Rare audio recordings of authors reading their own short stories published for the first time by the British Library

The British Library has released a 3-CD set, The Spoken Word: Short Stories, including a wide range of stories, from the elegantly-turned miniatures of Somerset Maugham to the eerie supernatural tales of Algernon Blackwood. Featuring authors including Kingsley Amis and Harold Pinter reading their own work, this selection from an unrivalled archive of recordings stretches back to BBC broadcasts made in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The set offers a unique opportunity to hear some of the most highly-regarded practitioners of the craft in their own voices. All the recordings, including a rare live recording of William Trevor made by the British Library, are being published for the first time