PUBLIC RADIO: BEHIND THE VOICES, by Lisa A. Phillips, CDS Books, 334 pages, $25.

For lovers of National Public Radio, "Public Radio: Behind the Voices" is a welcome book indeed.

Lisa A. Phillips is a fiction writer and former radio reporter who has interviewed the major NPR reporters — those we never see — and has written about them in a lively way and has made a respectable effort to pull away the veil, or "the inherent modesty of radio."

She starts with Susan Stamberg ("a founding mother") who began hosting "All Things Considered" in 1972, a show designed with the intention of reinventing radio. The author characterizes Stamberg as "funny, bold, playful, at times even mischievous . . . and her laugh was distinctive: large, unbridled and generous."

Now 67, Stamberg is a special correspondent and substitute host at NPR. Today, she thinks the network is "not nearly as quirky as it used to be. And I miss it."

Phillips also treats Noah Adams, now 63, "a shy man who has spent his life doing things that are difficult for a shy man to do."

She tells about Daniel Schorr, longtime CBS News correspondent who is 89. After retiring from CBS he found a new, appreciative home at NPR, where he is senior news analyst.

Possibly the most famous NPR voice is that of Bob Edwards, who hosted NPR's "Morning Edition" for nearly 25 years. Just before year 25 dawned, Edwards was let go as part of "the natural evolution" of the program. Tens of thousands of listeners complained, and Edwards himself was sad. But he soon became a notable voice for XM Satellite Radio.

Edwards, 58, who is lanky at 6 feet 4 inches, with a slight potbelly, is a stern but likable presence.

Phillips also profiles Cokie Roberts, Nina Totenberg and Linda Wertheimer, three of the most famous women in radio — and Midwesterner Steve Inskeep (who replaced Edwards), with his smooth voice that shows no trace of an accent. Then there is Scott Simon, host of "Weekend Edition," Robert Siegel of "All Things Considered," Michelle Norris, Melissa Block, Neal Conan, Carl Kasell and Ira Flatow.

Phillips also explains that Diane Rehm, who hosts a daily show that discusses, among other things, new books with authors, has a scratchy, elderly-sounding voice because Rehm has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare voice disorder caused by involuntary muscle spasms in the voice box, controlled with regular injections of Botox into her vocal chords that stop the spasms and allow her to speak.

There are many interesting stories here about the many NPR hosts, plus a picture insert that allows readers to see what these people look like.

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