About various authors
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker and a washerwoman. As a young teenager, he became quite well known in Odense as a reciter of drama and as a singer. When he was fourteen, he set off for the capital, Copenhagen, determined to become a national success on the stage. He failed miserably, but made some influential friends in the capital who got him into school to remedy his lack of proper education. In 1829 his first book was published. After that, books came out at regular intervals. His stories began to be translated into English as early as 1846. Since then, numerous editions, and more recently Hollywood songs and Disney cartoons, have helped to ensure the continuing popularity of the stories in the English-speaking world.
About the Narrators
Todd Busteed is a professional race announcer and voice-over artist. Among his audiobook narrations are The Action Bible, End of the Spear by Steve Saint, and Revolution by George Barna.
Kailey Bell is an
American actress based in the Chicago area. She has worked at many regional theaters,
including Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Repertory Theater, Chicago Shakespeare,
and others, and most recently appeared in an episode of Chicago Fire. Kailey is also an audiobook narrator and has won two Narrator
of the Year Award from Sniplits.
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.