有声书是一种个人或多人依据文稿，并借着不同的声音表情，和录音格式所录制的作品，常见的有声书格式有录音带、CD、数字档（例如MP3）以及DAISY格式(又称数字无障碍信息系统)。有声书一词约在1980年代出现，意谓着这是一本用声音来表达内容的书。

有声书主要是由有声书出版社或盲人图书社团出版。一本有声书是依靠讲者的声音而存在，讲者是听者和文稿的媒介，讲者的声音具有吸引听者、使听者着迷的本质。有声书的内容可以是朗读、广播剧、或是专题报导来呈现。

常见的有声书除了语言学习，例如汉语、英文、法文等，也有适合儿童的童话、广播剧故事等。随着时代的演进，数字化制作的有声书，内容更灵活、更多元，除了一般的笑话、鬼故事、杂志、小说之外，还有相声、文学著作、专业的理财商业信息、名人演讲等收录其中，而且精心撰写的脚本、经过专业的配音及后制，就凸显出有声内容的乐趣与细致，因此连艰涩的理财议题，都可以变身成广播节目般，以活泼易懂的型式让听众阅听。

An audiobook (or talking book) is a recording of a text being read. A reading of the complete text is noted as "unabridged", while readings of a reduced version, or abridgement of the text are labeled as "abridged".

Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the age of videocassettes, DVDs, compact discs, and downloadable audio, however often of poetry and plays rather than books. It was not until the 1980s that the medium began to attract book retailers, and then book retailers started displaying audiobooks on bookshelves rather than in separate displays.