Daphne du Maurier’s works on Audio – a new announcement
The first four audiobooks to be released by W.F. Howes, RBmedia’s UK publishing brand
Daphne du Maurier’s literary agent, Curtis Brown, has negotiated a deal with W.F. Howes, RBmedia’s UK publishing brand, to release 25 works by Daphne du Maurier in audiobook format, many of which have never been released as audiobooks before.
The range of work to be included in this new collection includes Daphne du Maurier’s four most famous novels, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek and My Cousin Rachel, as well as her short story collections and biographies. This ambitious project aims to give Daphne’s work a new lease of life in audio and attract new audiences to her writing legacy.
The audiobooks will be performed by a star-studded cast of voices, including Holiday Granger (The Borgias, Strike and The Capture) performing Rebecca; Bridgerton’s next leading man, Luke Thompson, performing My Cousin Rachel and some of the short stories; Kathryn Drysdale (Bridgerton, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) voicing Jamaica Inn; and Anne Scholey (The Sixth Commandment, The Split) performing Frenchman’s Creek.
The new du Maurier audiobooks will also have striking and distinctive cover designs developed by award-winning book artwork designer Luke Bird (see the image at the top of the page).
The new audiobooks will be released over a period of time, beginning with Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek and My Cousin Rachel, which were released during the last week, on 21st November 2024. These will be followed by:
Mary Anne in December 2024
The King’s General in January 2025
Rule Britannia in February 2025
The Scapegoat in March 2025
The Birds and Other Stories in March 2025
Don’t Look Now and Other Stories in March 2025
The Rendezvous and Other Stories in March 2025
followed by other titles after that.
The UK and Commonwealth audiobook rights were acquired from Becky Brown, Co-Head of Curtis Brown Heritage, and Felicity Blunt.
Here is what Becky Brown said when announcing the launch of this new project:
Daphne du Maurier is a writer who needs no introduction. Her unmistakable literary voice and cinematic writing style have been captivating readers for decades. Few writers can claim to have been so loved both in their lifetime and far beyond it. Building on du Maurier’s incredibly rich legacy, this new audio series will allow her work to be discovered by new audiences and enjoyed through a format that feels like a truly natural fit for her writing.
Laura Smith, who acquired the rights for W.F. Howes, said:
It is almost tragic that there are still so many important, classic works written by literary heavyweights that don’t exist in audio. Yet uncovering gems in Daphne du Maurier’s back catalogue and bringing them to audio for the very first time is one of the most satisfying aspects of my job. I am thrilled to be working with Becky and the team on this and to have such a talented group of voice actors already confirmed to help lift Daphne’s writing off the page to finally be enjoyed in audio format.