It all began innocently enough; the period, the mid 1980s. My wife and I were conducting interviews with collectors who were participated in a themed show called, I believe, Magnificent Obsessions. We talk with a man who collected barbed wire, collectors of Judy Garland memorabilia and many more.

The one interview that grew well beyond anything we could imagine at that time was with a group of old time radio collectors. They did not collect radios but radio programs.

Radio has always been a favourite medium and when I looked over their lending library, I knew I had to belong.

Soon we were listening to, original commercials and all, The Lone Ranger, The Shadow and other favourites from my early childhood and before.

This infatuation lasted for about five years but new shows were hard to come by and we began seeking other sources for listening enjoyment.

Had you told me prior to that period that I would sit down and listen to a book on tape, I most likely would have laughed; however, all that has changed.

Today, cassette tape, well, a few years back actually, gave way to compact discs but the enjoyment of sitting back and listening to some read to me is still very much alive.

The cassette collection is still active and our most recnt purchase was a compact disc player-radio combo that has a cassette deck. The old cassette player with the double cassette decks finally gave out and it was time for a new one. Finding a machine with even one cassette deck was difficult.

I love books and only listen to books on cd that I am not likely to read. For example, we recently listened to Dan Brown’s DaVinci Files. I had tried reading the book and while it was good, I simply have too many other books to read to spend time with it.

But at night, sitting back when my eyes no longer want to follow the printed word but my brain is engaged and listening is a very relaxing experience.

Memoirs of a Geisha was also enjoyed this way as have been several Tom Clancy books and more than one Star Trek tale. My wife is a big Star Trek fan and she has an extensive collection that includes audio books. Some are quite good tales but not ones that I am likely to curl up with in book form.

I generally borrow audio books from the local public library, but do check out book sales for bargains. My interests are eclectic and audio books enable me to enjoy a wider range of written material than print alone does.