Best Simon Callow Audiobooks

The best audiobooks narrated by Simon Callow — 13 titles spanning Biography & Memoir, Mystery, Literature & Fiction, averaging 3.74 ABR stars.

Simon Callow lends his commanding, richly theatrical voice to the Letters of Note series by Shaun Usher, and the results are captivating. His readings of Letters of Note: Love, Letters of Note: Art, and Letters of Note: Fathers bring a Shakespearean gravitas to historical correspondence that lesser narrators might flatten. Callow's deep, resonant baritone carries an emotional weight that makes each letter feel like a dramatic monologue — intimate yet powerful. As a celebrated stage and screen actor, he brings decades of performance craft to every pause and inflection, shifting tone masterfully between humor, tenderness, and solemnity. Listeners who appreciate the art of oration and want their nonfiction delivered with genuine theatrical presence will find Callow's narrations deeply satisfying. He transforms letters into living, breathing performances.

Where to Start with Simon Callow

  1. 1
    Letters of Note: Fathers cover

    Letters of Note: Fathers

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Ferdinand Kingsley, Toby Jones, Greg Lockett, Natascha McElhone, Chris Nayak, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Shaun Usher

    4.26 ABR Score (6.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K)
    3h 26m listening time • Released 2021

    A stellar ensemble cast transforms intimate father-child letters into a masterclass in emotional delivery. Each narrator's voice becomes the letter itself, making you feel the tenderness, humor, and weight of these private moments.

  2. 2
    Letters of Note: Art cover

    Letters of Note: Art

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Stephen Mangan, Clarke Peters, Various

    3.93 ABR Score (6.3K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K) ★ 4.4 Audible (5)
    2h 43m listening time • Released 2021

    A star-studded ensemble cast brings intimacy to letters from history's greatest artists—each narrator perfectly matched to their subject's voice, making this feel less like a collection and more like eavesdropping on genius.

  3. 3
    Letters of Note: Love cover

    Letters of Note: Love

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Clarke Peters, Various

    3.91 ABR Score (6.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K) ★ 5 Audible (2)
    2h 56m listening time • Released 2020

    A all-star cast of actors—Cumberbatch, Jude Law, Miriam Margolyes, and more—each voicing a different love letter transforms these 30 intimate missives into something closer to theater than audiobook. The performances elevate already-moving words into genuinely affecting moments.

  4. 4
    Letters of Note: Outer Space cover

    Letters of Note: Outer Space

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Greg Lockett, Chris Nayak, Shazia Nicholls, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Shaun Usher

    3.91 ABR Score (6.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K) ★ 5 Audible (2)
    2h 45m listening time • Released 2021

    A stellar ensemble cast transforms real letters about space exploration into an intimate audiobook experience, with Stephen Fry, Mark Strong, and Juliet Stevenson bringing reverence to humanity's cosmic curiosity.

  5. 5
    Letters of Note: Sex cover

    Letters of Note: Sex

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Shazia Nicholls, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Shaun Usher

    3.91 ABR Score (6.2K ratings)
    ★ 4.31 Goodreads (6.2K) ★ 5 Audible (2)
    3h 31m listening time • Released 2021

    A stellar ensemble cast transforms intimate historical letters into vivid performances that make you feel like you're eavesdropping on some of history's most brilliant minds at their most vulnerable.

  6. 6
    Letters of Note: Music cover

    Letters of Note: Music

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Nick Cave, Crystal Clarke, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Jude Law, Stephen Mangan, Miriam Margolyes, Various

    3.69 ABR Score (234 ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (230) ★ 5 Audible (4)
    2h 29m listening time • Released 2020

    A stellar ensemble cast reads intimate letters from music's greatest minds, turning private confessions into something almost like eavesdropping on genius at their most candid and human.

  7. 7
    Letters of Note: Mothers cover

    Letters of Note: Mothers

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Helen McCrory, Natascha McElhone, Miriam Margolyes, Various

    3.64 ABR Score (279 ratings)
    ★ 3.87 Goodreads (278) ★ 5 Audible (1)
    3h 41m listening time • Released 2021

    A stellar ensemble cast—Cumberbatch, Gaiman, Jude Law, Miriam Margolyes—transforms intimate letters about motherhood into a moving audiobook that feels like overhearing conversations you needed to hear.

  8. 8
    Letters of Note: War cover

    Letters of Note: War

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Jude Law, Natascha McElhone, Miriam Margolyes, Various

    3.63 ABR Score (178 ratings)
    ★ 4.01 Goodreads (175) ★ 5 Audible (3)
    2h 49m listening time • Released 2020

    An all-star cast of British actors breathing life into thirty devastating wartime letters, each one a raw firsthand account that hits harder read aloud than on the page.

  9. 9
    Letters of Note: Grief cover

    Letters of Note: Grief

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Chris Nayak, Shazia Nicholls, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Shaun Usher

    3.60 ABR Score (173 ratings)
    ★ 3.79 Goodreads (173)
    2h 47m listening time • Released 2022

    A stellar ensemble cast including Stephen Fry and Mark Strong transforms raw grief into something almost sacred, each narrator lending their voice to letters that cut straight to the bone.

  10. 10
    Letters of Note: Dogs cover

    Letters of Note: Dogs

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Greg Lockett, Chris Nayak, Shazia Nicholls, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Shaun Usher

    3.57 ABR Score (188 ratings)
    ★ 3.65 Goodreads (185) ★ 4 Audible (3)
    2h 47m listening time • Released 2021

    A stellar ensemble cast (Stephen Fry, Mark Strong, Juliet Stevenson) transforms intimate dog letters into a genuinely moving listening experience that feels less like a collection and more like eavesdropping on something sacred.

  11. 11
    Letters of Note: Cats cover

    Letters of Note: Cats

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Sanjeev Bhaskar, Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adrian Edmondson, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Danny Huston, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Helen McCrory, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Mangan, Various

    3.56 ABR Score (397 ratings)
    ★ 3.55 Goodreads (392) ★ 3.6 Audible (5)
    2h 56m listening time • Released 2020

    A stellar ensemble cast—Cumberbatch, Fry, Gaiman, and more—elevates these delightful letters about cats into pure theatrical joy. Each narrator brings their own wit to correspondence from Dickens, Eliot, and Kerouac's mother.

  12. 12
    Letters of Note: New York City cover

    Letters of Note: New York City

    by Shaun Usher

    Narrated by Louise Brealey, Simon Callow, Crystal Clarke, Stephen Fry, Toby Jones, Ferdinand Kingsley, Greg Lockett, Chris Nayak, Shazia Nicholls, Juliet Stevenson, Mark Strong, Shaun Usher

    3.55 ABR Score (115 ratings)
    ★ 3.75 Goodreads (114) ★ 5 Audible (1)
    2h 38m listening time • Released 2021

    A love letter to NYC told through voices like Stephen Fry and Mark Strong reading real correspondence that spans centuries—intimate, funny, and unexpectedly moving in just under three hours.

  13. 13
    The Alexander Pushkin BBC Radio Collection cover

    The Alexander Pushkin BBC Radio Collection

    by Alexander Pushkin, Alex Jennings

    Narrated by Alex Jennings, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Paul Scofield, Simon Callow, Hattie Morahan, Alison Pettitt, Greg Wise, full cast, Alan Howard, Moira Lister, Max Irons, Linus Roache

    3.42 ABR Score (4 ratings)
    ★ 4.5 Goodreads (2) ★ 4.5 Audible (2)
    11h 49m listening time • Released 2023

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

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