I have received 2 audio books that were abridged.  Especially on the second audio book, I really searched the club website and could find no where on there where it mentioned it was abridged.  I am not  really a fan of abridged books.....if the author had wanted the book shorter, he would have wrote it  that way.   So, how can I tell whether I am ordering an unabridged or abridged audio book? 

Afraid to try again,

Cathyham

Unfortunately, there is no set way to know here at PBS. I usually check the major book chain web sites (they usually state whether abridged or unabridged).

We also have a tag mission to mark abridged or unabridged on books and especially audio books. Please help out by tagging the audio book you received as unabridged. It will help someone in the future who is looking at that book.

Put a condition for audiobooks only. I have gotten several that said no abridged audio books so I have to check the box before I send it out.

I usually look the ISBN up on Amazon before I order.  That usually helps. I also tag the ones I have or the ones I've looked up as abridged or unabridged.  The condition is a good idea.  Make it polite and clear-"For audiobooks only-I only want unabridged versions. Please decline if yours is not unabridged." Maybe say something about not always being able to tell from the description.  Sort of like the mass-market/trade size issue.

I put the ISBN into a Google or other search engine, and make sure I see at least 3-4 places that list whether it is abridged or unabridged. It's usually visable on the first and second summary pages. The only way this infomation gets added into PBS is by people manually entering it, and most people don't take the time to do so, unfortunately.

I always use Amazon as well.  Just search for the title and when you click on the link there will be listed the other versions.  Click on unabridged audiobook and copy and paste the ISBN into the search feature at PBS. 

Thanks for the info, very helpful!  I love audio books so this is good information to have.

Another suggestion: if you do the unabridged condition thing-you might want to turn it off when ordering a non-audio book.  Since some people automatically refuse any conditions or get confused and will turn it down because they don't have the audio and think that's what you want.