Books On Tape
Books on Tape is an audiobook publisher founded in California in 1975 by Duvall Hecht, now a Penguin Random House Audio imprint serving schools and libraries.
- Editions tracked
- 27
- First editions
- 21
- Books
- 27
- Years
- 1966 to 2024
Books On Tape is a publisher based in New York City, founded in 1975. We track 27 editions it published between 1966 and 2024, 21 of them first editions across 27 books. Each book lists its first edition and the points that identify it.
About Books On Tape
Books on Tape is an American audiobook publisher founded in California in 1975 by the Olympic rowing gold medallist Duvall Hecht, an early specialist in unabridged recordings, and since 2001 part of Random House, now a Penguin Random House Audio imprint.
Origins. In the early 1970s Hecht, commuting from Newport Beach to a Los Angeles brokerage job, listened to recordings made for blind readers and conceived of complete books on cassette. He paid for the venture by selling his 1965 Porsche and began it as a cassette rental service by post, run from home with his wife, Sigrid. In-dash cassette players in the 1970s and the Sony Walkman, which the Publishers Weekly obituary dates to 1980, helped it grow.
Random House. Random House bought Books on Tape in a deal that closed on 17 October 2001, at an estimated price of 20 million dollars. At the time it issued about 300 new titles a year from Santa Ana, California, and was particularly strong in schools and libraries. Hecht stayed on as a consultant and died at his home in Costa Mesa in February 2022, aged 91.
Today. Books on Tape continues as a Penguin Random House Audio imprint producing unabridged audiobooks for the school and library market. Its catalogue entries are recordings of books first printed by other publishers, so they are audio editions rather than first editions of the texts.
We have not yet written the guide to Books On Tape's first-edition conventions. Until we do, check each book's own page: we list its points where we know them. Know how Books On Tape marked its firsts? Tell us.
Authors
Published by Books On Tape
Frequently asked questions
How many Books On Tape books does MyVolumes track?
We track 27 editions published by Books On Tape, 21 of them first editions, across 27 books.
Where these facts come from
- Books on Tape (company), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Random Buys Books on Tape, Publishers Weekly, 2001 (publishersweekly.com)
- Obituary: Audiobook Pioneer Duvall Hecht, 91, Publishers Weekly, 2022 (publishersweekly.com)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 19 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.