William Shakespeare: A Life from Beginning to End
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.
William Shakespeare: A Life from Beginning to End
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
William Irvine
-
By:
-
Hourly History
About this listen
William Shakespeare is one of the most recognizable names in the world. Regardless of country, language, age, or gender, people are familiar with the Bard’s work and his contributions to literature, theater, art, and music. His genius was so evident that he became famous and respected throughout England in his own lifetime, eventually earning the attention and patronage of the king himself.
Inside you will hear about....
- "A Legend Is Born"
- "The Lost Years"
- "Early Career"
- "The Golden Years"
- "Poetic Works"
- "The Death of William Shakespeare"
- And much more!
From his humble birth to his sudden death, William Shakespeare’s life is traced through the theatrical legacy he left behind.
©2017 Hourly History (P)2017 Hourly HistoryListeners also enjoyed...
-
Walt Disney: An American Original (Commemorative Edition)
- By: Bob Thomas, Christopher Miller, Jeff Kurtti, and others
- Narrated by: Jason Culp, Xe Sands, Christopher Miller, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 72
Walt Disney is an American hero. From Mickey Mouse to Disneyland, he changed the face of American culture. His is a success story like no other: a man who developed animated film into an art form and made a massive contribution to the folklore of the world. After years of research, respected Hollywood biographer Bob Thomas produced a definitive biography of the man behind the legend of Disney: the unschooled cartoonist from Kansas City who when bankrupt on his first movie venture and developed into the genius who produced unmatched works of animation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredible Story
- By Amazon Customer on 03-07-24
By: Bob Thomas, and others
-
The Cuban Missile Crisis: A History From Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr.
- Length: 1 hr and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
The Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union lasted for more than 40 years. In general, this was a war of spies and subterfuge, of covert action and espionage. There was always a danger, however, that an error of judgment on either side could suddenly cause the Cold War to turn red-hot with an exchange of nuclear weapons. On many occasions, tensions between the countries increased, but the prospect of all-out nuclear war between America and Russia was never closer than during a two-week period in October of 1962.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book
- By Demarcus brooks on 04-17-20
By: Hourly History
-
George Washington: A Life from Beginning to End
- President Biographies, Book 1
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Jimmy Kieffer
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
George Washington, the first president of the United States, is much more than a monument on Mount Rushmore. Who was Washington, the general, president, and husband? He was first and foremost a man of impeccable honor which, despite military adversity and political wrangling, never abandoned him. The Founding Fathers who squabbled and competed among themselves did agree on one thing: Only Washington could lead the country, first in the country’s military fight for freedom and then as the man charged with transforming 13 individual states into a united country.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted a more in-depth analysis.
- By nfrgtblis on 04-22-18
By: Hourly History
-
Nostradamus
- A Life from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Mike Nelson
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 13
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very Interesting
- By Angela S. on 05-06-19
By: Hourly History
-
Marilyn Monroe: A Life from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Sean Tivenan
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 12
She vigorously played the dumb-blonde stereotype in her movie roles, but there is nothing at all dumb about Marilyn Monroe. Born to a single mother who suffered from severe mental illness, the odds were stacked against the girl originally named Norma Jeane from the very beginning. She became a ward of the state and bounced around from foster home to foster home. The fact that she rose from such impoverished beginnings to become one of the top-billed acts in Hollywood speaks for itself.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Take note: 55 mins long
- By Alicia D on 04-25-23
By: Hourly History
-
Adolf Hitler: A Life From Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
The most notorious man in history, Adolf Hitler, is best known for having perpetrated crimes against humanity over the six-year course of World War II. His brutal extermination policies are responsible for the deaths of close to 30 million people he considered inferior, and added to that, the military casualties suffered by all parties, yields a grand total of approximately 60 million people dead by the end of the war. That number equates to 3% of the world's population at the time. But, who was this man? What made him into the monster he became? Can his childhood explain the formation of such a brutal dictator?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved It!
- By Danielle Schoenegge on 02-03-23
By: Hourly History
-
Walt Disney: An American Original (Commemorative Edition)
- By: Bob Thomas, Christopher Miller, Jeff Kurtti, and others
- Narrated by: Jason Culp, Xe Sands, Christopher Miller, and others
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 72
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 72
Walt Disney is an American hero. From Mickey Mouse to Disneyland, he changed the face of American culture. His is a success story like no other: a man who developed animated film into an art form and made a massive contribution to the folklore of the world. After years of research, respected Hollywood biographer Bob Thomas produced a definitive biography of the man behind the legend of Disney: the unschooled cartoonist from Kansas City who when bankrupt on his first movie venture and developed into the genius who produced unmatched works of animation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredible Story
- By Amazon Customer on 03-07-24
By: Bob Thomas, and others
-
The Cuban Missile Crisis: A History From Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr.
- Length: 1 hr and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10
The Cold War between the United States of America and the Soviet Union lasted for more than 40 years. In general, this was a war of spies and subterfuge, of covert action and espionage. There was always a danger, however, that an error of judgment on either side could suddenly cause the Cold War to turn red-hot with an exchange of nuclear weapons. On many occasions, tensions between the countries increased, but the prospect of all-out nuclear war between America and Russia was never closer than during a two-week period in October of 1962.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book
- By Demarcus brooks on 04-17-20
By: Hourly History
-
George Washington: A Life from Beginning to End
- President Biographies, Book 1
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Jimmy Kieffer
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12
George Washington, the first president of the United States, is much more than a monument on Mount Rushmore. Who was Washington, the general, president, and husband? He was first and foremost a man of impeccable honor which, despite military adversity and political wrangling, never abandoned him. The Founding Fathers who squabbled and competed among themselves did agree on one thing: Only Washington could lead the country, first in the country’s military fight for freedom and then as the man charged with transforming 13 individual states into a united country.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
I wanted a more in-depth analysis.
- By nfrgtblis on 04-22-18
By: Hourly History
-
Nostradamus
- A Life from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Mike Nelson
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 13
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.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very Interesting
- By Angela S. on 05-06-19
By: Hourly History
-
Marilyn Monroe: A Life from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Sean Tivenan
- Length: 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 12
She vigorously played the dumb-blonde stereotype in her movie roles, but there is nothing at all dumb about Marilyn Monroe. Born to a single mother who suffered from severe mental illness, the odds were stacked against the girl originally named Norma Jeane from the very beginning. She became a ward of the state and bounced around from foster home to foster home. The fact that she rose from such impoverished beginnings to become one of the top-billed acts in Hollywood speaks for itself.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Take note: 55 mins long
- By Alicia D on 04-25-23
By: Hourly History
-
Adolf Hitler: A Life From Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
The most notorious man in history, Adolf Hitler, is best known for having perpetrated crimes against humanity over the six-year course of World War II. His brutal extermination policies are responsible for the deaths of close to 30 million people he considered inferior, and added to that, the military casualties suffered by all parties, yields a grand total of approximately 60 million people dead by the end of the war. That number equates to 3% of the world's population at the time. But, who was this man? What made him into the monster he became? Can his childhood explain the formation of such a brutal dictator?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved It!
- By Danielle Schoenegge on 02-03-23
By: Hourly History
-
The Story of Walt Disney
- By: Diane Disney Miller, Pete Martin
- Narrated by: Karen Commins
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
As you'll hear in this audiobook, Walt found resourceful ways to earn money even in his youth. The warm reminiscences present Walt as a creative and energetic business person and loving family man. His story includes fascinating details about animation, his cartoon characters and films, the movie and TV industries, and technological processes he invented.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The way Walt Disney daughter caught his essence
- By Thomas Brides on 06-12-24
By: Diane Disney Miller, and others
-
The Disney Story
- Chronicling the Man, the Mouse and the Parks
- By: Aaron H Goldberg
- Narrated by: Susan L. Crawford
- Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 105
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 87
Attention, all Disney Fans! Do you enjoy learning about the Disney theme parks? Perhaps you're enamored with the man who was Walt Disney? Maybe you're just plain crazy for Mickey Mouse and the Disney big-screen features? No need to order your serving of Disney history and knowledge a la carte anymore.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
It's basically a direct read from Wikipedia
- By Kris Siegel on 07-08-19
By: Aaron H Goldberg
-
Walt Disney
- A Captivating Guide to the Life of an American Entrepreneur and Pioneer of Animated Cartoon Films
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16
A man truly lives on even after his death if he leaves a legacy that survives him for years to come. Albert Einstein, Harriet Tubman, Karl Marx, Mozart, Marie Curie, Van Gogh, Marsha Johnson - there are so many examples of men and women whose deeds revolutionized history and paved the way for future generations to thrive. One name that stands out in this regard in the world of entertainment is that of Walt Disney.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not all that historically accurate
- By Andres M. Heredia on 12-31-22
-
Walt Disney
- The Triumph of the American Imagination
- By: Neal Gabler
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 33 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,382
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,033
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,028
Walt Disney was a true visionary whose desire for escape, iron determination, and obsessive perfectionism transformed animation from a novelty to an art form, first with Mickey Mouse and then with his feature films–most notably Snow White, Fantasia, and Bambi.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Diane Disney
- By Amanda on 02-15-13
By: Neal Gabler
-
How to Be Like Walt
- Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life
- By: Pat Williams, Jim Denney
- Narrated by: Paul Christy
- Length: 16 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 649
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 596
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 589
How to Be Like is a "character biography" series: biographies that also draw out important lessons from the life of their subjects. In this new book - by far the most exhaustive in the series - Pat Williams tackles one of the most influential people in recent history. While many recent biographies of Walt Disney have reveled in the negative, this audiobook takes an honest but positive look at the man behind the myth. For the first time, the book pulls together all the various strands of Disney's life into one straightforward, easy-to-listen-to tale.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Great stories, good biography, too preachy.
- By Adam on 04-27-16
By: Pat Williams, and others
-
Walt Before Mickey
- Disney's Early Years, 1919-1928
- By: Timothy S. Susanin
- Narrated by: Al Kessel
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 16
Walt Before Mickey is a look at Walt's decade-long career before he became an international sensation with the creation of Mickey Mouse in 1928.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
It's All in the Details
- By Casey on 07-10-17
-
Les Misérables: Translated by Julie Rose
- By: Victor Hugo, Julie Rose - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 60 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,587
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,197
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,210
One of the great classics of world literature and the inspiration for the most beloved stage musical of all time, Les Misérables is legendary author Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. This extraordinary English version by renowned translator Julie Rose captures all the majesty and brilliance of Hugo’s work. Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Book that Made Me a Better Person
- By Jeff Diamond on 03-29-13
By: Victor Hugo, and others
-
Shakespeare
- The World as Stage
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,857
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,284
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,272
William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Too Little, Too Short
- By Charles L. Burkins on 11-30-07
By: Bill Bryson
-
Shakespeare
- The Biography
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 282
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 181
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 181
Only Peter Ackroyd can combine narrative and unique observation with a sharp eye for the fascinating fact. His method is to position Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, he not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare’s life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Shakespeare by Peter Ackroyd
- By Four Bears on 10-16-06
By: Peter Ackroyd
-
Contested Will
- Who Wrote Shakespeare?
- By: James Shapiro
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 180
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 112
For nearly two centuries, the authorship of William Shakespeare's plays has been challenged by writers and artists as diverse as Sigmund Freud, Mark Twain, Henry James, Helen Keller, Orson Welles, Malcolm X, and Sir Derek Jacobi. How could a young man from rural Warwickshire, lacking a university education, write some of the greatest works in the English language?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Somewhat Surprised and very pleased
- By Geoff in NY on 04-10-10
By: James Shapiro
-
The Man Who Invented Fiction
- How Cervantes Ushered in the Modern World
- By: William Egginton
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
In the early 17th century, a crippled, graying, almost toothless veteran of Spain's wars against the Ottoman Empire published a novel. It was the story of a poor nobleman, his brain addled from studying too many novels of chivalry, who deludes himself that he is a knight errant and sets off on hilarious adventures. That story, Don Quixote, went on to sell more copies than any other book beside the Bible, making its author, Miguel de Cervantes, the single most-read author in human history.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very Interesting and Informative, but Poorly Read
- By LCorSMT on 06-21-23
By: William Egginton
-
Chaucer
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 68
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
Geoffrey Chaucer, who died in 1400, lived a surprisingly eventful life. He served with the Duke of Clarence and with Edward III, and in 1359 was taken prisoner in France and ransomed. Through his wife, Philippa, he gained the patronage of John of Gaunt, which helped him carve out a career at Court. His posts included Controller of Customs at the Port of London, Knight of the Shire for Kent, and King's Forester. He went on numerous adventurous diplomatic missions to France and Italy.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
first rate
- By hh on 09-16-07
By: Peter Ackroyd
Related to this topic
-
The Man Who Invented Fiction
- How Cervantes Ushered in the Modern World
- By: William Egginton
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
In the early 17th century, a crippled, graying, almost toothless veteran of Spain's wars against the Ottoman Empire published a novel. It was the story of a poor nobleman, his brain addled from studying too many novels of chivalry, who deludes himself that he is a knight errant and sets off on hilarious adventures. That story, Don Quixote, went on to sell more copies than any other book beside the Bible, making its author, Miguel de Cervantes, the single most-read author in human history.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very Interesting and Informative, but Poorly Read
- By LCorSMT on 06-21-23
By: William Egginton
-
Les Misérables: Translated by Julie Rose
- By: Victor Hugo, Julie Rose - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 60 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,587
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,197
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,210
One of the great classics of world literature and the inspiration for the most beloved stage musical of all time, Les Misérables is legendary author Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. This extraordinary English version by renowned translator Julie Rose captures all the majesty and brilliance of Hugo’s work. Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Book that Made Me a Better Person
- By Jeff Diamond on 03-29-13
By: Victor Hugo, and others
-
Confronting the Classics
- Traditions, Adventures and Innovations
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Lynne Jenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 78
One of the world's leading historians provides a revolutionary tour of the Ancient World, dusting off the classics for the twenty-first century. Mary Beard, drawing on thirty years of teaching and writing about Greek and Roman history, provides a panoramic portrait of the classical world, a book in which we encounter not only Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal, but also the common people - the millions of inhabitants of the Roman Empire, the slaves, soldiers, and women.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Annoying narrator
- By Chris E on 02-27-15
By: Mary Beard
-
The Renaissance
- A Captivating Guide to a Remarkable Period in European History, Including Stories of People Such as Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Copernicus, Shakespeare, and Leonardo da Vinci
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard L. Walton
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
If you want to discover the captivating history of the Renaissance, then pay attention.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Monotone reader
- By Harry R. Martin on 08-07-19
-
Before We Were Trans
- A New History of Gender
- By: Dr. Kit Heyam Ph.D
- Narrated by: Dr. Kit Heyam Ph.D
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 54
Before We Were Trans illuminates the stories of people across the globe, from antiquity to the present, whose experiences of gender have defied binary categories. Blending historical analysis with sharp cultural criticism, trans historian and activist Kit Heyam offers a new, radically inclusive trans history, chronicling expressions of trans experience that are often overlooked, like gender-nonconforming fashion and wartime stage performance. Heyam looks to the past to uncover new horizons for possible trans futures.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The history we need right now
- By Daniel Hebert on 04-11-23
-
Making History
- The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past
- By: Richard Cohen
- Narrated by: Richard Cohen
- Length: 26 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
There are many stories we can spin about previous ages, but which accounts get told? And by whom? Is there even such a thing as “objective” history? In this “witty, wise, and elegant” (The Spectator), book, Richard Cohen reveals how professional historians and other equally significant witnesses, such as the writers of the Bible, novelists, and political propagandists, influence what becomes the accepted record. Cohen argues, for example, that some historians are practitioners of “Bad History” and twist reality to glorify themselves or their country.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Missing 20 pages from book
- By Rick, Austin on 04-23-22
By: Richard Cohen
-
The Man Who Invented Fiction
- How Cervantes Ushered in the Modern World
- By: William Egginton
- Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 44
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 43
In the early 17th century, a crippled, graying, almost toothless veteran of Spain's wars against the Ottoman Empire published a novel. It was the story of a poor nobleman, his brain addled from studying too many novels of chivalry, who deludes himself that he is a knight errant and sets off on hilarious adventures. That story, Don Quixote, went on to sell more copies than any other book beside the Bible, making its author, Miguel de Cervantes, the single most-read author in human history.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very Interesting and Informative, but Poorly Read
- By LCorSMT on 06-21-23
By: William Egginton
-
Les Misérables: Translated by Julie Rose
- By: Victor Hugo, Julie Rose - translator
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 60 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,587
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,197
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,210
One of the great classics of world literature and the inspiration for the most beloved stage musical of all time, Les Misérables is legendary author Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. This extraordinary English version by renowned translator Julie Rose captures all the majesty and brilliance of Hugo’s work. Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Book that Made Me a Better Person
- By Jeff Diamond on 03-29-13
By: Victor Hugo, and others
-
Confronting the Classics
- Traditions, Adventures and Innovations
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Lynne Jenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 90
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 78
One of the world's leading historians provides a revolutionary tour of the Ancient World, dusting off the classics for the twenty-first century. Mary Beard, drawing on thirty years of teaching and writing about Greek and Roman history, provides a panoramic portrait of the classical world, a book in which we encounter not only Cleopatra and Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Hannibal, but also the common people - the millions of inhabitants of the Roman Empire, the slaves, soldiers, and women.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Annoying narrator
- By Chris E on 02-27-15
By: Mary Beard
-
The Renaissance
- A Captivating Guide to a Remarkable Period in European History, Including Stories of People Such as Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Copernicus, Shakespeare, and Leonardo da Vinci
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard L. Walton
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
If you want to discover the captivating history of the Renaissance, then pay attention.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Monotone reader
- By Harry R. Martin on 08-07-19
-
Before We Were Trans
- A New History of Gender
- By: Dr. Kit Heyam Ph.D
- Narrated by: Dr. Kit Heyam Ph.D
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 59
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 54
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 54
Before We Were Trans illuminates the stories of people across the globe, from antiquity to the present, whose experiences of gender have defied binary categories. Blending historical analysis with sharp cultural criticism, trans historian and activist Kit Heyam offers a new, radically inclusive trans history, chronicling expressions of trans experience that are often overlooked, like gender-nonconforming fashion and wartime stage performance. Heyam looks to the past to uncover new horizons for possible trans futures.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The history we need right now
- By Daniel Hebert on 04-11-23
-
Making History
- The Storytellers Who Shaped the Past
- By: Richard Cohen
- Narrated by: Richard Cohen
- Length: 26 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
There are many stories we can spin about previous ages, but which accounts get told? And by whom? Is there even such a thing as “objective” history? In this “witty, wise, and elegant” (The Spectator), book, Richard Cohen reveals how professional historians and other equally significant witnesses, such as the writers of the Bible, novelists, and political propagandists, influence what becomes the accepted record. Cohen argues, for example, that some historians are practitioners of “Bad History” and twist reality to glorify themselves or their country.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Missing 20 pages from book
- By Rick, Austin on 04-23-22
By: Richard Cohen
-
The Creation of Anne Boleyn
- A New Look at England’s Most Notorious Queen
- By: Susan Bordo
- Narrated by: Barbara Rosenblat
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 408
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 373
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 371
Part biography, part cultural history, The Creation of Anne Boleyn is a fascinating reconstruction of Anne’s life and an illuminating look at her afterlife in the popular imagination. Why is Anne so compelling? Why has she inspired such extreme reactions? What did she really look like? Was she the flaxen-haired martyr of Romantic paintings or the raven-haired seductress of twenty-first-century portrayals? (Answer: Neither.) And perhaps the most provocative questions concern Anne’s death more than her life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Most Enjoyable Biography--Win!
- By Roswatheist on 03-29-14
By: Susan Bordo
-
C. S. Lewis - A Life
- Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet
- By: Alister E. McGrath
- Narrated by: Robin Sachs
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 409
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 376
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 369
In honor of the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis' death, celebrated Oxford don Dr. Alister McGrath presents us with a compelling and definitive portrait of the life of C. S. Lewis, the author of the well-known Narnia series. For more than half a century, C. S. Lewis’ Narnia series has captured the imaginations of millions. In C. S. Lewis - A Life, Dr. Alister McGrath recounts the unlikely path of this Oxford don, who spent his days teaching English literature to the brightest students in the world and his spare time writing.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Awakening my curiosity and desire to read more!
- By Pearl Glacier on 03-13-13
-
Jewish Comedy
- A Serious History
- By: Jeremy Dauber
- Narrated by: Jeremy Dauber
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 177
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 153
In a major work of scholarship both erudite and very funny, Jeremy Dauber traces the origins of Jewish comedy and its development from Biblical times to the age of Twitter. Organizing his book thematically into what he calls the seven strands of Jewish comedy - including the satirical, the witty, and the vulgar - Dauber explores the ways Jewish comedy has dealt with persecution, assimilation, and diaspora through the ages. He explains the rise and fall of popular comic archetypes such as the Jewish mother, the JAP, and the schlemiel and schlimazel.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not funny
- By supermantwo on 08-31-20
By: Jeremy Dauber
-
Shakespeare and the Resistance
- By: Clare Asquith
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19
The 1590s were bleak years for England. The queen was old, the succession unclear, and the treasury empty after decades of war. Amid the rising tension, William Shakespeare published a pair of poems dedicated to the young Earl of Southampton: Venus and Adonis in 1593 and The Rape of Lucrece a year later. Although wildly popular during Shakespeare's lifetime, to modern readers both works are almost impenetrable. But in her enthralling new book, the Shakespearean scholar Clare Asquith reveals their hidden contents.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent scholarship unveiling hidden history
- By Lumen Fidei on 07-03-23
By: Clare Asquith
-
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare
- 1599
- By: James Shapiro
- Narrated by: James Shapiro
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 90
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 90
1599 was an epochal year for Shakespeare and England. During that year, Shakespeare wrote four of his most famous plays: Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and, most remarkably, Hamlet; Elizabethans sent off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathered an Armada threat from Spain, gambled on a fledgling East India Company, and waited to see who would succeed their aging and childless queen.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Note!--Abridged version
- By Scott on 01-05-16
By: James Shapiro
-
Talking About Detective Fiction
- By: P. D. James
- Narrated by: Diana Bishop
- Length: 4 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 126
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 95
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 94
To judge by the worldwide success of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Poirot, it is not only the Anglo-Saxons who have an appetite for mystery and mayhem. Talking about the craft of detective writing and sharing her personal thoughts and observations on one of the most popular and enduring forms of literature, P. D. James examines the challenges, achievements and potential of a genre which has fascinated her as a novelist for nearly 50 years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating and Informative
- By Nancy J on 03-17-13
By: P. D. James
-
Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely
- By: Andrew S. Curran
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 47
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Denis Diderot is often associated with the decades-long battle to bring the world's first comprehensive Encyclopedie into existence. But his most daring writing took place in the shadows. Thrown into prison for his atheism in 1749, Diderot decided to reserve his best books for posterity - for us, in fact. In the astonishing cache of unpublished writings left behind after his death, Diderot challenged virtually all of his century's accepted truths, from the sanctity of monarchy, to the racial justification of the slave trade, to the norms of human sexuality.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
lifelong coverage of his life.
- By Michael Daly on 03-22-21
By: Andrew S. Curran
-
Incarnations
- India in Fifty Lives
- By: Sunil Khilnani
- Narrated by: Vikas Adam
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
For all of India's myths, its sea of stories and moral epics, Indian history remains a curiously unpeopled place. In Incarnations, Sunil Khilnani fills that space, recapturing the human dimension of how the world's largest democracy came to be. His trenchant portraits of emperors, warriors, philosophers, film stars, and corporate titans - some famous, some unjustly forgotten - bring feeling, wry humor, and uncommon insight to dilemmas that extend from ancient times to our own.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great listen, the author is biased
- By Anonymous User on 02-15-19
By: Sunil Khilnani
-
Natasha's Dance
- A Cultural History of Russia
- By: Orlando Figes
- Narrated by: Ric Jerrom
- Length: 29 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 141
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 124
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 122
Beginning in the 18th century with the building of St. Petersburg - a 'window on the West' - and culminating with the challenges posed to Russian identity by the Soviet regime, Figes examines how writers, artists, and musicians grappled with the idea of Russia itself - its character, spiritual essence and destiny. He skillfully interweaves the great works - by Dostoevsky, Stravinsky, and Chagall - with folk embroidery, peasant songs, religious icons and all the customs of daily life, from food and drink to bathing habits to beliefs about the spirit world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Kaleidescopic panorama of an enigmatic culture.
- By Tarquin on 02-13-19
By: Orlando Figes
-
Wonder Woman Unbound
- The Curious History of the World's Most Famous Heroine
- By: Tim Hanley
- Narrated by: Colby Elliott
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 368
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 341
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 337
This close look at Wonder Woman's history portrays a complicated heroine who is more than just a female Superman with a golden lasso and bullet-deflecting bracelets. The original Wonder Woman was ahead of her time, advocating female superiority and the benefits of matriarchy in the 1940s. At the same time, her creator filled the comics with titillating bondage imagery, and Wonder Woman was tied up as often as she saved the world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
facts about how Wonder Woman has been portrayed
- By Midwestbonsai on 07-25-16
By: Tim Hanley
-
101 Secrets of the Freemasons
- The Truth Behind the World's Most Mysterious Society
- By: Barb Karg, John K. Young PhD
- Narrated by: Paul Brion
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
From the illustrious George Washington and the infamous J. Edgar Hoover to brilliant imaginer Walt Disney and bad boy of baseball Ty Cobb, Freemasons have influenced every aspect of American life. Yet this secret society remains as controversial and mysterious as ever. In this tell-all audiobook, you'll learn the truth about the largest - and oldest - fraternal organization and unravel the mystery of this intriguing society - one secret at a time!
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Very Scattered
- By Amazon Customer on 03-04-20
By: Barb Karg, and others
-
The Year of Lear
- Shakespeare in 1606
- By: James Shapiro
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 190
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 165
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 161
In the years leading up to 1606, since the death of Queen Elizabeth and the arrival in England of her successor, King James of Scotland, Shakespeare's great productivity had ebbed, and it may have seemed to some that his prolific genius was a thing of the past. But that year, at age 42, he found his footing again, finishing a play he had begun the previous autumn - King Lear - then writing two other great tragedies, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Detailed and satisfying
- By Tad Davis on 02-24-16
By: James Shapiro
What listeners say about William Shakespeare: A Life from Beginning to End
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lady Donovon
- 06-29-20
More for children of 12 than serious adults.
I didn't notice that this biography was an hour long! William Shakespeare? For children.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!