Get Your Free Audiobook
-
A Brief History of the World
- Narrated by: Peter N. Stearns
- Series: The Great Courses: Modern History
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Categories: History, World
Non-member price: $61.45
People who bought this also bought...
-
World War I: The Great War
- By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Touched off by a terrorist act in Bosnia and spreading all too quickly beyond the expectations of those who were involved, World War I was an unprecedented catastrophe with a ghastly cost. After this first "total war"-the first conflict involving entire societies mobilized to wage unrestrained war, devoting all their wealth, industries, institutions, and the lives of their citizens to win victory at any price - the world itself would never be the same.
-
-
Kazablanka
- By Kazablanka on 12-03-2020
-
The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
-
-
Bit complicated
- By Subodh Pradhan on 24-02-2019
-
Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity
- By: David Christian, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David Christian
- Length: 24 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How is it possible for the disciplines of cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, and history to fit together? These 48 lectures answer that question by weaving a single story from accounts of the past developed by a variety of scholarly disciplines. The result is a story stretching from the origins of the universe to the present day and beyond, in which human history is seen as part of the history of our Earth and biosphere, and the Earth's history, in turn, is seen as part of the history of the universe.
-
-
Entertaining all the way through
- By Tim on 27-01-2015
-
The Decisive Battles of World History
- By: The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout history, military engagements have altered the course of historical events. In these 36 dynamic lectures, Professor Aldrete leads you in discovering the military conflicts that have had the greatest impact in shifting the direction of events and defining our world. Across 4,000 years of history, you'll explore nearly 40 key military engagements, from the milestone battles of Western civilization to their counterparts in the Middle East, India, and Asia.
-
-
Really Enjoyable
- By Tomas on 06-12-2017
-
The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins
- By: Anne Curzan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Anne Curzan
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From new words such as "bling" and "email" to the role of text messaging and other electronic communications, English is changing all around us. Discover the secrets behind the words in our everyday lexicon with this delightful, informative survey of English, from its Germanic origins to the rise of globalization and cyber-communications. Professor Curzan approaches words like an archaeologist, digging below the surface to uncover the story of words, from the humble "she" to such SAT words as "conflagration" and "pedimanous."
-
-
Fantastic
- By Anonymous User on 24-02-2021
-
Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 3rd Edition
- By: The Great Courses, Alan Charles Kors, Darren Staloff, and others
- Narrated by: Alan Charles Kors, Darren Staloff, Dennis Dalton, and others
- Length: 43 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 3,000 years, mankind has grappled with fundamental questions about life. What is real? Who or what is God? When is it legitimate for one person to have power over others? What is justice? Beauty? This 84-lecture, 12-professor tour of Western philosophical tradition covers more than 60 of history's greatest minds and brings you a comprehensive survey of the history of Western philosophy from its origins in classical Greece to the present.
-
-
Some speakers better than others
- By Stacey on 23-01-2019
-
World War I: The Great War
- By: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius
- Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Touched off by a terrorist act in Bosnia and spreading all too quickly beyond the expectations of those who were involved, World War I was an unprecedented catastrophe with a ghastly cost. After this first "total war"-the first conflict involving entire societies mobilized to wage unrestrained war, devoting all their wealth, industries, institutions, and the lives of their citizens to win victory at any price - the world itself would never be the same.
-
-
Kazablanka
- By Kazablanka on 12-03-2020
-
The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- By: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
-
-
Bit complicated
- By Subodh Pradhan on 24-02-2019
-
Big History: The Big Bang, Life on Earth, and the Rise of Humanity
- By: David Christian, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David Christian
- Length: 24 hrs and 26 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How is it possible for the disciplines of cosmology, geology, anthropology, biology, and history to fit together? These 48 lectures answer that question by weaving a single story from accounts of the past developed by a variety of scholarly disciplines. The result is a story stretching from the origins of the universe to the present day and beyond, in which human history is seen as part of the history of our Earth and biosphere, and the Earth's history, in turn, is seen as part of the history of the universe.
-
-
Entertaining all the way through
- By Tim on 27-01-2015
-
The Decisive Battles of World History
- By: The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Throughout history, military engagements have altered the course of historical events. In these 36 dynamic lectures, Professor Aldrete leads you in discovering the military conflicts that have had the greatest impact in shifting the direction of events and defining our world. Across 4,000 years of history, you'll explore nearly 40 key military engagements, from the milestone battles of Western civilization to their counterparts in the Middle East, India, and Asia.
-
-
Really Enjoyable
- By Tomas on 06-12-2017
-
The Secret Life of Words: English Words and Their Origins
- By: Anne Curzan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Anne Curzan
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From new words such as "bling" and "email" to the role of text messaging and other electronic communications, English is changing all around us. Discover the secrets behind the words in our everyday lexicon with this delightful, informative survey of English, from its Germanic origins to the rise of globalization and cyber-communications. Professor Curzan approaches words like an archaeologist, digging below the surface to uncover the story of words, from the humble "she" to such SAT words as "conflagration" and "pedimanous."
-
-
Fantastic
- By Anonymous User on 24-02-2021
-
Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition, 3rd Edition
- By: The Great Courses, Alan Charles Kors, Darren Staloff, and others
- Narrated by: Alan Charles Kors, Darren Staloff, Dennis Dalton, and others
- Length: 43 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For 3,000 years, mankind has grappled with fundamental questions about life. What is real? Who or what is God? When is it legitimate for one person to have power over others? What is justice? Beauty? This 84-lecture, 12-professor tour of Western philosophical tradition covers more than 60 of history's greatest minds and brings you a comprehensive survey of the history of Western philosophy from its origins in classical Greece to the present.
-
-
Some speakers better than others
- By Stacey on 23-01-2019
-
History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach
- By: The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Military history often highlights successes and suggests a sense of inevitability about victory, but there is so much that can be gleaned from considering failures. Study these crucibles of history to gain a better understanding of why a civilization took - or didn't take - a particular path.
-
-
Narrator is awful
- By Lachlan on 29-09-2019
-
The Joy of Science
- By: Robert M. Hazen, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert M. Hazen
- Length: 30 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Science is humanity's greatest achievement. It ranges from the study of the universe itself to the smallest particles of matter contained within it - and everything in between. If you want to better understand our physical world, as most of us do, gaining a basic understanding of science itself is profoundly important - yet many are intimidated by the breathtaking scope of such an endeavor. Now an award-winning science teacher has taken out the intimidation, harnessing that breathtaking scope into a series of 60 exciting, comprehensive, and accessible lectures.
-
-
Superb
- By Sven on 23-08-2018
-
Crashes and Crises: Lessons from a History of Financial Disasters
- By: Connel Fullenkamp, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Connel Fullenkamp
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Connel Fullenkamp of Duke University guides listeners through four centuries of economic disasters - from tulip mania in the 1600s to the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Each of his 24 lectures covers a notable incident of financial misfortune or folly that is worthy of a Hollywood thriller.
-
-
Good listen
- By Ben on 13-01-2019
-
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
- By: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 36 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Great music is a language unto its own, a means of communication of unmatched beauty and genius. And it has an undeniable power to move us in ways that enrich our lives-provided it is understood.If you have ever longed to appreciate great concert music, to learn its glorious language and share in its sublime pleasures, the way is now open to you, through this series of 48 wonderful lectures designed to make music accessible to everyone who yearns to know it, regardless of prior training or knowledge.
-
-
Outstanding in every way
- By Phildo77 on 22-03-2016
-
The Theory of Everything
- The Origin and Fate of the Universe
- By: Stephen W. Hawking
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hawking takes us on a fascinating journey through the telescopic lens of modern physics to gain a new glimpse of the universe--the nature of black holes, the space-time continuum, and new information about the origin of the universe. He uses this scientific basis to come up with a "unified theory of everything" that the author claims will be "the ultimate triumph of human reason."
-
-
Well worth a listen
- By Alex on 21-03-2018
-
The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome
- By: Gregory S. Aldrete, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Roman Empire: From Augustus to the Fall of Rome traces the breathtaking history from the empire’s foundation by Augustus to its Golden Age in the 2nd century CE through a series of ever-worsening crises until its ultimate disintegration. Taught by acclaimed Professor Gregory S. Aldrete of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, these 24 captivating lectures offer you the chance to experience this story like never before, incorporating the latest historical insights that challenge our previous notions of Rome’s decline.
-
-
Educational!
- By Anonymous User on 20-08-2020
-
Living the French Revolution and the Age of Napoleon
- By: Suzanne M. Desan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Suzanne M. Desan
- Length: 24 hrs and 47 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The 25 years between the onset of the French Revolution in 1789 and the Bourbon Restoration after Napoleon in 1814 is an astonishing period in world history. This era shook the foundations of the old world and marked a permanent shift for politics, religion, and society - not just for France, but for all of Europe. An account of the events alone reads like something out of a thrilling novel.
-
-
Clarity leaves me feeling informed
- By Stan on 31-05-2015
-
1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated)
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Eric H. Cline
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook narrated by acclaimed archaeologist and best-selling author Eric Cline offers a breathtaking account of how the collapse of an ancient civilized world ushered in the first Dark Ages.
-
Ancient Mesopotamia
- Life in the Cradle of Civilization
- By: The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Amanda H. Podany PhD
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mesopotamia is the ancient name for the region that is now Iraq, a remarkably advanced civilization that flourished for two-thirds of the time that civilization has existed on Earth. Mesopotamians mastered irrigation agriculture; built the first complex urban societies; developed writing, literature, and law; and united vast regions through warfare and diplomacy. While civilizations like Greece and Rome have an unbroken tradition of written histories, the rich history of Mesopotamia has only been recently rediscovered, thanks to the decipherment of Mesopotamia's cuneiform writing less than 200 years ago.
-
-
Stunning
- By Anthony C on 17-06-2020
-
The Big Questions of Philosophy
- By: David K. Johnson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David K. Johnson
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We have all pondered seemingly unanswerably but significant questions about our existence - the biggest of all being, "Why are we here?" Philosophy has developed over millennia to help us grapple with these essential intangibles. There is no better way to study the big questions in philosophy than to compare how the world's greatest minds have analyzed these questions, defined the terms, and then reasoned out potential solutions. Once you've compared the arguments, the final step is always deciding for yourself whether you find an explanation convincing.
-
-
Probably the best intro to philosophy book.
- By Hermez Hwoma on 18-11-2017
-
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
- By: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
-
-
Wordy, hard to follow, lots of fluff
- By Lewis on 28-01-2017
-
The Demon-Haunted World
- Science as a Candle in the Dark
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Seth MacFarlane
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
-
-
American centric, but invaluable to new skeptics.
- By DJG on 23-05-2019
Publisher's Summary
The construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, the development of democracy in ancient Greece, the glories of ancient Rome - these stories are familiar to students of history. But what about the rest of the world? How do the histories of China and Japan, or Russia, India, and the remote territories of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America fit in with commonly known accounts of Western traditions?
Learn the rest of the story with these 36 riveting lectures that survey the expanse of human development and civilization across the globe. From the invention of agriculture in the Neolithic era to the urbanized, technologically sophisticated world of the 21st century, you'll apprehend "the big picture" of world history. You'll examine and compare the peoples, cultures, and nations of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas to understand how, throughout history, peoples all over the world have connected and interacted, traded goods and technology, and conquered and learned from each other.
As you travel around the world and through time, Professor Stearns provides surprising insights that will overturn many of your assumptions about history. For instance, you'll see how the invention of agriculture brought with it a number of drawbacks, such as a new inequality between men and women and greater exposure to epidemic diseases. Fascinating episodes like these will give you a deep appreciation for the human experience as it was lived throughout the centuries.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about A Brief History of the World
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stan
- 08-12-2016
World history thematic success
I liked this course. I like history and the broad brush strokes by way of theme spanning cultures and eras was an interesting approach.
I don't know precisely when these lectures were written, but late 2016 offers some interesting additional hindsight.
Stearns' performance is good. His voice is clear and easy to listen to.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- supermum
- 10-02-2016
Great start to learning history
The only problem with this course is how it makes me want to know more about so many other parts of history that are only just touched on in the course. This is my second one going for a third ... just have too choose.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matthew
- 14-10-2016
Interesting approach to history
Surprisingly interesting and novel approach to history. Told in an engaging manner, with bite-sized, 30 minute chapters.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 09-02-2021
Great book, awful voice
Please get someone else to record this, it would be a fantastic listen with a better voice talent
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Icarus
- 11-01-2021
Pair with Decisive Battles of World History
I strongly suggest pairing this book with the Decisive Battles of World History, another Great Courses audiobook. Most societies have engaged in warfare, thus world history is very much the history of warfare. I find that the Brief History of the World gives you the overall context needed, while Decisive Battles of World History covers more of the granular aspects and sheds light on the lesser-known battles of history.
The narration is also superb. You will be hard-pressed to find any hesitation or mistakes despite the narration sounding very natural.
It will take a considerable amount of time to simultaneously complete both books, though I highly recommend it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 01-07-2019
Fascinating and relevant
Not just a chronology of historical events, but rather an analysis and comparison of multiple contemporary civilisations. My favorite Audible history!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Thomas
- 17-03-2019
A Magnificent Overview of World History
Just fantastic. These lectures are crammed full of so much information that I'm now looking forward to re-visiting them. I also love the inclusion of the PDF reading material which accompanies the audiobooks in The Great Courses series.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tad Davis
- 05-12-2013
Global
In the beginning of this course, Peter Stearns goes to great lengths to define what he means by World History, and talks about it as a recent development. But haven't we been studying World History all our lives? Not really, he argues. What we were doing is Western Civilization, treating it as the only part of World History that mattered. What he's doing here is showing the Other Side of the Story, and this particular way of doing World History IS a new thing.
Inevitably, there's some imbalance in the approach. He tries to keep Western Europe and North America in the picture with a lesson here and there, but his main focus is on East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. The perspective he brings is truly global: Rome and Western Europe may have been in tatters, he says, but during that same period China and East Asia were thriving, so let's talk about what THEY were up to.
Inevitably, he glosses over some events, even some that would illustrate the issues he's discussing. For example, one of the lessons deals at length with slavery and its abolition. In the course of the lesson, he touches on the North American abolitionist movement and the difficulties faced by freed slaves in the latter part of the 19th century; but he never mentions the American Civil War. This isn't just chauvinism on my part. Nearly a million people died in that war, and the war's chief aim was the destruction of the South's slave-based economy. What could be more relevant to the point at hand?
It should also be noted that this is not a narrative history; it's more of a sociological and economic history. There's a lot of emphasis on trade, and not so much on the Great Men (and Women) who ruled the countries engaged in that trade.
Stearns has blocked out broad periods of time: the great river civilizations, prior to 1000 BCE; the Classsical period, from 1000 BCE to 500 CE; the Post-Classical period, to 1450 CE; the Early Modern period, to 1750 CE; the "long 19th century," up to the beginning of the First World War; and everything else since then. Within each of these periods, his treatment is more often thematic or geographical than chronological. He'll have lessons on Revolution, for example, or Gender Relations, or Globalization; and mixed in with these will be lessons that focus on Latin America or China.
Personally, I would prefer a juicier narrative. But Stearns is well-informed on all the topics he discusses, and he always has a packet of unusual facts, comparisons, or connections up his sleeve. (Who got most of the silver from the New World? If you said Spain, you'd be wrong: it was China. Understanding how that came about is one of the pleasures to be had from the course.)
Stearns has an unusual way of speaking that took some getting used to. Many of his sentences consist of lists - each item in the list ending with a rising inflection, like a question. Eventually I settled into the rhythm. The fact hat his lists are consistently interesting and well-organized helps.
34 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Alex
- 16-09-2015
A course on how to teach a world history course
It took me until near the end to realize that this isn't so much a brief history of the world, but a framework for how to organize your own course in teaching world history. Much of these lectures focuses on justifying the inclusion of certain material in a world history course as opposed to simply teaching the material outright. The actual history was interesting, but would have easily fit in a 6 hour lecture series. I do not recommend this to anyone hoping to lay a foundation for their own history knowledge as I was, although it's probably great for those who have a good foundation in world history and are on a career path toward a world history teacher or professor.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Justin
- 20-08-2013
Great Learning
What did you like best about this story?
It was enlightening to close one's eye's and picture the story of world history in the mind. It allowed for a greater depth of understand over such a vast period of time.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael
- 11-02-2014
History at 30,000 feet
This is a quite academic and high level lectures on world history which tries to treat all countries equally, but ends up covering everything from such a high level as to separate the history from the humanity. This breaks up history into periods with clear themes and historical theoretical models are proposed and argued. There are virtually no readings from original texts, no quotes of historical figures, and very few specific examples of historical activity to bring the history being discussed to life. There was very little actual analysis of why things happened the way they did. There were tiny references to Germs, Guns and Steel and the like, but so superficial as to be almost funny. I like history a lot, but this kind of history leaves me cold. For me the best history is a thoughtful non-auto biography, the next best is a thoughtful treatment of an event or movement or time of change, less good are chronological histories of a country, this history was of everything (which became largely a history of nothing).
There were a few moments of interest, but far too few. The lecturer makes many references to “quite interesting” stories, people and events, but does not waste any time on these interesting things, instead he must continue to describe the very broad thrusts of history (of course giving equal time to every culture and every country an award for effort). I really like alternative histories and histories from non-western perspectives, but I want history that is rich with ideas and art and action and sweat and blood and greed and passion with quotes and poetry, art and science, examples and quantities.
I find “Uh”, “OK”, and “Alright” thrown in audio books really quite annoying. Each of these ‘OK” and “Alrights” seemed to me to say “there, I have finished that section, not great, but let’s move on.”
This is not really bad, just really not my thing. It reminds me of any average college world history class needed to meet the general-ed requirement. I did finish it, and it did not put me to sleep, but I certainly would not recommend it or listen to it again.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Synesthë
- 25-04-2015
This was great!
Very interesting. I love the great courses. I majored in history in college, but even though this wasn't any new information for me I still found the lectures very interesting and enjoyable. Great for anyone with no background in history or for someone who wants a brief refresher.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- James M.
- 15-09-2019
particularly particularly particularly...
If you love reading terms of service, privacy policies, and other legal disclaimers, you'll love this book. Otherwise, this guy will inspire you towards an early demise. I will be seeking a refund.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- LEB
- 23-04-2017
Nope.
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
More history. Less commentary. A lot less commentary.
What was most disappointing about The Great Courses’s story?
There wasn't a story. Just Professor Peter Stearns's thought about the story.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Micah Storkersen
- 23-02-2017
More Commentary than Instruction
I would not recommend this course as an introduction to world history; it functions more as a presentation of the discourse that takes place in formulating world history as a discipline. If you approach it for what it is, it's great and you won't be disappointed.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Trusted Anonymous
- 21-02-2017
An Informative Macro Review of World History.
An interesting and educational macro review of World History and the development of civilizations.
It does have a subtle leftist perspective that completely glosses over Islam's dark side but it's not too unbearable in that regard.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- scott
- 31-01-2014
Another Great Option From Audible
Have you listened to any of Professor Peter N. Stearns’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I wish he had some of his other books available in audio format.
Any additional comments?
The lecture is broken down into nice 30 minute segments / topics. He covers history in both a chronological order and then he comes back with topics that emphasize specific points. I enjoyed the lecture as much as a good history book - a nice additional option fro audible.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Andyjn
- 31-12-2015
Enjoyable
This is a history of trends and inter relationships rather than events and the big names. I found it a very enjoyable look at the history of the world from a global viewpoint.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ibrahim955
- 26-09-2016
This is not a brief history of the world
Would you try another book written by The Great Courses or narrated by Professor Peter N. Stearns?
I would still read and listen to The Great Courses books BUT NOT any book by the author
What could The Great Courses have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
To start, he should have written and narrated a proper history with names of rulers and dates, then started to give his unfounded theories
What didn’t you like about Professor Peter N. Stearns’s performance?
He was overbearing in forcing his false theories on the listener. All his chosen examples were biased and do not reflect the other opinion
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from A Brief History of the World?
Practically I would have asked him to re-write the whole book
Any additional comments?
He should either include history in his book or change its title into (exhaustive biased theories on human history)
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Diogenes
- 18-09-2015
Would have enjoyed more depth
Very good and well structured. I was hoping for more depth and detail, but that isn't the author's intention.
None the less, this is an extremely good overview of world history
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- L Minnema
- 17-09-2020
partially very interesting
chapters 6-7, 14-17, 21, 27-28, 30, 32 very insightful, unfortunately you may skip the rest
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- MR F.
- 26-03-2015
Obviously not required
The presenter seems unable to say more than a few sentences without using the word 'obviously'. I was hoping that as the material went on that either this word would be used less frequently, or I would find it less irritating. Unfortunately, neither was the case.
As for the material itself, I don't normally do history so was hoping to be engaged and pulled in. However, it didn't happen for me and was glad when I finally got to the end. Obviously, the overuse of the word 'obviously' did not help.
16 Best Audiobooks by Aboriginal Authors
Across genres, there’s no shortage of brilliant titles from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers of Australia.



25 Best Celebrity Audiobooks
It’s always a pleasant surprise to pick up a familiar story and find an unexpected famous friend in the narrator’s booth.



Best Audiobooks of 2020
We've crunched the numbers, heard from our listeners and gotten expert opinions to round up the best listens of 2020.


