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A History of the World
- Narrated by: Andrew Marr, David Timson
- Length: 26 hrs and 28 mins
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
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Absorbing, never-dull narration of our history
- By PAS on 18-03-2019
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A Shorter History of Australia
- By: Geoffrey Blainey
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
After a lifetime of research and debate on Australian and international history, Geoffrey Blainey is well-placed to introduce us to the people who have played a part and to guide us through the events which have created the Australian identity: the mania for spectator sport, the suspicion of the tall poppy, the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands, the conflicts of war abroad and race at home, the importance of technology, the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title.
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What happens when two ancient civilisations collid
- By Daryl on 21-04-2022
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The Story of the World in 100 Moments
- By: Neil Oliver
- Narrated by: Neil Oliver
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In his brilliant and excitingly ambitious new book, Neil Oliver takes us on a whistlestop tour around the world and through a million years to give us a unique and invaluable grasp of how human history pieces together. From the east to the west, north to south, these 100 moments act like stepping stones allowing us to make sense of how these pivotal events have shaped the world we know today. Including many moments listeners will expect, there are also surprises, and with them, some remarkable, unforgettable stories that give a whole new insight on our past.
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loved it.
- By Anonymous User on 17-08-2023
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A History of Britain: Volume 1
- By: Simon Schama
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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The story of Britain from the earliest settlements in 3000BC to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history, Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation's identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney. From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian's Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation.
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More poetry then history
- By Anonymous User on 26-08-2018
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Flinders
- By: Grantlee Kieza
- Narrated by: Peter Houghton
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Fearless, sharp-eyed and handsome, Matthew Flinders was one of the greatest of all maritime adventurers and undertook one of the most important voyages of discovery – to circumnavigate and map the famed Great Southern Land. Together with his Aboriginal interpreter and guide, Kuringgai man Bungaree, and his beloved rescue cat Trim, Flinders explored the furthest reaches of Australia and meticulously recorded its rugged coastlines on maps so accurate they are still used today.
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WONDERFUL
- By D J WHITE on 01-12-2023
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A History of the World in 100 Objects
- The Landmark BBC Radio 4 Series
- By: Neil MacGregor
- Narrated by: Neil MacGregor
- Length: 22 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 2010, the BBC and the British Museum embarked on an ambitious project: to tell the story of 2,000,000 years of human history using 100 objects selected from the museum's vast and renowned collection. Presented by the British Museum's then director Neil MacGregor, each episode focuses on a single object - from a Stone Age tool to a solar-powered lamp - and explains its significance in human history.
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
-
-
Absorbing, never-dull narration of our history
- By PAS on 18-03-2019
-
A Shorter History of Australia
- By: Geoffrey Blainey
- Narrated by: Humphrey Bower
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a lifetime of research and debate on Australian and international history, Geoffrey Blainey is well-placed to introduce us to the people who have played a part and to guide us through the events which have created the Australian identity: the mania for spectator sport, the suspicion of the tall poppy, the rivalries of Catholic and Protestant, Sydney and Melbourne, new and old homelands, the conflicts of war abroad and race at home, the importance of technology, the recognition of our Aboriginal past and Native Title.
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What happens when two ancient civilisations collid
- By Daryl on 21-04-2022
-
The Story of the World in 100 Moments
- By: Neil Oliver
- Narrated by: Neil Oliver
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In his brilliant and excitingly ambitious new book, Neil Oliver takes us on a whistlestop tour around the world and through a million years to give us a unique and invaluable grasp of how human history pieces together. From the east to the west, north to south, these 100 moments act like stepping stones allowing us to make sense of how these pivotal events have shaped the world we know today. Including many moments listeners will expect, there are also surprises, and with them, some remarkable, unforgettable stories that give a whole new insight on our past.
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loved it.
- By Anonymous User on 17-08-2023
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A History of Britain: Volume 1
- By: Simon Schama
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Britain from the earliest settlements in 3000BC to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history, Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation's identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney. From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian's Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation.
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More poetry then history
- By Anonymous User on 26-08-2018
-
Flinders
- By: Grantlee Kieza
- Narrated by: Peter Houghton
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fearless, sharp-eyed and handsome, Matthew Flinders was one of the greatest of all maritime adventurers and undertook one of the most important voyages of discovery – to circumnavigate and map the famed Great Southern Land. Together with his Aboriginal interpreter and guide, Kuringgai man Bungaree, and his beloved rescue cat Trim, Flinders explored the furthest reaches of Australia and meticulously recorded its rugged coastlines on maps so accurate they are still used today.
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WONDERFUL
- By D J WHITE on 01-12-2023
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A History of the World in 100 Objects
- The Landmark BBC Radio 4 Series
- By: Neil MacGregor
- Narrated by: Neil MacGregor
- Length: 22 hrs and 16 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
In 2010, the BBC and the British Museum embarked on an ambitious project: to tell the story of 2,000,000 years of human history using 100 objects selected from the museum's vast and renowned collection. Presented by the British Museum's then director Neil MacGregor, each episode focuses on a single object - from a Stone Age tool to a solar-powered lamp - and explains its significance in human history.
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World History
- From the Ancient World to the Information Age
- By: Philip Parker
- Narrated by: Joan Walker
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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World History is the most accessible guide to the history of human civilisation, covering the Neanderthals, the Assyrian Empire, Chinese dynasties, Vikings, World War I, apartheid, the rise of ISIS, and everything in between. This remarkable audiobook offers the most up-to-date coverage of global history, up to and including the Arab Spring, global terror, Russia and Ukraine, and the rise of populism in the EU.
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very annoying voice
- By nick on 16-04-2020
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Sapiens
- By: Yuval Noah Harari
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Earth is 4.5 billion years old. In just a fraction of that time, one species among countless others has conquered it. Us. We are the most advanced and most destructive animals ever to have lived. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us sapiens? In this bold and provocative audiobook, Yuval Noah Harari explores who we are, how we got here, and where we're going.
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Thought-provoking
- By Ant Le Breton on 30-08-2017
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Knowing What We Know
- The Transmission of Knowledge: From Ancient Wisdom to Modern Magic
- By: Simon Winchester
- Narrated by: Simon Winchester
- Length: 14 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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With the advent of the internet, any topic we want to know about is instantly available with the touch of a smartphone button. With so much knowledge at our fingertips, what is there left for our brains to do? At a time when we seem to be stripping all value from the idea of knowing things—no need for math, no need for map reading, no need for memorisation—are we risking our ability to think? As we empty our minds, will we one day be incapable of thoughtfulness?
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Absolutely brilliant!
- By Daniel on 08-12-2023
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The World
- By: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: Ajjaz Awad, Ako Mitchell, Anna Cordell, and others
- Length: 68 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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The World by Simon Sebag Montefiore is a fresh and original history of humanity, unlike any previous world history: it uses family, the one thing all humans have in common, to tell the story. It is genuinely global, spanning all eras and all continents, from the perspective of places as diverse as Haiti, Congo and Cambodia as well as Europe, China and America.
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Hindered by poor narration
- By David on 29-07-2023
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A History of Modern Britain
- By: Andrew Marr
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 29 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
A History of Modern Britain confronts head-on the victory of shopping over politics. It tells the story of how the great political visions of New Jerusalem or a second Elizabethan Age, rival idealisms, came to be defeated by a culture of consumerism, celebrity and self-gratification. In each decade political leaders think they know what they are doing but find themselves confounded. Every time the British people turn out to be stroppier and harder to herd than predicted.
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A history of the politics of modern Britain
- By Anonymous User on 17-06-2021
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Origins
- How the Earth Shaped Human History
- By: Lewis Dartnell
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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When we talk about human history, we focus on great leaders, mass migration and decisive wars. But how has the Earth itself determined our destiny? How has our planet made us? As a species we are shaped by our environment. Geological forces drove our evolution in East Africa; mountainous terrain led to the development of democracy in Greece; and today voting behaviour in the United States follows the bed of an ancient sea. The human story is the story of these forces, from plate tectonics and climate change, to atmospheric circulation and ocean currents.
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Awesome book
- By Kym Angrave on 15-03-2019
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A Short History of Europe
- From Pericles to Putin
- By: Simon Jenkins
- Narrated by: Simon Jenkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Europe is an astonishingly successful place. In this dazzling new history, best-selling author Simon Jenkins grippingly tells the story of its evolution from warring peoples to peace, wealth and freedom - a story that twists and turns from Greece and Rome, through the Dark Ages, the Reformation and the French Revolution, to the Second World War and up to the present day. Jenkins takes in leaders from Julius Caesar and Joan of Arc to Wellington and Angela Merkel as well as cultural figures from Aristotle to Shakespeare and Picasso.
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A fascinating tour of Europe
- By dr terry pouras on 24-01-2023
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Guns, Germs and Steel
- The Fate of Human Societies
- By: Jared Diamond
- Narrated by: Doug Ordunio
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Having done field work in New Guinea for more than 30 years, Jared Diamond presents the geographical and ecological factors that have shaped the modern world. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology.
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good research, too many words
- By PatienceAllergy on 23-03-2017
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A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived
- The Stories in Our Genes
- By: Adam Rutherford
- Narrated by: Adam Rutherford
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a story about you. It is the history of who you are and how you came to be. It is unique to you, as it is for every one of the 100 billion modern humans who has ever drawn breath. But it is also our collective story, because in each of our genomes we carry the history of the whole of our species.
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great book
- By Ryan on 10-02-2017
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Unruly
- A History of England's Kings and Queens
- By: David Mitchell
- Narrated by: David Mitchell
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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In Unruly, David Mitchell explores how early England's monarchs, while acting as feared rulers firmly guiding their subjects' destinies, were in reality a bunch of lucky sods who were mostly as silly and weird in real life as they appear to us today in their portraits.
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Really Worth it
- By Mr. William Wright on 04-12-2023
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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
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Excellent and enjoyable
- By Jennifer Shoesmith on 21-11-2016
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The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being
- Evolution and the Making of Us
- By: Dr Alice Roberts
- Narrated by: Dr Alice Roberts
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Alice Roberts uses the latest research to uncover the evolutionary history hidden in all of us, from the secrets found only in our embryos and genes - including why as embryos we have what look like gills - to those visible in your anatomy. This is a tale of discovery, exploring why and how we have developed as we have. This is your story, told as never before.
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Fascinating
- By Nicholas J. Morley on 24-10-2023
Publisher's Summary
From the earliest civilizations to the 21st century: a global journey through human history, published alongside a landmark BBC One television series.
Our understanding of world history is changing, as new discoveries are made on all the continents and old prejudices are being challenged. In this truly global journey, Andrew Marr revisits some of the traditional epic stories, from classical Greece and Rome to the rise of Napoleon, but surrounds them with less familiar material, from Peru to the Ukraine, China to the Caribbean. He looks at cultures that have failed and vanished, as well as the origins of today’s superpowers, and finds surprising echoes and parallels across vast distances and epochs. This is a book about the great change-makers of history and their times, people such as Cleopatra, Genghis Khan, Galileo, and Mao, but it is also a book about us. For 'The better we understand how rulers lose touch with reality, or why revolutions produce dictators more often than they produce happiness, or why some parts of the world are richer than others, the easier it is to understand our own times.'
Fresh, exciting and vividly listenable, this is popular history at its very best.
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What listeners say about A History of the World
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- James
- 22-05-2015
Great work
Well read, thoroughly enjoyable and engaging account. Learned a lot from this book. I will listen to it again in a year or so to refresh and see what interesting tidbits I missed first time!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 09-07-2016
Enjoyed it, especially earlier on.
I found a good selection of subject matter and certainly enjoyed listening to earlier sections. I did enjoy the latter part of the book too, it's just that modern history can have many interpretations and i don't always adhere to popular opinion and beliefs.
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4 people found this helpful
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- James Macdougall
- 09-08-2017
interesting but biased
easy to follow, interesting take on human history. the pro capitalist political slant and opining would not have been missed.
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3 people found this helpful
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- D A Griffin Victor 2
- 10-11-2016
mind opening
This book will change your view of the goodness of man. We are not nice yet we are all the same if our motivation is enough.
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3 people found this helpful
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- jacob
- 02-06-2016
great
I loved this book it was interesting the whole way through and went into a lot of detail
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3 people found this helpful
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- Luke
- 01-01-2016
Fascinating and well written/read.
A fascinating journey through time and exploration of key people, places and times with some very interesting conclusions and themes.
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3 people found this helpful
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- chimene
- 08-03-2017
Riveting Romp through History
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Andrew Marr has managed to blend the microscopic with the macroscopic in this fascinating and compassionate work on the history of our world.
What did you like best about this story?
I was engrossed by the up-closeness of the narrative style particularly the way Marr gets under the skin of both the characters and the times that inform our human journey.
What does Andrew Marr and David Timson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
The narrator's tone draws out the quirks and humour of Marr's anecdotes so that as a listener I felt I was in the presence of a masterful story-teller.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
The huge scope of this work makes listening in one sitting impossible - although perfect perhaps for a long train ride or tedious bus journey.
Any additional comments?
Andrew Marr excels at weaving the threads of history into a Bayeux- like tapestry of colour, line, texture and form while at the same time bring a wise, incisive order to history's ever-changing tableaux.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Brian
- 26-10-2016
Good balance of detail and interesting facts
Very interesting book with enough detail but not so much that it becomes tedious.
I easily understood it at double speed.
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2 people found this helpful
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- gideon.matthews
- 17-10-2016
Pure enjoyment
Loved listening, highly recommended for everyone. Not only for history-phils but for people who simply like a good story.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-03-2017
Well crafted, well narrated, well done!
What made the experience of listening to A History of the World the most enjoyable?
Andrew Marr, and David Timson seamlessly bring this together in a very listenable manner.
What did you like best about this story?
Insights that I was unaware of and the weaving of connections across continents, the observations based on genetic research were quite thought provoking.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Mark
- 26-04-2013
25 hours of enjoyment
As soon as I saw this book I knew I was going to love it. 25 hours of the history of the world, based on a BBC production. The made-for-TV origins of this book meant that it was always likely to be entertaining and not too highbrow, and that's exactly what it is. A really good listen, starting with our hunter-gatherer ancestors and ending with today's problems of overpopulation and global warming, with quite a bit of other stuff in between.
The author unashamedly ascribes to the 'individual' human theory of history, whereby the story of the world has been significantly shaped by the actions of particular people. In many cases, history could have taken a radically different turn if, by chance, something had happened differently. An obvious example is that Hitler survived World War One, and the author believes that the course of history might have gone drastically differently if he had not – there wouldn’t necessarily have been a ‘substitute’ Hitler waiting in the wings to do what he did. Of course he also acknowledges the importance of the general flow of history, but this audiobook is mostly the story of important people and the things they did.
One of the difficult things about taking on such a big subject is that the world is a big place and at any given time there are many different histories rolling out in the different continents. So he tells us the histories of Africa and China and America, but I guess, as this was a BBC production, the focus may be a bit biased in the later centuries towards the influence of Britain. This doesn’t offend me because I’m English and was indoctrinated as a schoolboy into thinking that the Battle of Hastings and the Battle of Britain were landmark events in World History, when the rest of the world might see them as minor struggles on a small island. But I’d be interested to know if non-British listeners to this audiobook found it excessively Brit-centric.
Go ahead and listen, and I’ll look out for your reviews.
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24 people found this helpful
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- Tad Davis
- 30-10-2012
Excellent introduction
Marr's book is a quick and informative introduction to the subject, with some blind spots. To mention the blind spots first: it is, as many such books are, heavily Western and Eurocentric in outlook. China and India are mentioned early on, in the roundup of the earliest civilizations, but then mostly drop out of the picture until they once again begin to impinge on Western sensibilities. Not much here either about the growth of the major world religions; the conflict between Christianity and Islam gets especially short shrift. The entire history of the Crusades is reduced to a couple of sentences; if you blink, you'll miss it. Marr spends far more time talking about the tulip mania that swept Holland in the early years of capitalism.
But what he does cover, Marr covers well, with plenty of anecdotes and surprising connections along the way. His coverage of Africa, like his coverage of India and China, mostly focuses on the interaction of Africa and Europe, but the story he tells about that interaction is electrifying (and horrifying). And he asks the big questions, such as the one I've always wondered about and which is seldom addressed so explicitly: granted that the life of hunter-gatherers was full of novelty and free time, and the life of farmers was filled with backbreaking, tedious labor, why did the human race opt for farming? (Marr makes the case that the farming came first, and then the increase in population, rather than farming being devised as a way to support an already increasing number of people.)
Marr is an unabashed proponent of the "great person" school of writing history. There's plenty of material here about Alexander the Great, Ivan the Terrible, Margaret Sanger, and Mao Zedong and the infamous Jiang Qing. He also weaves a discussion of technology into the narrative, including the technologies of war and medicine. His goal throughout is not to throw a bunch of names and dates at the listener, but to give a sense of individual personalities and the gradual unfolding of the larger story.
First-rate narration by David Timson.
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22 people found this helpful
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- Rodney
- 03-11-2012
Wrong Title
This audiobook should be titled; A PC History of years 1700-2010 with a Short Introduction about the History of the World
First let me say the narration is extremely good, one of the best I've heard.
In general if you want a brief history of the ancient world this will do, the author does a great job of keeping it interesting (I say brief since less than half the book is focused on this). Unfortunately the political correctness really starts to heavily influence the 1700+ world to the point of silliness. It's not all the time and it's by no means the worst I've heard, the author I believe attempts to be fair and balanced but just isn't able to do so. I recommend you have a good grasp on the modern world when listening to this otherwise you'll go away about as smart as your average high schooler, which is an insult in case you didn't realize it. If you don't already have a good grasp on modern history I'll go as far as to say this book will actually make you dumber. It's very difficult to recommend this book despite the interesting story and excellent narration. I really wish the author would have spent much more of his time on the pre-modern world since that's where I learned the most -- but even in this case it wasn't much. I can honestly say I'm not sure I learned hardly anything about the modern world and was more frustrated with what the author left out than allowed in (although unlike the other reviewer I found the tulip part interested since that is one thing I did now know about).
3 stars overall, 3 stars for the story due to it being unbalanced and too politically correct on modern subjects and a strong 5 stars for the narration.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Joachim
- 03-04-2015
Entertaining yet banal
This is a history of the world written by a journalist and this is easy to tell. Too much focus on recent events - within world history everything past 1900 can really be considered recent - and with too little attention for the broad strokes, this volume doesn't stand apart. Marr's histories of Britain are far better than this mediocre dabble with world history.
That being said, the book is an entertaining listen. Just don't expect anything new or special.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Karen
- 13-10-2019
The best Audible history I've every bought!
This is hands-down the best history book I can remember reading/listening to! First of all, the narrator is spot-on. He speaks at the perfect pace and inflects just enough emotion/personality into the reading to keep you engaged.I'm actually going to seek out more by him.
The book itself is incredible. Andrew Marr explains exactly the things you need to know in exactly the right way. I often found myself thinking, "Oooooh, THAT'S why that happened! Now I get it! Why didn't anyone explain it that way before???"
I only have three hours left in the book, so I'm off to find more by the same author and the same narrator. If you only buy one history book, make it this one!
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- Julia
- 07-12-2012
A (short) History of the World
Would you try another book from Andrew Marr and/or Andrew Marr and David Timson ?
Early in the book Andrew Marr mentions that he could have written this book, then written another as long without including any material in it from the first, and then a third just as long without including any material from the first two. I think that I was hoping to read that third book. Early history went by way too fast and the modern material was largely events I already knew in detail.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
"The Muslim Age in Europe was much better than we have been told and the expelled people took their advances elsewhere" What? Where did they go? Am I missing pages? Off to do research to figure out just what the Islamic age of Europe was all about. And again, "When the Dutch tulip bubble burst everyone forged on as usual, aside from individually sad stories, commerce refused to prosecute and civilisation soldiered on." What? Very relevant to now! The judges did what? Municipal people did what? The bubble popped with minimal damage? How exactly did they do that! I need an index! Auuuggghhh!
Then again, he got much more than 26 hours of extra work out of me attempting to answer the questions that his narrative raised. I learned more about Cleopatra than I could have possibly guessed could be known.
Which character – as performed by Andrew Marr and David Timson – was your favorite?
Cleopatra's life was told in detail, and I had no idea how she fit into the larger narrative until reading this book.
Was A History of the World worth the listening time?
If Andrew Marr writes those other two books I will be right on the spot to read them, too. What a great thinkertoy this book is.
Any additional comments?
I wish I had a really gook book that started at the collapse of the tulip trade.
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- Maestro F
- 20-01-2019
Excellent Overview for a wide audience
Andrew Marra condensed version of his documentary series is concise, well balanced and centrist in its presentation. He is very clear in the introduction about the approach taken so that readers looking for an extremely feminist, Marxist or third world perspective on history will not be disappointed. That being said, Marr does indeed try to be more inclusive in his overview of history than many past authors have been. This is a useful resource for honors high school courses, as part of university curriculum or for the average intelligent person out there who wants to understand the flow of history and the consequences of key developments , changes, personalities and events.
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- marc
- 15-03-2018
excellent!
thoughtful and provoking and what every human needs to hear. And also a little bleak. sometimes being a member of the homo sapiens club is not all its cracked up to be.
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- Scott
- 26-10-2016
Sweeping History
Really enjoy this book! It is a sweeping human history that can be returned to again and again. As with any historical account there are elements of the author's interpretive preference that inevitably creep in and colour the narrative. However most of the time Marr's perspective is illuminating and informative and he does a great job tracing the influence of seemingly unconnected events.
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- uclatico
- 31-05-2015
Massive educational/time commitment but worth it!
If you could sum up A History of the World in three words, what would they be?
This is an excellently written and performed, lengthy audio-world-history book that kept my attention so well, I often fell asleep at night with it playing on my smartphone. As a guy who never enjoyed (world or US) history, I learned a tremendous amount from this well organized work. My coworkers joke that everyday I come into the office with a new 'factoid' about world history that startles and provokes their curiosity in much the same way it has mine.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
This book is heavy - every single orated sentence is a new learning point of world history. It took me a month (between other commitments) to complete this ... dare I say the War and Peace of world history audio books?
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- Adisha
- 30-10-2012
Awsome, educational and epic work
I embarked on listening to this epic and well-researched book on the history of civilisation with some trepidation. There are after all, a total of 92 Chapters (26.5 hours) to work through and this is a formidable listening marathon by any stretch of the imagination. However, I found them all totally worth the effort. I am pleased Andrew Marr opened the narration by lending his voice to the introduction. This is a very expansive work as Mr. Marr draws references to a research base of some 2,000 or so books. In addittion, David Timson's highly expressive narration that followed is clear, assertive and a joy to listen to as it is consistenly intonated throughout without ever being condescending. You don't have to be a professional historian to appreciate the amount of effort that has gone into producing this book and the (at times) rather violent TV series to which this is a perfect accompaniment. The passion for the subject, dedication and commitment shine through at all times and for me, this is a notable quality of the book. Overall, a highly recommended purchase indeed which takes pride of place on my Audible bookshelf!
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- Warren M. Parkinson
- 23-12-2012
A very enjoyable and educational listen
I enjoyed listening to this very well read book, I listen to my audio books as I drive my heavy goods vehicle so I get through quit a lot of books, I like history and I particularly enjoyed this book, there is a lot of information to take in so I will listen to it again very soon, if only history has been this enjoyable when I was at school.
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- Minkymaid
- 24-12-2012
Better than the TV series
Not of the same quality as Andrew Marr's British history but an enjoyable romp through world history with a few 'well I never knew that' moments. His interest in modern politics means the book gets more involved towards the end. Thoroughly enjoyable, and the narrator does a fine job.
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- KOKSAL COBAN
- 24-12-2012
A very detailed look at the world history
This is a very detailed and well written book about the world history. The book starts with the first evidence of mankind on Earth and takes it to the present. It is a fun to listen to the interesting anectodes and lesser-researched areas of the history. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect and the approach is clear and well documented. Recent research findings are also mentioned which makes the listening experience even more interesting. The narration is very clear and a pleasure to listen to.
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- Ieva
- 25-12-2012
Informative and interesting
Honestly I expected it to be slightly boring as most history books and also had some reservations towards listening to such a book rather than reading. But from the very start it has been very interesting and entertaining. The book provides comprehensive explanation of major historical events and their interconnection which has led the world to such as it is now. This is worth book to purchase for either just refreshing historical ones historical knowledge or broaden ones view on the history and how it has made us the way we are and assist understanding some of today's events.
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- Kirstine
- 16-02-2013
An engaging sweep of history
You might think listening to over 26 hours of history would be heavy-going: not so. Well-written text that lends itself to being read, and read with verve, kept me listening and eager to continue. Inevitably superficial over detail, owing to the sheer scale of the undertaking, it emphasizes the chronological progression of history and the points up the parallel events in different part of the world.
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- Mrs
- 10-02-2013
Interesting and informative
A great book that packs in enough detail to keep you interested, but not so much that you lose interest.
The narrator was superb.
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- Rose
- 10-02-2013
Simply perfect. Far better than the TV series!
Very well read, thoroughly engaging, well paced, totally fascinating and entertaining without dumbing down. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone. It is the best audio book I have tried so far. The narrator pitched it perfectly. I couldn't wait to listen to it. The only downside is that sometimes it's a bit hard to remember facts etc without being able to turn back a page and check back, so occasionally I missed bits. But aside from that it was great.
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- Lianne
- 23-12-2012
Mesmerising!
This audio book is an epic and enchanting journey through the history of our world. Andrew Marr has done a fantastic job of turning events and dramas of the past in to a story easily accessible to all. It really is all encompassing, with all parts of the world given appropriate airtime and the interconnected nature of the whole human race really comes through. I particularly like the impartial nature of the narrative, which isn't afraid of debunking commonly held historical myths. I can't get enough of this audio book, it can be listened to over and over, each time you pick up on a snippet you may have previously missed. Perpetually fascinating. Thank you Andrew Marr!
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- Venetia
- 23-12-2012
A History of the World
Beautifully written. And beautifully read. I highly recommend this book. Fabulous and not at all heavy going. Some really interesting takes on the events that made history. A wonderful listen. Thank you.
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