Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, European

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Title: Voices of the Powerless: The Complete Series

Author: Melvyn Bragg

Narrator: Melvyn Bragg

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-11

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Melvyn Bragg follows his long historical exploration of the Routes of English with Voices of the Powerless, the BBC Radio 4 series in which he explores the lives of the ordinary working men and women of Britain at critical moments across the last 1,000 years.

The Norman Conquest is his starting point, a time when William the Conquerors harrying of the North affected the poor apprentice, the lowly ploughman and the humble shepherd. He goes on to look at the Peasants Revolt in 1381 (inspired by a hated Poll Tax) and the religious changes brought about by Henry VIIIs Reformation. The so-called Plantation of Ulster, the Siege of Chester, and the plague which ravaged Salisbury in 1627 are later stopping-off points in Braggs journey, which also finds him traversing the country and speaking to historians and experts about the life of the ordinary citizen in each period.

First broadcast in 2002, this Complete First Series contains all six episodes of Series One: Castles and Cruelty, The Peasants' Revolt, The Reformation, The Plantation of Ireland in the Counties of Armagh and Tyrone, The English Civil War and the Siege of Chester and Boils and Buboes.

Guidance: due to the archive nature of the recording the sound quality may vary.

Members Reviews:

Melvyn Bragg,need I say more ?

Brief,but informative and entertaining. accounts of some of the main events in English history,seen through the eyes of the common people.

I was surprised to learn that there is so much documented evidence of bygone days.

a nice program about British history

I am a big fan of Melvin Bragg on the BBC. And this compendium of radio programs does not disappoint.

A bad BBC radio becomes a terrible Audiobook

If you were hoping for a fun follow-up to The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language, this isn't it. Mr. Bragg, may be a good author, but he's not the best presenter for a program in the medium for audio. He constantly makes reference to areas and buildings in a way that really makes you appreciate Google and their wonderful Street View technology. Save your money, if you haven't bought Adventure of English get that, if you have it already, then press the Back button on your browser now while there is still time.

Whispers from history

The series takes a look at key moments in British history from the point of view of the powerless - those who, by definition, were often voiceless at the time and therefore left out of the history books. Melvyn Bragg is a genius at getting professionals and lay experts to delve deep and go a little bit further in explaining their topic (witness the astonishing legacy he has created through his In Our Time broadcasts), and his personal passion for the impact of politics, war, disease, economics and scientific development on the under-reported majority shines through. The two series include some original research (the programme about the convicts sent to Australia), some powerfully moving moments (the programmes on Ulster and the Scottish Highlands spring to mind) and a lot of thought-provoking facts and opinion throughout.

Powerful.

Interested in the social history of the ordinary person? This is a book for you.

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Title: Beer in the Middle Ages and the Rennaissance

Author: Richard W. Unger

Narrator: John Pruden

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-10

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Modern beer has little in common with the drink that carried that name through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was often a nutritional necessity, was sometimes used as medicine, could be flavored with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike, Beer in the Middle Ages and Renaissance presents an extraordinarily detailed history of the business, art, and governance of brewing.

During the medieval and early modern periods beer was as much a daily necessity as a source of inebriation and amusement. It was the beverage of choice of urban populations that lacked access to secure sources of potable water; a commodity of economic as well as social importance; a safe drink for daily consumption that was less expensive than wine; and a major source of tax revenue for the state.

In Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Richard W. Unger has written an encompassing study of beer as both a product and an economic force in Europe. Weaving together the stories of prosperous businessmen, skilled brewmasters, and small producers, this impressively researched overview of the social and cultural practices that surrounded the beer industry is rich in implication for the history of the period as both a product and an economic force in Europe. The book is published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

Critic Reviews:

"This is an important book on the history of beer and brewing and is a valuable resource." (Choice)

Members Reviews:

A detailed and exhaustive study

This is a thorough, scholarly analysis of government regulations and tax records to shed light on developments in the production and use of beer and ale in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Unger covers ingredients, recipes, nutrition, technology, distribution, taxation, regulation and consumption. He draws some interesting conclusions about industrial, commercial, political and social developments involving beer in the Middle Ages and Renaissance and also provides contrasts with developments in some other industries of the times. While Unger uses his conclusions to throw some light on broader aspects of life in those times, he explicitly leaves most of such analyses to future scholars.

Mostly market data

I was expecting information about the brewing and use of beer in the Middle Ages. This book had a little of that, but it was mostly market data about how much was produced in particular regions and where it was distributed. The interesting information got lost in the marketing data. I did not finish the book, which is rare for me.

I want to rate this higher...

But the truth is, it was just pretty dull. I love beer and brewing and how it links generations for all of mans history. I figured that has to make a great book right? Well sort of. The information and amount of research required to compile it must have been staggering, this must be applauded. But the telling of the story was just kind of dull. I found myself drifting in thought and missing chunks of the book and not caring enough to rewind it.

I recommend it, but only if you really want to know about the subject.

Research intensive

I'm a graduate student reserving beer in the Middle Ages, so this book was great for what I needed.

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Title: Underground London

Author: Stephen Smith

Narrator: Karen Cass

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-09-10

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

What is visible to the naked eye has been exhaustively raked over; in Underground London, acclaimed travel writer Stephen Smith provides an alternative guide and history of the capital. It's a journey through the passages and tunnels of the city, the bunkers and tunnels, crypts and shadows. As well as being a contemporary tour of underground London, it's also an exploration through time: Queen Boudicca lies beneath Platform 10 at King's Cross (legend has it); Dick Turpin fled the Bow Street Runners along secret passages leading from the cellar of the Spaniards pub in North London; the remains of a pre-Christian Mithraic temple have been found near the Bank of England; on the platforms of the now defunct King William Street Underground, posters still warn that 'Careless talk costs lives'.

Stephen Smith uncovers the secrets of the city by walking through sewers, tunnels under such places as Hampton Court, ghost tube stations, and long lost rivers such as the Fleet and the Tyburn. This is 'alternative' history at its best.

Members Reviews:

Shame about the narrator

I enjoyed this book and it is full of interesting facts and stories about what lies beneath the metropolis. The only off putting thing is it is written by a man and read by a woman and for some reason it does not quite work.

But never the less a good 'easy' listen and you can dip in and out which is good if like me you listen in bed and fall asleep and have to keep re winding!

A bit meh

I love history of London and the Underground, but found I couldn't maintain my attention on this. While there were some interesting parts, I was hoping for something as engaging as a Bill Bryson, it's just not that good. Like others, I'm going to ask why the narrator is a woman? At first I thought maybe the author was writing as a lesbian, but later it becomes apparent that no, this woman's voice talking about being a man. Actually the narrator, is otherwise, very good. Didn't return it, but came close to it. It won't get a second listen.

Interesting and engaging but...

This book held my interest and is written in an accessible and engaging style. I enjoyed it and found much of it fascinating. The 'but' is that although it has been written in a clearly male voice it is read with a female voice, at times, this just sounds wrong.

Gender confusion

I would like to know why they chosen to have a book written from a man's point of view read by a woman?

It does detract from the experience.

Interesting but wrong narrator

In agreement with previous reviews - subject matter is riveting, but why was this read by a woman when written by a man?

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Title: Chocolate Wars

Subtitle: From Cadbury to Kraft: 200 years of Sweet Success and Bitter Rivalry

Author: Deborah Cadbury

Narrator: Finty Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-26-10

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

The delicious true story of the early chocolate pioneers, by the award-winning writer and direct descendant of the famous chocolate dynasty, Deborah Cadbury.

In Chocolate Wars best-selling historian and award-winning documentary maker Deborah Cadbury takes a journey into her own family history to uncover the rivalries that have driven 250 years of chocolate empire-building. Beginning with an account of John Cadbury, who founded the first Cadbury's coffee and chocolate shop in Birmingham in 1824, Chocolate Wars goes on to chart the astonishing transformation of the company's fortunes under his grandson George. But while the Cadbury dynasty is the fulcrum of the narrative, this is also the story of their Quaker rivals, the Frys and Rowntrees, and their European competitors, the Nestles, Suchards and Lindts. These rivalries drove the formation of the huge chocolate conglomerates that still straddle the corporate world today, and have first call on our collective sweet tooth.

This is narrative history at its most absorbing, peopled by wonderfully colourful characters - the true story of the chocolate pioneers, the visions and ideals that inspired them and the mouth-watering concoctions they created.

Critic Reviews:

"A wonderful writer who keeps you turning the pages as if her book was a thriller." (The Times)

"Absolutely stupendous. This is history as it should be. It is stunningly written. I could not put it down." (Alison Weir)

"Beautifully structured and sympathetically narrated successfully brings together science, suspense and sentiment. Something for everyone." (Miranda Seymour, Sunday Times)

"A stylish writer [who] describes the splendours and miseries of these wonders in their true colours and with understanding of the ethics and aspirations of their times." (New Scientist)

"Fascinating heroes, villains and victims populate this gripping story." (Daily Telegraph)

Members Reviews:

The problem with this book

This is supposed to be a great book. The story of one of the greatest chocolate factories in the world. The problem is the author. You will not find anything negative about Cadbury. It's all about everybody elses mistakes. Because the Cadbury founders were quakers. And they were only thinking about what was best for the community. In the beginning I loved it. In the end I was so borred.

For the love all all things chocolate!

I really enjoyed this story. Beautifully written and perfectly narrated.

As a bit of a choc-o-holic there is so much more to one of our favourit foods. It was also a wonderful insite into such remarkable visionaries that were the Quakers who worked so hard and risked so much to make the world a better place. Highly recommended story.

Hisotry of Chocolates and Quakers

Having lived close to Bournville the book title caught my attention. To be honest I didn't expect too much from the book but was pleasantly surprised. Deborah Cadbury is a diligent reasearcher with a gift for prose and I abolutely loved the book. It taught me a lot about early processing and developing (drinking) chocolate and I will definitely listen to more of the author. I found the book both interessting and educational. The narrator is perfect for the book and it was a pleasure to listen to her.

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Title: The Modern Scholar: In Michelangelos Shadow

Subtitle: The Mystery of Modern Italy

Author: Joseph Luzzi

Narrator: Joseph Luzzi

Format: Original Recording

Length: 7 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 09-13-10

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

The director of Italian studies at Bard College, Professor Joseph Luzzi, leads a comprehensive overview of Italian culture. Beginning in the fabled realm of Renaissance art and concluding with the sweeping transformations of present-day Italy, Professor Luzzi examines the Italian mystique and answers a number of intriguing questions: Is there a distinctly Italian way of looking at the world? To whom do Italian Renaissance treasures truly belong? Could the United States as known today exist without the contributions of Italian culture?

Members Reviews:

Excellent for Italian literature buffs

Part of my disappointment was that I thought this audiobook would cover Michelangelo (especially given the subtitle In Michelangelo's Shadow.) Maybe the emphasis is on "shadow" because the artist is mentioned only in passing. I am more interested in art, art history and pure history. I'm not an Italian literature (Dante) or movie buff, so much of the book was interesting but not exciting. If you know The Divine Comedy and have seen Room with a View, this book is definitely for you. I just don't know how you write a book about Italy without at least one chapter being about art.

Disappointing delivery

I really wanted to like this audio. I am of Italian descent, and love things Italian. I believe the content, if one were to read it, would be interesting. Unfortunately, Prof. Luzzi didn't take the time or make the effort to read through and prepare his lectures before recording them. This is obvious throughout the whole recording, with the possible exception of the first lecture. One must assume these professors are reading their lectures, but a little enthusiasm would add a great deal. Prof. Luzzi seems to be reading this content for the first time, e.g., he gets inflection incorrect, thereby confusing his meaning; he repeats entire sentences (losing his place in the script?); he pauses where there shouldn't be a pause (turning a page to read the next word?). What a shame his didn't better prepare! I would wager that he wouldn't like it if his students were so ill prepared. He should have done it over, and done it better.

This is my favorite book.

Joseph Luzzi is an excellent speaker. As a student of Dante, professor Luzzi has completely changed the way that I think about Italian literature. I almost moved from Texas to the north so I could take a class with him after I listened to these lectures.

exellent for someone interest in It. culture

As someone with a similar background, whose family emigrated in the 1950's, your book brought back many memories of our struggles in our new homeland. Thank you for your detailed discourse on Italian culture. Egidio , New Haven, Ct.

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Title: The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire

Author: Peter Clarke

Narrator: Dennis Holland

Format: Unabridged

Length: 24 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-30-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 33 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

A sweeping, brilliantly vivid history of the sudden end of the British Empire and the moment when America became a world superpower, published on the 60th anniversary of Britain's withdrawal from Palestine.

"I have not become the King's First Minister in order to preside over the liquidation of the British Empire." Winston Churchill's famous statement in November 1942, just as the tide of the Second World War was beginning to turn, pugnaciously affirmed his loyalty to the worldwide institution that he had served for most of his life. Britain fought and sacrificed on a global scale to defeat Hitler and his allies, and won. Yet less than five years after Churchill's defiant speech, the British Empire effectively ended with Indian independence in August 1947 and the end of the British Mandate in Palestine in May 1948. As the sun set on Britain's empire, the age of America as world superpower dawned.

How did this rapid change of fortune come about? Peter Clarke's book is the first to analyze the abrupt transition from Rule Britannia to Pax Americana. His swift-paced narrative makes superb use of letters and diaries to provide vivid portraits of the figures around whom history pivoted: Churchill, Gandhi, Roosevelt, Stalin, Truman, and a host of lesser-known figures through whom Clarke brilliantly shows the human dimension of epochal events. Clarke traces the intimate and conflicted nature of the special relationship, showing how Roosevelt and his successors were determined that Britain must be sustained both during the war and after, but that the British Empire must not; and reveals how the tension between Allied war aims, suppressed while the fighting was going on, became rapidly apparent when it ended.

The Last Thousand Days of the British Empire is a captivating work of popular history that shows how the events that followed the war reshaped the world as profoundly as the conflict itself.

Critic Reviews:

"The opposite of great man historiography, Clarke's sympathetic but sardonic account shows anxious leaders struggling to catch up with a world that has passed them by." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

decent book, lousy narrator.

the narrarator has a rhythm that has his voice going high then low like he's in love with how he sounds. really annoying and distracting. not only that, but when he is in low mode he mumbles and becomes inaudible. i find myself anticipating the regular inaudible periods more than listening to book. I have 124 audiobooks. 1st time this problem. narrator ruins it for me.

Disappointing

I was looking forward to insights and discussion of the post war reasons for the collapse of the British Empire. Instead I got a long dissertation on WWII with a very little on the actual post war collapse. I did not need or want another book on WWII.

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Title: The Vertigo Years

Subtitle: Europe 1900-1914

Author: Philipp Blom

Narrator: Joel Richards

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-07-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Europe, 1900 - 1914: a world adrift, a pulsating era of creativity and contradictions. The major topics of the day: terrorism, globalization, immigration, consumerism, the collapse of moral values, and the rivalry of superpowers. The 20th century was not born in the trenches of the Somme or Passchendaelebut rather in the 15 vertiginous years preceding World War I.

In this short span of time, a new world order was emerging in ultimately tragic contradiction to the old. These were the years in which the political and personal repercussions of the Industrial Revolution were felt worldwide: Cities grew like never before as people fled the countryside and their traditional identities; science created new possibilities as well as nightmares; education changed the outlook of millions of people; mass-produced items transformed daily life; industrial laborers demanded a share of political power; and women sought to change their place in society as well as the very fabric of sexual relations.

From the tremendous hope for a new century embodied in the 1900 Worlds Fair in Paris to the shattering assassination of a Habsburg archduke in Sarajevo in 1914, historian Philipp Blom chronicles this extraordinary epoch year by year. Prime Ministers and peasants, anarchists and actresses, scientists and psychopaths intermingle on the stage of a new century in this portrait of an opulent, unstable age on the brink of disaster. Beautifully written and replete with deftly told anecdotes, The Vertigo Years brings the wonders, horrors, and fears of the early 20th century vividly to life.

Members Reviews:

How do I put this? The narration is... NOT good.

I've been wanting to read this book for quite a while. Finally I see it's available in audiobook form and I buy it! Oh my gosh, I don't mean to be unkind but I hope they didn't actually pay the person who narrated it.

Mispronunciations: Auschwitz is pronounced "Oss-witch." Erascible is pronounced "Ee-rask-able." Barbara Tuchman's last name is pronounced "Touch-man." I could go on and on.

Accents: He starts out giving the French people Russian accents until I realize that is his idea of a French accent. However, he keeps his own American accent when reading British voices. I'm only about a quarter of the way through, but I think he has given up doing doing accents altogether.

Foreign Languages: I am no expert on correct pronunciations of French or German words, but I *think* he is murdering them too.

Sound Quality: Generally, the sound quality is poor; it sounds like this had been recorded in a broom closet. And when a correction is 'punched in' - that is, a phrase or sentence is re-recorded later on - it sounds so different as to sound like a different narrator in a different studio.

I was so glad to see this book was available in audiobook format, I made the mistake of buying it without reading the reviews first.

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Title: The Last Division

Subtitle: A History of Berlin, 1945-1989

Author: Ann Tusa

Narrator: Nadia May

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-08-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Berlin has played a major role in world politics since the Nazi era and continues to be in the spotlight today as the once-again great capital of Germany. Ann Tusa presents an engaging chronicle of the Cold War partitions of this historic city, from the political strife and administrative division by the victors against Hitler through the building and eventual destruction of the Wall. Using newly available documents, she offers a full account of the political, diplomatic, and military affairs of the city, with vivid characterizations of central figures like Konrad Adenauer, Nikita Khrushchev, and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. She also reveals the full drama surrounding the building of the Wall, the experiences of ordinary Berliners, and the personal tragedies that resulted when the Wall severed a living city and sundered families for generations.

©1997 Ann Tusa; (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"An excellent book; some of the anecdotes, such as what to do with 4000 East German guard dogs after the Wall came down, are worth the price alone. For those who wish to understand the Zeitgeist of the modern Berliner, this is a book to purchase." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

Disappointing

The author's practice of imitating German, Feench, Russian and American accents when quoting people is extremely annoying. The book itself is very detailed in respect of the 1940's and 1950's but very shallow when it comes to decribing the historic events of the late 1980's

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Title: English Society in the Eighteenth Century

Author: Roy Porter

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-09

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 146 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Roy Porter's new edition of his celebrated book of English cultural history was revised in light of changes in the climate of debate that occurred in the seven years after its first publication.

Critic Reviews:

"Vivid, witty, and entertaining...easily the best general account of eighteenth-century society that we have." (

New York Review of Books)

Members Reviews:

A ton of information

The listener has to be prepared to create their own "total picture" out of an enormous amount of information and statistics that the author provides for you. There is very little story telling to this, but if you are willing to create your own understanding of the period out of a lot of information this will do the trick. The information is certainly provided clearly enough--just not as much help in interpreting it all as I might have liked.

A Critique of a Period

I found this book narrow in scope--a critique of the period, rather than an attempt to put the period in context. For example, the section on women had one main point: women had little power in England in the eighteenth century. Hardly a surprise. The author returns again and again to the point that the government was corrupt, and that the class system was dominant. I accept the premise--but was hoping for a broader discussion of art, music, philosophy, literature, architecture---all windows into a deeper understanding of history.

Fantastic and Interesting

This is a very immersive introduction to the period and while there is a lot of information presented, you do, by the end of it have a great understanding of the extravagance, pride and poverty of this time in English history. It is not for those that would rather a narrative experience and are looking for one cohesive point of view (however any historian will tell you there is no such thing). I found it eye opening and interesting, from the revelation that hanging 7 year olds was seen as just (the case of a little girl who stole a petticoat) to the extravagance of English politics. A worthwhile experience, I came away with a well rounded view of the time.

Excellent

Porter's books were always good and this is no exception. Themes are examined across a number of aspects of eighteenth century English History and Porter manages to mix entertainment and education. This was a set text when I was covering this period at University last year

Worth multiple listens

This is the third time that I have listened to this social history of the 18th century. I like it just as much now, as the first. It is very much like the time traveler books by Ian Mortimer without the kitsch. For students and lovers of history alike.

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Title: The Magnificent Century

Author: Thomas Costain

Narrator: David Case

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-28-09

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 99 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

During his lifetime, Henry was frequently unpopular, unreliable, and inconsistent. Yet his reign saw spectacular advancement in the arts, sciences, and theology, as well as in government. Despite all, it was truly a magnificent century.

Members Reviews:

They don't write histories like this anymore....

And they should, this first installment focuses on the difficult and contemplated times of Henry the second and Eleanor of Aquitane and of course, Thomas Becket. It continues on through Richard and focuses around the conditions and people that led to the Magna Charta a well rounded and entertaining explanation of complex legalities not to mention the arrogance of the evil King John....

I cannot say enough good about this series, and I do recommend the whole thing. The fact that this hisory was written in the fties and early sixties shouldnt dissuade a lover of British history. I was worried since they were written before my birth,but I adore Briish hisoty and shouldnt have worried.It's written in a modern language and a wit that

few writers or historians of any time ever achieve. Costain doesnt overlook the ridiculous or the incredible falsity of myth. It is not the story of only royalty but of people and a age. It has the cadence of that rare professor one would rather listen to than take notes. The narrator has perfect inflection to the words written. It is a true combination of talented equals. I knew of Thomas Costain's fiction but not his non-fiction. They are a much loved part of my mother's library, sadly I think that he may have been out of print of years, these works must be the last of his life. Truly a commendment to a life well-lived. My thanks to Audible for putting this out and choosing the best narration of a book I've ever heard and I am an audio addict.

Oldie and Goody

An old but still relevant series on a critical time in the development of the English political tradition which influenced our development 500 years later in the US. You will rarely hear an author say anything good about Simon de Montfort.

A good first view of the period

This is an enjoyable survey of the reigns of Henry II and the three Edwards. It is somewhat dated both in content (written very much by someone who grew up in the days of the British Empire) and in style (quite a lot of imaginative semi-dramatisation of historic events and scenes, to give them colour and interest) but it addresses the main events and many of the characters and helps bring the people to life. The descriptions of battles (although not at all overdone) are especially clear and vivid. The narrator reads with the clipped, slightly supercilious voice that I associate with the 1950's and 60's, but the pacing and expression are good and his voice is pleasant. This is by no means the last word on the period, but it's a very accessible way to get oriented.