Istanbul
City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World
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Istanbul
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Narrated by:
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Edoardo Ballerini
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By:
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Thomas F. Madden
About this listen
The first single-volume history of Istanbul in decades: a biography of the city at the center of civilizations past and present.
For more than two millennia, Istanbul has stood at the crossroads of the world, perched at the very tip of Europe, gazing across the shores of Asia. The history of this city - known as Byzantium, then Constantinople, now Istanbul - is at once glorious, outsized, and astounding. Founded by the Greeks, its location blessed it as a center for trade but also made it a target of every empire in history, from Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Empire, to the Romans and later the Ottomans. At its most spectacular, Emperor Constantine I re-founded the city as New Rome, the capital of the eastern Roman Empire, and dramatically expanded the city, filling it with artistic treasures, and adorning the streets with opulent palaces. Around it all, Constantine built new walls, truly impregnable, that preserved power, wealth, and withstood any aggressor - walls that still stand for tourists to visit.
From its ancient past to the present, we meet the city through its ordinary citizens - the Jews, Muslims, Italians, Greeks, and Russians who used the famous baths and walked the bazaars - and the rulers who built it up and then destroyed it, including Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the man who christened the city "Istanbul" in 1930. Thomas Madden's entertaining narrative brings to life the city we see today, including the rich splendor of the churches and monasteries that spread throughout the city.
Istanbul draws on a lifetime of study and the latest scholarship, transporting listeners to a city of unparalleled importance and majesty that holds the key to understanding modern civilization. In the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, "If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital."
©2016 Thomas F. Madden (P)2016 Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,525
Filled with unforgettable stories of emperors, generals, and religious patriarchs, as well as fascinating glimpses into the life of the ordinary citizen, Lost to the West reveals how much we owe to the Byzantine Empire that was the equal of any in its achievements, appetites, and enduring legacy. For more than a millennium, Byzantium reigned as the glittering seat of Christian civilization.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Just a delight for anyone interested in history !
- By Cinders on 05-28-13
By: Lars Brownworth
-
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
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,589
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,887
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,860
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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5 out of 5 stars
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An Historic Achievement
- By Ellen S. Wilds on 04-25-14
By: Susan Wise Bauer
-
Rome
- By: Matthew Kneale
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Rome, the Eternal City. Today visitors can stand on bridges that Julius Caesar and Cicero crossed; walk around temples in the footsteps of emperors; visit churches from the earliest days of Christianity. This is all the more remarkable considering what the city has endured. It has been ravaged by fires, floods, earthquakes, and - most of all - by roving armies. Matthew Kneale uses seven of these crisis moments to create a powerful and captivating account of Rome’s extraordinary history. He paints portraits of the city before each assault, describing how Romans, both rich and poor, lived their everyday lives.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Lack of language skills an irritation
- By lmc on 07-16-18
By: Matthew Kneale
-
God's Battalions
- The Case for the Crusades
- By: Rodney Stark
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 583
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 453
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 454
In God's Battalions, award-winning author Rodney Stark takes on the long-held view that the Crusades were the first round of European colonialism, conducted for land, loot, and converts by barbarian Christians who victimized the cultivated Muslims. To the contrary, Stark argues that the Crusades were the first military response to unwarranted Muslim terrorist aggression.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
A lively and useful introduction
- By Tad Davis on 01-06-10
By: Rodney Stark
-
The Templars
- The Rise and Spectacular Fall of God's Holy Warriors
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,851
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,482
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,465
In 1307, as they struggled to secure their last strongholds in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Templars fell afoul of the vindictive and impulsive king of France. On Friday, October 13, hundreds of brothers were arrested en masse, imprisoned, tortured, and disbanded amid accusations of lurid sexual misconduct and heresy. They were tried by the Vatican in secret proceedings. But were they heretics or victims of a ruthlessly repressive state?
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Unexpected
- By Protogere on 10-30-17
By: Dan Jones
-
The Sea Wolves
- A History of the Vikings
- By: Lars Brownworth
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,051
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 938
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 936
In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it. Wave after wave of Norse "sea wolves" followed in search of plunder, land, or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell before their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn. Turning east, they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe, captured Kiev, and clashed with mighty Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
A little dry but very interesting
- By Angela on 08-30-15
By: Lars Brownworth
-
Ancient Rome
- The Rise and Fall of An Empire
- By: Simon Baker
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 225
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 225
This is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before - awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid. From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Clear and dramatic
- By Tad Davis on 08-01-17
By: Simon Baker
-
The Rise of Rome
- The Making of the World's Greatest Empire
- By: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 491
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 417
Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to become the ancient world's preeminent power. Everitt fashions the story of Rome's rise to glory into an erudite book filled with lasting lessons for our time. He chronicles the clash between patricians and plebeians that defined the politics of the Republic. He shows how Rome's shrewd strategy of offering citizenship to her defeated subjects was instrumental in expanding the reach of her burgeoning empire.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Rome from the fall of Troy through Julius Caesar
- By Mike From Mesa on 12-11-12
By: Anthony Everitt
-
The Race for Paradise
- An Islamic History of the Crusades
- By: Paul M. Cobb
- Narrated by: Paul M. Cobb
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 66
In The Race for Paradise, Paul M. Cobb offers a new history of the confrontations between Muslims and Franks we now call the "Crusades", one that emphasizes the diversity of Muslim experiences of the European holy war. There is more to the story than Jerusalem, the Templars, Saladin, and the Assassins. Cobb considers the Arab perspective on all shores of the Muslim Mediterranean, from Spain to Syria.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
A heady piece of history and a romp.
- By Meeno on 05-28-15
By: Paul M. Cobb
-
Sicily
- An Island at the Crossroads of History
- By: John Julius Norwich
- Narrated by: Michael Healy
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 184
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 165
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 163
"Sicily," said Goethe, "is the key to everything." It is the largest island in the Mediterranean, the stepping-stone between Europe and Africa, the link between the Latin West and the Greek East. Sicily's strategic location has tempted Roman emperors, French princes, and Spanish kings. The subsequent struggles to conquer and keep it have played crucial roles in the rise and fall of the world's most powerful dynasties.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
DISAPPOINTING
- By SRdto on 11-22-16
-
By the Spear
- Philip II, Alexander the Great, and the Rise and Fall of the Macedonian Empire
- By: Ian Worthington
- Narrated by: Phil Holland
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 145
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 127
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 128
For the first time, By the Spear offers an exhilarating military narrative of the reigns of these two larger-than-life figures in one volume. Ian Worthington gives full breadth to the careers of father and son, showing how Philip was the architect of the Macedonian empire, which reached its zenith under Alexander, only to disintegrate upon his death.
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2 out of 5 stars
-
Bueller..... Bueller...... Bueller...... Monotone
- By Jonathan Allen Beard on 02-15-15
By: Ian Worthington
-
Jerusalem
- The Biography
- By: Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 879
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 767
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 770
Jerusalem is the universal city, the capital of two peoples, the shrine of three faiths; it is the prize of empires, the site of Judgement Day and the battlefield of today’s clash of civilizations. From King David to Barack Obama, from the birth of Judaism, Christianity and Islam to the Israel-Palestine conflict, this is the epic history of three thousand years of faith, slaughter, fanaticism and coexistence. This is how Jerusalem became Jerusalem, and the only city that exists twice - in heaven and on earth.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
In-depth and gripping history of 3,000 years
- By A reader on 12-16-11
-
The Templars
- The History and the Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons
- By: Michael Haag
- Narrated by: Guy Bethell
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 265
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 229
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 226
Arguably one of the most provocative, puzzling, and misunderstood organizations of medieval times, the legendary Knights Templar have always been shrouded in a veil of mystery, while inspiring popular culture from Indiana Jones to Dan Brown. In The Templars, author Michael Haag offers a definitive history of these loyal Christian soldiers of the Crusades - sworn to defend the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but ultimately damned and destroyed by the Pope and his church.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Narrator ruined it
- By Amazon Customer on 10-19-17
By: Michael Haag
-
The Rise of Athens
- The Story of the World's Greatest Civilization
- By: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 16 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 617
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 544
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 542
Filled with tales of adventure and astounding reversals of fortune, The Rise of Athens celebrates the city-state that transformed the world - from the democratic revolution that marked its beginning through the city's political and cultural golden age to its decline into the ancient equivalent of a modern-day university town. Anthony Everitt constructs his history with unforgettable portraits of the talented, tricky, ambitious, and unscrupulous Athenians who fueled the city's rise.
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3 out of 5 stars
-
Good but not great. With some disturbing opinions.
- By Anthony on 06-25-19
By: Anthony Everitt
-
The Fall of Constantinople
- A Captivating Guide to the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks That Marked the End of the Byzantine Empire
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 1 hr and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
Explore a major turning point in the history of Europe and the Middle East. The fall of Constantinople was an event that had great repercussions across both East and West. Why did it happen? How did it happen? And what was the aftermath?
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Awesome history!
- By Ranger Rick MN on 11-16-23
-
The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,090
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 949
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 944
In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters. Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well Written and Detailed
- By Matthew G. on 01-26-18
By: Toby Wilkinson
-
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 184
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 156
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
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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 184
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 156
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
-
Venice
- A New History
- By: Professor Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 620
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 545
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 539
An extraordinary chronicle of Venice, its people, and its grandeur Thomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Omits slave trade
- By Rocky Stonebreaker on 08-21-16
-
Out of Istanbul
- A Journey of Discovery Along the Silk Road
- By: Bernard Ollivier, Dan Golembeski - translator
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Upon retirement at the age of sixty-two, and grieving his deceased wife, renowned journalist Bernard Ollivier felt a sense of profound emptiness: What do I do now? While some see retirement as a chance to cash in their chips and settle into a comfy armchair, Ollivier still longed for more. Searching for inspiration, he strapped on his gear, donned his hat, and headed out the front door to hike the Way of St. James, a 1400-mile journey from Paris to Compostela, Spain.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A cerebral quest and a physical test.
- By Warren on 10-05-23
By: Bernard Ollivier, and others
-
Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul
- By: John R. Hale, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John R. Hale
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
In The Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul, award-winning Professor John R. Hale of the University of Louisville is your guide to the fabulous civilizations of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans, and to the natural wonders and idyllic landscapes that surround them. These 24 richly enjoyable lectures give you the chance to experience these important sites and cultures through the eyes of an expert archaeologist and scholar, whose knowledge and depth of insight go far beyond any ordinary travel narrative.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Annoying Background Music
- By Kevin Ritter on 09-17-19
By: John R. Hale, and others
-
Istanbul
- Memories and the City
- By: Orhan Pamuk
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 215
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 179
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 183
A shimmering evocation, by turns intimate and panoramic, of one of the world’s great cities, by its foremost writer. Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul and still lives in the family apartment building where his mother first held him in her arms. His portrait of his city is thus also a self-portrait, refracted by memory and the melancholy—or hüzün—that all Istanbullus share.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Terrible pronunciation
- By K. Jaynes on 02-25-18
By: Orhan Pamuk
-
A Concise History of Turkey
- The History and Legacy of Turkey from Antiquity to Today
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Pickering
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
Through archaeological remains, ancient texts, and work by a new generation of historians, a picture can today be built of this remarkable civilization and their capital city. Although the city had been destroyed, the legacy of the Persians survived, even as they mostly remain an enigma to the West and are not nearly as well understood as the Greeks, Romans, or Egyptians. In a sense, the Achaemenid Persian Empire holds some of the most enduring mysteries of ancient civilization.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Waste of $5
- By bethany on 10-15-23
-
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 184
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 156
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
-
Venice
- A New History
- By: Professor Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 620
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 545
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 539
An extraordinary chronicle of Venice, its people, and its grandeur Thomas Madden’s majestic, sprawling history of Venice is the first full portrait of the city in English in almost thirty years. Using long-buried archival material and a wealth of newly translated documents, Madden weaves a spellbinding story of a place and its people, tracing an arc from the city’s humble origins as a lagoon refuge to its apex as a vast maritime empire and Renaissance epicenter to its rebirth as a modern tourist hub.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Omits slave trade
- By Rocky Stonebreaker on 08-21-16
-
Out of Istanbul
- A Journey of Discovery Along the Silk Road
- By: Bernard Ollivier, Dan Golembeski - translator
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
Upon retirement at the age of sixty-two, and grieving his deceased wife, renowned journalist Bernard Ollivier felt a sense of profound emptiness: What do I do now? While some see retirement as a chance to cash in their chips and settle into a comfy armchair, Ollivier still longed for more. Searching for inspiration, he strapped on his gear, donned his hat, and headed out the front door to hike the Way of St. James, a 1400-mile journey from Paris to Compostela, Spain.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A cerebral quest and a physical test.
- By Warren on 10-05-23
By: Bernard Ollivier, and others
-
Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul
- By: John R. Hale, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John R. Hale
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 67
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
In The Great Tours: Greece and Turkey, from Athens to Istanbul, award-winning Professor John R. Hale of the University of Louisville is your guide to the fabulous civilizations of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, and Ottomans, and to the natural wonders and idyllic landscapes that surround them. These 24 richly enjoyable lectures give you the chance to experience these important sites and cultures through the eyes of an expert archaeologist and scholar, whose knowledge and depth of insight go far beyond any ordinary travel narrative.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Annoying Background Music
- By Kevin Ritter on 09-17-19
By: John R. Hale, and others
-
Istanbul
- Memories and the City
- By: Orhan Pamuk
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 215
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 179
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 183
A shimmering evocation, by turns intimate and panoramic, of one of the world’s great cities, by its foremost writer. Orhan Pamuk was born in Istanbul and still lives in the family apartment building where his mother first held him in her arms. His portrait of his city is thus also a self-portrait, refracted by memory and the melancholy—or hüzün—that all Istanbullus share.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Terrible pronunciation
- By K. Jaynes on 02-25-18
By: Orhan Pamuk
-
A Concise History of Turkey
- The History and Legacy of Turkey from Antiquity to Today
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: David Pickering
- Length: 2 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
Through archaeological remains, ancient texts, and work by a new generation of historians, a picture can today be built of this remarkable civilization and their capital city. Although the city had been destroyed, the legacy of the Persians survived, even as they mostly remain an enigma to the West and are not nearly as well understood as the Greeks, Romans, or Egyptians. In a sense, the Achaemenid Persian Empire holds some of the most enduring mysteries of ancient civilization.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Waste of $5
- By bethany on 10-15-23
-
City of Fortune
- How Venice Rule the Seas
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 492
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 436
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 438
The rise and fall of the Venetian empire stands unrivaled for drama, intrigue, and sheer opulent majesty. In City of Fortune, Roger Crowley, acclaimed historian and New York Times bestselling author of Empires of the Sea, applies his narrative skill to chronicling the astounding five-hundred-year voyage of Venice to the pinnacle of power.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Wonderful Listen
- By Scot on 06-12-14
By: Roger Crowley
-
Empires of Trust
- How Rome Built - and America Is Building - a New World
- By: Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 192
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 93
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 92
In Empires of Trust, Professor Thomas F. Madden explores surprising parallels between the Roman and American republics. By making friends of enemies and demonstrating a commitment to fairness, the two republics - both "reluctant" yet unquestioned super-powers - built empires based on trust. Madden also includes vital lessons from the Roman Republic's 100-year struggle with "terrorism."
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1 out of 5 stars
-
Bork, Reagan, and Honest of Rome
- By Nelson Alexander on 12-20-08
By: Thomas F. Madden
-
Conquerors
- How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 13 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 733
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 637
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 636
Conquerors tells the almost forgotten story of how Portugal's navigators cracked the code of the Atlantic winds, launched the expedition of Vasco da Gama to India, and beat the Spanish to the spice kingdoms of the East - then set about creating the first long-range maritime empire.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautifully balanced
- By Nigel Roberts on 05-08-16
By: Roger Crowley
-
The Fall of Carthage
- The Punic Wars 265-146BC
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,571
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,352
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,346
The struggle between Rome and Carthage in the Punic Wars was arguably the greatest and most desperate conflict of antiquity. The forces involved and the casualties suffered by both sides were far greater than in any wars fought before the modern era, while the eventual outcome had far-reaching consequences for the history of the Western World, namely the ascendancy of Rome. An epic of war and battle, this is also the story of famous generals and leaders: Hannibal, Fabius Maximus, Scipio Africanus, and his grandson Scipio Aemilianus, who would finally bring down the walls of Carthage.
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating
- By Jean on 03-25-19
-
The Story of Egypt
- The Civilization That Shaped the World
- By: Joann Fletcher
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 78
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 67
The story of the world's greatest civilization - spanning thousands of years - is full of epic stories, spectacular places, and an evolving society rich in inventors, heroes, villains, and pioneers. The story of the world's greatest civilization spans 4,000 years of history that has shaped the world. It is full of spectacular cities and epic stories of a constantly evolving society peopled with inventors, heroes and heroines, villains, artisans, and pioneers.
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2 out of 5 stars
-
Egyptian history is fascinating, this book is not.
- By Mary Elizabeth Reynolds on 08-24-16
By: Joann Fletcher
-
Figures in a Landscape
- People and Places
- By: Paul Theroux
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 16 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
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Story5 out of 5 stars 9
Drawing together a fascinating body of writing from over 14 years of work, Figures in a Landscape ranges from profiles of cultural icons (Oliver Sacks, Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Williams) to intimate personal remembrances, from thrilling adventures in Africa to literary writings from Theroux's rich and expansive personal reading. Collectively these pieces offer a fascinating portrait of the author himself, his extraordinary life and his restless and ever-curious mind.
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5 out of 5 stars
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GOOD AS USUAL
- By JK on 08-23-24
By: Paul Theroux
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Empires of the Sea
- The Contest for the Center of the World
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,132
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 854
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 856
Empires of the Sea tells the story of the 50-year world war between Islam and Christianity for the Mediterranean: one of the fiercest and most influential contests in European history. It traces events from the appearance on the world stage of Suleiman the Magnificent through "the years of devastation" when it seemed possible that Islam might master the whole sea, to the final brief flourishing of a united Christendom in 1571.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant detail, exciting story
- By Tad Davis on 08-17-08
By: Roger Crowley
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Merchant Kings
- When Companies Ruled the World, 1600-1900
- By: Stephen R. Bown
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 27
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
It was an era when monopoly trading companies were the unofficial agents of European expansion, controlling vast numbers of people and huge tracts of land, and taking on governmental and military functions. The leaders of these trading enterprises exercised virtually unaccountable, dictatorial political power over millions of people.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Very interesting
- By richard on 02-20-24
By: Stephen R. Bown
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The Scythians
- Nomad Warriors of the Steppe
- By: Barry Cunliffe
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 160
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 130
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 129
The Scythians were nomadic horsemen who ranged wide across the grasslands of the Asian steppe from the Altai mountains in the east to the Great Hungarian Plain in the first millennium BC. Their steppe homeland bordered on a number of sedentary states to the south and there were, inevitably, numerous interactions between the nomads and their neighbours. The Scythians fought the Persians on a number of occasions, in one battle killing their king and on another occasion driving the invading army of Darius the Great from the steppe.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Well researched but narrator is terrible
- By John M. on 01-17-21
By: Barry Cunliffe
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The Ottomans
- Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs
- By: Marc David Baer
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 173
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 146
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 145
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.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great except for pronunt of Turkish names
- By Anonymous User on 11-04-22
By: Marc David Baer
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The Borgias
- Power and Depravity in Renaissance Italy
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 150
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 130
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 130
The Borgia family have become a byword for evil. Corruption, incest, ruthless megalomania, avarice, and vicious cruelty - all have been associated with their name. And yet, paradoxically, this family lived when the Renaissance was coming into its full flowering in Italy. Examples of infamy flourished alongside some of the finest art produced in western history.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Gossip
- By Amazon Customer on 10-02-19
By: Paul Strathern
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The Ottoman Endgame
- War, Revolution, and the Making of the Modern Middle East, 1908-1923
- By: Sean McMeekin
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 19 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 165
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 144
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 138
An astonishing retelling of 20th-century history from the Ottoman perspective, delivering profound new insights into World War I and the contemporary Middle East. Between 1911 and 1922, a series of wars would engulf the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, in which the central conflict, of course, was World War I - a story we think we know well. As Sean McMeekin shows us in this revelatory new history of what he calls the "wars of the Ottoman succession", we know far less than we think.
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4 out of 5 stars
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WWI from a different perspective
- By Michael L Krogh on 11-09-15
By: Sean McMeekin
What listeners say about Istanbul
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anthony J. Priest
- 06-04-18
One of my favorites !
I love audiobooks and have listened to many. This one easily is in my top 3. The story was extremely well written without lots of fluff and offered a fabulous summary in 300 pages of the 2,000 year history of Istanbul. The author struck the perfect balance between detail and big picture. The narrator's voice and pacing was perfectly suited to the story and enhanced the overall experience. Together, the story and narration, make this one of my favorite audiobooks of all time.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jeffrey Roberts
- 02-23-24
Great
Fascinating love it. Learned a lot well written easy to follow. Can’t wait to visit
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JK
- 03-19-23
EXCELLENT
This very interesting history of Istanbul is well written and narrated by Edwardo Ballerini, one of my favorite narrators.
That whole area of the former Ottoman Empire is worth studying. It makes you want to visit Constantinople.
Many of the locations mentioned in the book can be found on “ Google Earth”
I highly recommend this book to those who are students of history.
My next book will be: “The fall of the Ottomans”.
My thanks to all involved to make this and many interesting books on World History available to us, JK.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sibawayh
- 07-17-18
Fabulous
Excellent book by the author of Venice : A New History. Well researched and the reader is clear.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-21-24
Fascinating history
In preparation of a visit, I wanted to know more of the city’s history. This was an excellent source.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Customer
- 04-12-17
Excellent and Entertaining
My wife and I are visiting Istanbul soon and I wanted to know something about the city before I went. This book is perfect! I feel like I know the city as if it were a person. My only critique is there was no mention of the Armenian genocide- why?
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve
- 09-16-22
Great crash course of the history of Istanbul/Constantinople
I was looking for a book about Turkish history before my trip to Turkey next month and I’m so glad that I came across this one! The author, who is a history professor, summarized the incredible rich history of the one and only Istanbul/Constantinople in a perfect pace and right level level of details. Highly recommend this book to other travelers.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cat Substrate
- 05-04-20
Audio noise unacceptable
Reader good. Book was recommended by a trusted History Podcaster. The recording is too noisy to enjoy.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ellen Browne
- 04-05-22
How did I miss the amazing history of Istanbul
I do don’t usually enjoy non fiction history books, finding them dry. I’m more inclined to read historical novels. However Thomas Madden has done a superb job of presenting 2,500 year of history about this amazing city and people. I’m heading out on a cruise (with COVID and Russia’s war on Ukraine’s cooperation) from Istanbul to Athens and i felt a need to educate myself about the City. Wow!! The author presents the 2,500 year history in a easily followed, interesting, entertaining way which is no small feat. Edoardo Ballerini does a great job narrating this story. Kudos to both author and narrator!! Thank you for opening this history with all it’s drama and color.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Webb Fam
- 02-16-23
A must read
Anyone who wants to know the history of the world end of Christianity, needs to read this book.
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