Ive heard a little bit of Jim Dale but he doesnt really bring it alive much for me anywhere as near as well as Stephen Fry. Stephen Fry is considered a kind of public treasure here in the UK which makes us Brits a little biased but Stephen is the “potter perfect narrator” as far as Im concerned. Im almost certain that Jo prefers Stephen Fry as well (as if that settles the matter XD)

Leaky – can you do a little investigative journalism and find our why there are two narrators for the HP audiobooks? The reasoning behind having Dale for the US and Fry for the UK seems to be a mystery.

Does anyone know how one gets to become an audiobook narrator?

It’s one of my dream jobs. I want to go into a speech therapy career once I graduate high school (not long now, ahh!), and I’m avid in community theatre and have read the HP books aloud to my parents for almost 10 years.I have studied accents so much that when I’ve gone to foreign countries they have yet to realize I’m American! I really am curious as to how one gets this kind of particular job. Does one have to be an established actor/actress first? (If so, that puts a bit of a damper on it, lol sigh ).

Libby -Well Good luck !

But there is no reason to think that Americans are not great audiobook narrators as they are as good as anyone else. Do not be ashamed of your accent. I only have to mention the great Paul Hecht, whose wonderful New England tones would have, to my mind, been much preferable for the Amercian edition than Jim Dale.

But generally speaking, in the absence of author -star-quality editions (ie Bill Clinton) , evidence would seem to suggest that actors make the best audiobook narrators. Obviously they come posessed with the right vocal abilities and, of course, they can “act” !

In fact, if you ever get a chance to listen to Stephen Fry read the Potter books you will well understand why Jo and so many others are in absolute awe. To give one of a hundred examples, his reading of “The Dark Lord Ascending” (Ch1, Hallows) is astonishing and will put any future film version to shame.

His chilling Voldermort maliciously toys with poor Bellatrix and the other Malfoys like a mouse before dispatching poor Charity Burgbage -and then…....as the most evil of mine hosts…..”Dinner Nagini ?.......”

But good luck and who knows, we may be listening to your narrations before too long !

We enjoyed Jim Dale’s readings quite a lot. In fact I’m starting to collect his other readings as well. I bought a copy of Order of the Phoenix read by Stephen Fry since I’d heard good things about his readings, and I’ve enjoyed him in the Hitchhiker’s Guide productions. My husband and I were both disappointed. In our opinions (which are just ours) Fry was unable to do convincing voices, and his women were too Pythonesque for my taste. I tolerated the slow pacing, but hubby did not like it. I did like his “alternate” pronunciations for names and spells, and I’m glad to hear these are as the author intended! Well, I will certainly give Fry another chance afetr reading the other remarks, but only if I get a windfall to be able to buy the other 6 audio books.

Now…on to a full cast, unabridged production! Anyone else for one?

(By the way, I read Deathly Hallows in print before I listened to Dale’s reading, not my usual practice. Any reader will put his/her own interpretation on a line, and I wanted this last book to be just Jo talking to me.)

DALE VS FRY I love Jim Dale but am now, after all these postings, curious to hear Stephen Fry too. Interesting that you in the UK can get him on your IPOD. I asked around and could only get the series on disc no electronic versions at all.

FULL CAST PRODUCTION Full cast!! Yes that would be lovely but I imagine that’s not a possibility nor a full-length series until the last film is done.