Showing results by narrator "Mike Nelson" in All Categories

Pablo Picasso, born on October 25, 1881, in Málaga, Spain, was one of the 20th century’s most prolific and successful artists. A natural-born prodigy, he began painting at the age of two and never stopped until his death at the age of 91. From a young age, Picasso oozed defiance against formal authority. This was reflected not only in his personal life, which was a tangle of mistresses and wives, but especially in his art.

Discover the remarkable life of Virginia Woolf.... Virginia Woolf ranks among the most influential writers of the 20th century. Embracing the Post-Impressionist times in which she lived, her novels reflect the artistic shift from romanticism to abstract. Plot mattered very little to Woolf. Her writing was a stream of consciousness outside of time and place. Her novels, including her best-known work, Mrs. Dalloway, invariably dwell on gender roles and the concept of reality.

One man has probably done more good and saved more lives than any single public official of the Victorian era. The man being described was an engineer, city planner, bridge builder, and landscape architect; his name was Sir Joseph Bazalgette. Probably best remembered as the man who designed the London sewer network, he almost single-handedly eliminated virulent epidemics and changed the River Thames from an open sewer into one of the cleanest urban rivers in the world. He also transformed the face of London forever.

Explore the life of one of the medieval world’s most memorable figures. Eleanor of Aquitaine became the queen of both France and England, the wife of two kings, and later the mother of two kings. Heiress to the rich French provinces of Aquitaine and Poitou, she was undoubtedly one of medieval Europe’s most powerful and wealthiest women.

William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, permanently changing the landscape of the English countryside and the course of English history. No one debates his importance; whether the influence was good or bad is a much more involved conversation. To understand English history over time, it is important to understand the transition from Anglo-Saxon history of the country to the Anglo-Norman control that existed until approximately the 15th century.

Just who was Saint Patrick? Many know him as the figure behind the huge festival of fun and drinking that takes place every year on March 17. But look a little more closely and see that there is more to the patron saint of Ireland than meets the eye.

George Orwell, the son of a British civil servant, spent his life promoting social justice and equality, while fighting against totalitarianism and elitism. His two best-known novels 1984 and Animal Farm depict the ultimate horror of a totalitarian government. Orwell wrote with passion about what he believed. Eighty years after their publication, his novels are as relevant as ever. Citizens are spied on by CCTV cameras. Smartphones track people’s movements and activities.

Kara Everglades has just finished her first year of high school and is longing for an adventure. So far, her only option is an invitation from some upperclassmen to watch them race a bunch of bullfrogs in a ditch. Her grandfather, Cornelius Everglades, is a family legend (and a loose cannon), who founded his own island micronation. Unfortunately, the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge it. When Cornelius shows up at Kara’s door needing her help and promising an adventure, Kara agrees to go along with his far-fetched plan.

Gandhi. The name conjures the image of a man, unimpressive in appearance, simple in his lifestyle, who spent his life pursuing independence for India. Months after the country achieved that independence from Great Britain, Gandhi’s life ended when an assassin killed him. But Gandhi’s legacy lives on. Gandhi’s rise to political and spiritual leadership is the incredible saga of a man who, in his youth, showed no signs of greatness but who became one of the most influential men of all time.

In the early 1800s, the five civilized tribes - the Cherokee, Seminole, Chickasaw, Muscogee-Creek, and Choctaw - were living in lands allocated to them by the United States government in present-day Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. In general, the Native American people lived in peace with the increasing numbers of white settlers coming to these areas, though there were occasional conflicts as settlers took lands that belonged to the tribes.

Until surprisingly recently, most history books noted that America was discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus. The truth was that by the time that Columbus arrived in America, people had been living there for more than 12,000 years. This is the story of the gradual rise, sudden destruction, and slow recovery of the native people of North America.

The story of Nostradamus is tougher to determine than one would have ever imagined. By the end of this audiobook, you will have hopefully been able to piece together some of the answers to the questions you have about the individual known simply as Nostradamus.

The Hundred Years War was a series of conflicts waged between England and France between 1337 and 1453. The war involved several generations of kings on both sides and was fought over a single issue: whether the English had the right to rule the kingdom of France. The Hundred Years War was an important element in the creation of modern Europe and in the definition of the national characters of both England and France. This audiobook tells the story of this long, complex, and fascinating conflict.

Jane Austen wrote that in her novels she painted the world on a “little bit (two inches wide) of ivory,” working “with so fine a brush.” Her well-known books, such as Pride and Prejudice and Emma, display the power of this approach; her observations about human nature have proven so accurate and entertaining that her books continue to be beloved 200 years after they were written.

In this audiobook, you will find 15 short stories showcasing the modern and exciting life of people in contemporary Germany. These stories are funny, emotional, and riddled with facts about German history and culture. These stories only take a few minutes to listen to, and you can do so anywhere you want and at any time that suits you. They will fill your day with interesting new thoughts and perspectives from an entirely new world.

From working in a shoe-blacking factory as a 12-year-old to help his family while his father was in debtor’s prison, Charles Dickens rose to become one of the best-known novelists of all time. In this book, you’ll meet the author who not only wrote famous novels like Great Expectations and David Copperfield, but whose work also helped to develop and popularize the genre of the novel.

One of the most famous women of the 20th century, Marie Curie was a trailblazer in the truest sense. Known for her discovery of two radioactive elements, radium and polonium, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She remains the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes in different sciences.

The ingenious artist we know as Michelangelo lived during the Renaissance in Northern Italy, and you could say that he was indeed a Renaissance man - he was a painter, sculptor, poet, and engineer all rolled up into one. Even though it has been some 450 years since his passing, his legacy remains one of the strongest on record. If the burgeoning art student of today wishes to learn from the best, he takes his notes directly from Michelangelo.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel: one of the most famous engineers the United Kingdom has ever produced. A man who put his stamp on his own country in the most visible way possible: through the construction of bridges and tunnels that stand to this day and by transforming both the landscape and the nature of society. This audiobook will tell the story of the man known affectionately as “The little giant,” through telling the stories of the incredible achievements that made him a household name in his own lifetime and to the present day.

Local fireman, Danny Halloway, finds himself in trouble with the law after he finds out that his wife hasn’t been faithful. In the following days, he tries to figure out how to come to terms with it, but runs into some trouble.