The Age of Napoleon

A History of European Civilization from 1789 to 1815: The Story of Civilization, Book 11

De: Will Durant, Ariel Durant

Narrado por: Stefan Rudnicki

An engrossing volume on European civilization by Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.

The Age of Napoleon, the 11th and final volume of the Story of Civilization, surveys the amazing chain of events that wrenched Europe out of the Enlightenment and into the age of democracy. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the French Revolution from the storming of the Bastille to the guillotining of the king; the revolution's leaders - Danton, Desmoulins, Robespierre, and Saint-Just - all cut down by the reign of terror they inaugurated; Napoleon's meteoric rise from provincial Corsican military student to emperor and commander of the largest army in history; Napoleon's fall - his army's destruction in the snows of Russia, his exile to Elba, his escape and reconquest of the throne, and his ultimate defeat at Waterloo by the combined forces of Europe; and the birth of Romanticism and the dawning of a new age of active democracy and a rising middle class, laying the foundation for a new era.

©1975 Will and Ariel Durant (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

An Illustrious End to a Marvelous Series.

I had a fantastic time listening through since Volume 9;
I suspect I will reapproach the earlier volumes once I have again a taste for those periods. I would love to hear what the Durant's would have to say about these modern times! Despite a smattering of inaccuracies, the value of the narrative, in vivacious compelling voice, leads to engagement in so many elements of history that are nowadays neglected. Beautiful writing and I suspect I will return to listen again for comfort and pleasure in the following years.

despite the cliche, magisterial

as far ranging and brilliant as its subject. settle in and enjoy the writing of a well seasoned master (two of them, actually).

never too much...

information from Will Durant. This is possibly one of the most detailed accounts of the European world during the reign of Napoleon.

What a Story.

This is the 11th and last volume of “The Story of Civilization.”

I am proud to be finished, but I am sorry it is over.

Thanks for the opportunity Audible, it has been fascinating.

The time that made our world

Makes the hours fly. An integral history of the age that made our world

Finally

I have been sampling The Great Courses and other audible sources on the French revolution without satisfaction. I should have known better. The reason is simply that the title "The Age of Napoleon" did not properly register. Napoleon rose after the great events of The French Revolution.

This book quickly addresses those earlier years as an introduction to Napoleon. Durant simply does everything with excellence. I became suspicious of The Great Courses exposition when I could not make heads nor tails out of the "neckless" scandal even after three hearings. A google search on the topic showed her lecture as hopeless.

Durant does not even mention that scandal. I will continue with the tedious alternative sources but they are, so far, pathetic. This is an early review and I post it as a caution only.

Will and Ariel Never Fail

What made the experience of listening to The Age of Napoleon the most enjoyable?

This looong history paints scenes encouraging you to step in - feel the tensions, see the people and snapshot moments that made history. The endless research and witty descriptions never fail to inform and amuse.

Great ending to a great series.

This last book in this eleven volume collection, that the Durant’s did not expect to live long enough to write, was every bit as good as the first ten. My only regret is that I never got to spend an evening talking to them.

Stunning conclusion to an epic master work

I absolutely loved this series of volumes. What a monumental achievement by this husband and wife scholarly duo. I've read a better biography on Napoleon, so that is not the crowning achievement of this volume. What is? The coverage of the age itself? After finishing the series, I could really appreciate the author's choice to name each volume by the age of the most influential person or movement of the era. The only other series of volumes that had this mind-blowing and expansive deep dive across a vast swath of human history was the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. For me, these two series are the best I've experienced. I highly recommend the entire series to anybody interested and even to those not yet interested.

Amazing journey

It took 22 months to listen to all of Durant's volumes. I learned a lot and now have more to investigate...