A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders
Surprising Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
A Brief History of the World in 47 Borders
Buy for $30.09
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Matthew Lloyd Davies
-
By:
-
Jonn Elledge
About this listen
A fascinating and surprising history of the world told through the lines people have drawn on maps
People have been drawing lines on maps for as long as there have been maps to draw on. Sometimes rooted in physical geography, sometimes entirely arbitrary, these lines might often have looked very different if a war or treaty or the decisions of a handful of tired Europeans had gone a different way. By telling the stories of these borders, we can learn a lot about how political identities are shaped, why the world looks the way it does―and about human folly.
From the Roman attempts to define the boundaries of civilization, to the secret British-French agreement to carve up the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, to the reason why landlocked Bolivia still maintains a navy, this is a fascinating, witty, and surprising look at the history of the world told through its borders.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
©2024 by Jonn Elledge. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Forgotten America
- Rediscovering Events That Changed the Nation
- By: Rachel Michelle Gunter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Rachel Michelle Gunter
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
In Forgotten America: Rediscovering Events that Changed the Nation, turn your attention to the unfamiliar in United States history with historian and author Dr. Rachel Michelle Gunter.
By: Rachel Michelle Gunter, and others
-
Ocean
- A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus
- By: John Haywood
- Narrated by: Ben Eagle
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
A dazzling and ambitious history of the pre-Columbian Atlantic seas, Ocean is a story that begins with the formation of the mid-Atlantic ridge some 200 million years ago and ends with the Castilian conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century, providing a template for the methods used by the Spanish in their colonization of the New World.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Prehistory of the Atlantic
- By Sarah C on 03-14-25
By: John Haywood
-
The Middle Kingdoms
- A New History of Central Europe
- By: Martyn Rady
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 73
Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history of the region, demonstrating that Central Europe has always been more than merely the fault line between West and East. Even as Central European powers warred with their neighbors, the region developed its own cohesive identity and produced tremendous accomplishments in politics, society, and culture.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Marred by the errors in the modern section
- By Paul Boothroyd on 10-20-23
By: Martyn Rady
-
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
- By: Bettany Hughes
- Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 201
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 172
From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names - Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, North and South, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City", but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city but a global story.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A daunting undertaking pulled off superlatively
- By SGS on 12-24-17
By: Bettany Hughes
-
Arabs
- A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes, and Empires
- By: Tim Mackintosh-Smith
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 25 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 296
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 260
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 260
This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
“The hourglass that swallows you”
- By Jefferson on 05-22-21
-
The World According to Cunk
- An Illustrated History of All World Events Ever
- By: Philomena Cunk
- Narrated by: Philomena Cunk
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 160
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 142
Romans! Madrigals! The Dark Ages! Revolutions! Trumpets! The Oranges of The First World War! All of this (except trumpets) and more, is covered in this definitive, easy-clean history of all world history so far, written by the 21st Century's leading historian, philosopher and thinkerer Philomena Cunk.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
wise cracks
- By Matthew Stein on 12-11-24
By: Philomena Cunk
-
Forgotten America
- Rediscovering Events That Changed the Nation
- By: Rachel Michelle Gunter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Rachel Michelle Gunter
- Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
In Forgotten America: Rediscovering Events that Changed the Nation, turn your attention to the unfamiliar in United States history with historian and author Dr. Rachel Michelle Gunter.
By: Rachel Michelle Gunter, and others
-
Ocean
- A History of the Atlantic Before Columbus
- By: John Haywood
- Narrated by: Ben Eagle
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
A dazzling and ambitious history of the pre-Columbian Atlantic seas, Ocean is a story that begins with the formation of the mid-Atlantic ridge some 200 million years ago and ends with the Castilian conquest of the Canary Islands in the fifteenth century, providing a template for the methods used by the Spanish in their colonization of the New World.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Prehistory of the Atlantic
- By Sarah C on 03-14-25
By: John Haywood
-
The Middle Kingdoms
- A New History of Central Europe
- By: Martyn Rady
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 73
Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history of the region, demonstrating that Central Europe has always been more than merely the fault line between West and East. Even as Central European powers warred with their neighbors, the region developed its own cohesive identity and produced tremendous accomplishments in politics, society, and culture.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Marred by the errors in the modern section
- By Paul Boothroyd on 10-20-23
By: Martyn Rady
-
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
- By: Bettany Hughes
- Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 201
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 172
From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names - Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, North and South, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City", but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city but a global story.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A daunting undertaking pulled off superlatively
- By SGS on 12-24-17
By: Bettany Hughes
-
Arabs
- A 3,000-Year History of Peoples, Tribes, and Empires
- By: Tim Mackintosh-Smith
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 25 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 296
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 260
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 260
This kaleidoscopic book covers almost 3,000 years of Arab history and shines a light on the footloose Arab peoples and tribes who conquered lands and disseminated their language and culture over vast distances. Tracing this process to the origins of the Arabic language, rather than the advent of Islam, Tim Mackintosh-Smith begins his narrative more than a thousand years before Muhammad and focuses on how Arabic, both spoken and written, has functioned as a vital source of shared cultural identity over the millennia.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
“The hourglass that swallows you”
- By Jefferson on 05-22-21
-
The World According to Cunk
- An Illustrated History of All World Events Ever
- By: Philomena Cunk
- Narrated by: Philomena Cunk
- Length: 5 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 160
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 142
Romans! Madrigals! The Dark Ages! Revolutions! Trumpets! The Oranges of The First World War! All of this (except trumpets) and more, is covered in this definitive, easy-clean history of all world history so far, written by the 21st Century's leading historian, philosopher and thinkerer Philomena Cunk.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
wise cracks
- By Matthew Stein on 12-11-24
By: Philomena Cunk
-
Waste Land
- A World in Permanent Crisis
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 33
We are entering a new era of global cataclysm in which the world faces a deadly mix of war, climate change, great power rivalry, rapid technological advancement, the end of both monarchy and empire, and countless other dangers. In Waste Land, Robert D. Kaplan, geopolitical expert and author of more than twenty books on world affairs, incisively explains how we got here and where we are going.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Climate / Population Alarmism in a Mask
- By ElovesK on 02-07-25
By: Robert D. Kaplan
-
Surprise, Kill, Vanish
- The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins
- By: Annie Jacobsen
- Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
- Length: 19 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,234
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,609
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,593
From Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen, the untold story of the CIA's secret paramilitary units.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Lots of facts, offset by too much fiction
- By Steve M on 05-24-19
By: Annie Jacobsen
-
Emperor of the Seas
- Kublai Khan and the Making of China
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 20
Genghis Khan built a formidable land empire, but he never crossed the sea. Yet by the time his grandson Kublai Khan had defeated the last vestiges of the Song empire and established the Yuan dynasty in 1279, the Mongols controlled the most powerful navy in the world. How did a nomad come to conquer China and master the sea? Based on ten years of research and a lifetime of immersion in Mongol culture and tradition, Emperor of the Seas brings this little-known story vibrantly to life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Awesome
- By Rubin on 12-30-24
By: Jack Weatherford
-
Henry V
- The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 14 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 598
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 550
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 550
Henry V reigned over England for only nine years and four months and died at the age of just thirty-five, but he looms over the landscape of the late Middle Ages and beyond. The victor of Agincourt, he is remembered as the acme of kingship, a model to be closely imitated by his successors. William Shakespeare deployed Henry V as a study in youthful folly redirected to sober statesmanship. For one modern medievalist, Henry was, quite simply, “the greatest man who ever ruled England.”
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing Book & Fantastic Storyteller
- By L. Reilly on 11-26-24
By: Dan Jones
-
The Archive of Empire
- Knowledge, Conquest, and the Making of the Early Modern British World
- By: Asheesh Kapur Siddique
- Narrated by: Keval Shah
- Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Performance0 out of 5 stars 0
-
Story0 out of 5 stars 0
Over the span of two hundred years, Great Britain established, governed, lost, and reconstructed an empire that embraced three continents and two oceanic worlds. The British ruled this empire by correlating incoming information about the conduct of subjects and aliens in imperial spaces with norms of good governance developed in London. Officials derived these norms by studying the histories of government contained in the official records of both the state and corporations and located in repositories known as archives.
-
Einstein's Fridge
- How the Difference Between Hot and Cold Explains the Universe
- By: Paul Sen
- Narrated by: Malk Williams
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 367
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 311
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 311
Einstein’s Fridge tells the incredible epic story of the scientists who, over two centuries, harnessed the power of heat and ice and formulated a theory essential to comprehending our universe. “Although thermodynamics has been studied for hundreds of years…few nonscientists appreciate how its principles have shaped the modern world” (Scientific American).
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
What is the real purpose of this book?
- By Bob on 07-02-22
By: Paul Sen
-
Around the World in Eighty Games
- From Tarot to Tic-Tac-Toe, Catan to Chutes and Ladders, a Mathematician Unlocks the Secrets of the World's Greatest Games
- By: Marcus du Sautoy
- Narrated by: Mark Elstob
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
Spanning millennia, oceans and continents, countries and cultures, Around the World in Eighty Games gleefully explores how mathematics and games have always been deeply intertwined. Renowned mathematician Marcus du Sautoy investigates how games provided the first opportunities for deep mathematical insight into the world, how understanding math can help us play games better, and how both math and games are integral to human psychology and culture.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Overall, a very entertaining read.
- By Matt on 11-13-23
By: Marcus du Sautoy
-
Medieval Horizons
- Why the Middle Ages Matter
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: Ian Mortimer
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
We tend to think of the Middle Ages as a dark, backward, and unchanging time characterized by violence, ignorance, and superstition. By contrast, we believe progress arose from science and technological innovation, and that inventions of recent centuries created the modern world. We couldn't be more wrong.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Altered my perception of History
- By IowaGreyhound on 06-25-24
By: Ian Mortimer
-
Sea People
- The Puzzle of Polynesia
- By: Christina Thompson
- Narrated by: Susan Lyons
- Length: 11 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,064
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 921
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 918
A thrilling, intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Long Lost History
- By Than on 04-19-19
-
The Ottomans
- Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs
- By: Marc David Baer
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 199
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 167
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 166
The Ottoman Empire has long been depicted as the Islamic Asian antithesis of the Christian European West. But the reality was starkly different: the Ottomans’ multiethnic, multilingual, and multireligious domain reached deep into Europe’s heart. Indeed, the Ottoman rulers saw themselves as the new Romans. Recounting the Ottomans’ remarkable rise from a frontier principality to a world empire, historian Marc David Baer traces their debts to their Turkish, Mongolian, Islamic, and Byzantine heritage.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great except for pronunt of Turkish names
- By Anonymous User on 11-04-22
By: Marc David Baer
-
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
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 698
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 607
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 606
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Look past the one-star reviews: this is an enlightening and engaging read.
- By Alonzo Nightjar on 03-07-22
By: Eric H. Cline
-
Fall of Civilizations
- Stories of Greatness and Decline
- By: Paul Cooper
- Narrated by: Paul Cooper
- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 141
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With meticulous research, breathtaking insight and dazzling, empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilizations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great audiobook
- By EquineBallet on 08-03-24
By: Paul Cooper
Critic reviews
“Various audiobooks have attempted to condense the history of the world into a reasonable listening time, but here the divisions between lands and nations provide a unique common denominator. Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies has a reliable, highly agreeable voice, mellow with a bit of burr. It's especially effective when the narrative turns ironic and bemused.… Polished, informative, and often quite amusing, they are an ideal accompaniment for leisure or exercise, chores, bedtime, or the car.” —AudioFile Magazine
"A brilliant account of how these lines on a map shape lives, destinies, and economies. You’ll never look at a map in the same way again." —Stephen Bush, Financial Times columnist
"This is brilliant fun, explaining the modern world in enjoyably bite-sized chapters. It’s exactly the book you hope it will be." —Rob Hutton, author of The Illusionist
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
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
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Warning: not audio reading of the book
- By Anonymous on 08-07-21
By: Neil MacGregor
-
An Empire of Wealth
- The Epic History of American Economic Power
- By: John Steele Gordon
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 70
Throughout time, from ancient Rome to modern Britain, the great empires built and maintained their domination through force of arms and political power. But not the United States. America has dominated the world in a new, peaceful, and pervasive way - through the continued creation of staggering wealth. In this authoritative, engrossing history, John Steele Gordon captures as never before the true source of our nation's global influence: wealth and the capacity to create more of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
KNOW YOUR HISTORY!
- By CP Guy on 12-22-20
-
The Origin of Capitalism
- A Longer View
- By: Ellen Meiksins Wood
- Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
Ellen Meiksins Wood offers a clear and accessible introduction to the theories and debates concerning the birth of capitalism, imperialism, and the modern nation state. Capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the relationship between humans and nature.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
incredibly dence.
- By Jake Fahey on 10-22-21
-
A People’s History of the World
- From the Stone Age to the New Millennium
- By: Chris Harman
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 29 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 272
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 225
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 221
Chris Harman describes the shape and course of human history as a narrative of ordinary people forming and re-forming complex societies in pursuit of common human goals. Interacting with the forces of technological change as well as the impact of powerful individuals and revolutionary ideas, these societies have engendered events familiar to every schoolchild-from the empires of antiquity to the world wars of the 20th century. In a bravura conclusion, Chris Harman exposes the reductive complacency of contemporary capitalism.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Oh God avoid
- By Robert on 03-28-18
By: Chris Harman
-
Beyond Measure
- The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants
- By: James Vincent
- Narrated by: James Vincent
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Hoped for more information
- By A Z A R on 06-26-23
By: James Vincent
-
Becoming Earth
- How Our Planet Came to Life
- By: Ferris Jabr
- Narrated by: Joe Ochman
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
One of humanity’s oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution. Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis—a planet that breathes, metabolizes, and regulates its climate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating and well researched
- By Amazon Customer on 07-10-24
By: Ferris Jabr
-
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
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 25
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
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.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Warning: not audio reading of the book
- By Anonymous on 08-07-21
By: Neil MacGregor
-
An Empire of Wealth
- The Epic History of American Economic Power
- By: John Steele Gordon
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 14 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 70
Throughout time, from ancient Rome to modern Britain, the great empires built and maintained their domination through force of arms and political power. But not the United States. America has dominated the world in a new, peaceful, and pervasive way - through the continued creation of staggering wealth. In this authoritative, engrossing history, John Steele Gordon captures as never before the true source of our nation's global influence: wealth and the capacity to create more of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
KNOW YOUR HISTORY!
- By CP Guy on 12-22-20
-
The Origin of Capitalism
- A Longer View
- By: Ellen Meiksins Wood
- Narrated by: Jo Anna Perrin
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 44
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
Ellen Meiksins Wood offers a clear and accessible introduction to the theories and debates concerning the birth of capitalism, imperialism, and the modern nation state. Capitalism is not a natural and inevitable consequence of human nature, nor simply an extension of age-old practices of trade and commerce. Rather, it is a late and localized product of very specific historical conditions, which required great transformations in social relations and in the relationship between humans and nature.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
incredibly dence.
- By Jake Fahey on 10-22-21
-
A People’s History of the World
- From the Stone Age to the New Millennium
- By: Chris Harman
- Narrated by: Napoleon Ryan
- Length: 29 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 272
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 225
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 221
Chris Harman describes the shape and course of human history as a narrative of ordinary people forming and re-forming complex societies in pursuit of common human goals. Interacting with the forces of technological change as well as the impact of powerful individuals and revolutionary ideas, these societies have engendered events familiar to every schoolchild-from the empires of antiquity to the world wars of the 20th century. In a bravura conclusion, Chris Harman exposes the reductive complacency of contemporary capitalism.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Oh God avoid
- By Robert on 03-28-18
By: Chris Harman
-
Beyond Measure
- The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants
- By: James Vincent
- Narrated by: James Vincent
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 55
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 53
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52
A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Hoped for more information
- By A Z A R on 06-26-23
By: James Vincent
-
Becoming Earth
- How Our Planet Came to Life
- By: Ferris Jabr
- Narrated by: Joe Ochman
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
One of humanity’s oldest beliefs is that our world is alive. Though once ridiculed by some scientists, the idea of Earth as a vast interconnected living system has gained acceptance in recent decades. We, and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—we are Earth, an outgrowth of its structure and an engine of its evolution. Life and its environment have coevolved for billions of years, transforming a lump of orbiting rock into a cosmic oasis—a planet that breathes, metabolizes, and regulates its climate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating and well researched
- By Amazon Customer on 07-10-24
By: Ferris Jabr
-
How the World Made the West
- A 4,000 Year History
- By: Josephine Quinn
- Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
- Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 36
In How the World Made the West, Josephine Quinn poses perhaps the most significant challenge ever to the “civilizational thinking” regarding the origins of Western culture—that is, the idea that civilizations arose separately and distinctly from one another. Rather, she locates the roots of the modern West in everything from the law codes of Babylon, Assyrian irrigation, and the Phoenician art of sail to Indian literature, Arabic scholarship, and the metalworking riders of the Steppe, to name just a few examples.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Middling
- By Amazon Customer on 11-14-24
By: Josephine Quinn
-
Iron Kingdom
- The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947
- By: Christopher Clark
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 28 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 980
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 867
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 865
In the aftermath of World War II, Prussia - a centuries-old state pivotal to Europe's development - ceased to exist. In their eagerness to erase all traces of the Third Reich from the earth, the Allies believed that Prussia, the very embodiment of German militarism, had to be abolished. But as Christopher Clark reveals in this pioneering history, Prussia's legacy is far more complex.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Let me make it easier for you.
- By alexyakkavoo on 06-03-20
-
The Future of Geography
- How the Competition in Space Will Change Our World (Politics of Place)
- By: Tim Marshall
- Narrated by: Tim Marshall
- Length: 6 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 69
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
Humans are venturing up and out, and we’re taking our competitive spirit with us. Soon, what happens in space will shape human history as much the mountains, rivers, and seas have impacted civilizations around the world. It’s no coincidence that Russia, China, and the USA are leading the way. The next fifty years will change the face of global politics and the world order as we know it. In this must-listen work, bestselling author Tim Marshall navigates the new astropolitical reality to show how we got here and where we’re heading.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Good Overview of Astro Politics
- By Gary on 04-18-24
By: Tim Marshall
-
Fall of Civilizations
- Stories of Greatness and Decline
- By: Paul Cooper
- Narrated by: Paul Cooper
- Length: 19 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 141
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 141
Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With meticulous research, breathtaking insight and dazzling, empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilizations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great audiobook
- By EquineBallet on 08-03-24
By: Paul Cooper
-
Oathbreakers
- The War of Brothers That Shattered an Empire and Made Medieval Europe
- By: Matthew Gabriele, David M. Perry
- Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni
- Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 39
By the early ninth century, the Carolingian empire was at the height of its power. The Franks, led by Charlemagne, had built the largest European domain since Rome in its heyday. Though they jockeyed for power, prestige, and profit, the Frankish elites enjoyed political and cultural consensus. But just two generations later, their world was in shambles. Civil war, once an unthinkable threat, had erupted after Louis the Pious’s sons tried to overthrow him—and then placed their knives at the other’s neck. Families who had once charged into battle together now drew each other’s blood.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
History made amusing
- By Avox on 12-18-24
By: Matthew Gabriele, and others
-
King: A Life
- By: Jonathan Eig
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 20 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 752
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 644
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 643
Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.—and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My Time
- By Susan on 06-18-23
By: Jonathan Eig
The writing (or maybe the narration?) comes across as more congenial/passive rather than authoritative.
Interesting border topics
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Political Bias.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.