system, when a book appears in the Sept-Oct bulletin, it means the digital master was uploaded to the BARD servers during the first week of September.