Don’t get me wrong – I think Project Gutenberg is an admirable undertaking. Its goal of digitizing and freely distributing books in electronic form is, as far as I am concerned, one of the greatest demonstrations of the Internet working for humanity’s betterment. Along with the huge quantity of eBooks that primarily constitute their collection Gutenberg also offer a bunch of audiobook classics… gratis. Are they any good? The answer you'll be pleased to here is that some are quite bearable. I listened to part of HG Wells' The Time Machine, as read by a volunteer, and both the reader and whoever produced the recording do an admirable job.
The Time Machine is part of Gutenberg's 'human-read' section but since they are a volunteer organisation this is small. As a quicker and cheaper alternative Gutenberg have been experimenting with computer-generated audio files. To be freely distributable a book must have expired from copyright restriction but with Dickens, Swift, Stoker, and Aesop to name but a few they really do offer something for everyone. The problem, however, is that audio generators are not even barely up to the task. It isn't Gutenberg's fault, it isn't the generator's fault, but if these aren't genuinely crimes against nature then they certainly come close. The mere fact of the matter is that English spelling and pronunciation is idiotic... beautiful and idiotic. Technology just isn't up to the job of placing stresses on correct syllables, determining appropriate rhythms for sentences or pronouncing Loughborough. When computers advance this place is going to be a wonderful resource. Until then it would, perhaps, be best to view this section of Project Gutenberg like sour milk. You've got to have it to get cheese but no-one but an idiot would drink it.
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