I spent nights lying alone in a double bed, listening to a talking book cassette of Great Expectations, consoling myself that when it got too loud I could kill myself.
By Ian Crouch November 9, 2009 Jason Bitner's new book, "Cassette from My Ex," collects more than sixty remembrances from a generation of mix-tape masters, anyone born, roughly, between 1968 and 1985 who created a statement of love and taste with a vinyl-to-tape recording apparatus or dual-cassette boom box.
They sat together in the back of my car among the newspapers, empty soda bottles, course books, cassette tapes.
Mr. Zanker's string of New York storefronts specializes in quick, relatively inexpensive massages and sells items like books, cassette tapes, vibrating foot pads and neck pillows dedicated to the pursuit of relaxation.
To make him comfortable for our interview the Last Interview—I opened a voice-recording app and threw my iPhone on the dash of his Subaru Outback (which is full of records, books, cassette tapes, and the aforementioned cooler of beer) and started a winding conversation about music.
And then there are all those books, cassettes and videotapes.
The same year parents spent $388m on books, cassettes, games and other materials.
"If you find any suspicious books, cassettes or papers, particularly those about Christianity or Judaism, report it immediately to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan or to the Supreme Court, so that punitive measures can be taken".
Now Audible (www.audible.com), the leading provider of spoken word online, has released a new dedicated device for those who don't want to clog up the glove compartment with audio-book cassettes.
"This was my way of working for music without being in the music business," said Mr. Gomelsky, 79, sitting at a makeshift console cluttered with computer monitors, cables, books, cassettes and papers.
While most publishers only offer audio books on cassette tapes or traditional audio CD's to prevent digital piracy, some publishers, including Blackstone Audio (www.blackstoneaudio.com), offer books on CD's in MP3 format, which can then be copied to digital players.
