Rest in Peace, Barbara Holdridge

Few may know her name, but Barbara Holdridge played an important role in the history of literature. She was a pioneer in recorded books as well as a brave woman in the male-dominated field of publishing.

Holdridge, along with Marianne Roney, founded Caedmon Audio, a record label that specialized in audiobooks. The field was nonexistent when they started their company in 1952. There simply wasn't any recorded literature before Caedmon.

Caedmon published hundreds of records of all kinds. Classic literature, children's stories, poetry, fairy tales, often with authors reading their own work. Ahead of their time in many ways, Caedmon produced records in the fields of science fiction, horror, and fantasy.

This was groundbreaking. Even in the seventies, when I managed to listen to some Caedmon records, most people considered genre fiction trash. Unworthy of critical analysis or even recognition. Caedmon did records by H.P. Lovecraft, Isaac Asimov, Theodore Sturgeon, Frank Herbert, and many others.

We are drowning in horror and science fiction today. In the mid-twentieth century it was so important to have quality genre fiction published alongside works by literary writers. Caedmon helped it along the path to respectability.

I believe most of their sales were to libraries, and that's where I got some Caedmon records. Our high school had a nice selection of their releases. I owned an album of poems and songs written by and performed by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Caedmon had actors narrate many of their releases, some of them very familiar to horror fans: Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, and Claude Rains.

Caedmon's first project was "A Child's Christmas in Wales", written and read by Dylan Thomas. Some call it the very first audiobook.

By necessity most of the records were abridged. Records only have around forty-five minutes to work with. I hate abridgements, and there's no excuse for them in today's world, but back in the fifties and sixties people were happy to have any recorded books to listen to at all.

Holdridge and Roney sold Caedmon in 1970. but it still exists today. The novelty of audiofiction is now gone, but it's nice to see the name live on.

Barbara Holdridge started up Stemmer House Publishers in 1975. Stemmer House produced children's fiction and created international designs for books.

Holdridge taught writing and publishing at Loyola College. She was considered the foremost authority on artist Ammi Phillips. An award-winning gardener, an art scholar, and a critical figure in the history of publishing, Barbara Holdridge was an influential woman of taste and culture.

Barbara Holdridge died in my hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, on June 9, 2025. She was ninety-five years old. Her name deserves to be celebrated and remembered.

Written by Mark Sieber