The Official Music Box Company

The Official Music Box Company, also known as Audio Book Company (A.B.Co.), was a pioneering music record label and producer based in St. Joseph, Michigan. They were instrumental in creating some of the first audio books available to the public for mass consumerism. Despite their innovative approach, they faced financial difficulties due to the decline in vinyl record sales and their failure to transition into the cassette tape format used by the audio book industry.

One of Audio Book Co.'s unique features was their use of ultra-microgroove 16-2/3 RPM phonograph records that could play up to 1 hour each. They reintroduced the spindle format on their vinyl records through series like "Talking Books" and "Literature for Listening." These sets often included an official *Audio Book Co. speed-reducing Adapter* which allowed listeners to slow down the playback speed using a plastic finger-shaped device.

Audio Book Co. released a wide range of titles, including classic novels, essays, and writings by renowned authors such as *William Shakespeare*, *Ralph Waldo Emerson*, and *Socrates*. They also produced popular storybook adaptations like *Alice in Wonderland*, *The Wizard of Oz*, and *Gulliver's Travels*. In addition, they released notable works like the Holy Bible King James Version and literary classics such as Edgar Allan Poe's *The Great Tales And Poems Of Edgar Allan Poe*.