Discover the Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, European

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Title: Legends of the Renaissance: The Life and Legacy of Michelangelo

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Mark Linsenmayer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-01-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

"If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it would not seem so wonderful at all." (Michelangelo)

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? When historians are asked to pick a point in history when Western civilization was transformed and guided down the path to modernity, most of them point to the Renaissance. Indeed the Renaissance revolutionized art, philosophy, religion, sciences, and math, with individuals like Galileo, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Dante, and Petrarch bridging the past and modern society. In Charles River Editors' Legends of the Renaissance, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of the most important men and women of the Renaissance in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

It's possible that Michelangelo is the most famous artist in history, but it's also possible that he's an underrated artist. The vast influence of his career is reflected by the fact that he is not only known for his own art but has also come to embody an entire epoch of Western art. Along with Leonardo da Vinci, there are no other artists who so fully capture the spirit of scientific and artistic discovery that characterized art during the late 15th and early 16th centuries.

Members Reviews:

Good concise summary

Good concise biography giving an adequate depiction of the artists talents and scope with excellent description.

Narration sounded computerized and a little too fast. Good thing it was only one hour long.

Narrator

This is good wee resume of Michelangelos working life. However, it feels really rushed by the speed of the narration. Its hard at times to follow the high amount of info due to this.

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Title: When Britain Saved the West

Subtitle: The Story of 1940

Author: Robin Prior

Narrator: Shaun Grindell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-30-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 52 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

From the comfortable distance of seven decades, it is quite easy to view the victory of the Allies over Hitler's Germany as inevitable. But in 1940 Great Britain's defeat loomed perilously close, and no other nation stepped up to confront the Nazi threat. In this cogently argued book, Robin Prior delves into the documents of the time - war diaries, combat reports, Home Security's daily files, and much more - to uncover how Britain endured a year of menacing crises. The book reassesses key events of 1940 - crises that were recognized as such at the time and others that were not fully appreciated. Prior examines Neville Chamberlain's government, Churchill's opponents, the collapse of France, the Battle of Britain, and the Blitz. He looks critically at the position of the United States before Pearl Harbor and at Roosevelt's response to the crisis. Prior concludes that the nation was saved through a combination of political leadership, British Expeditionary Force determination and skill, Royal Air Force and Navy efforts to return soldiers to the homeland, and the determination of the people to fight on "in spite of all terror."

Members Reviews:

Very detailed; a bit dry in spots

What made the experience of listening to When Britain Saved the West the most enjoyable?

The topic itself.

What did you like best about this story?

Mr Prior provided the behind the scenes background to the history we (should have) learned in school (not sure schools teach much of anything today!) regarding the events leading up to WWII, the "phony war", and the Battle of Britain. Fascinating to learn about the mistakes made by the Nazi and Allied generals, Pollyanna-ish assumptions of Chamberlain and his appeasement cabinet regarding Hitler (rather like the assumptions of a current administration concerning Iran/nuclear deal), and the real impact of German air raids on British factory output and civilian morale. Much of the book, however, contained extremely detailed lists (for example, RAF estimates of "kills" for each sortie flown). In a real book, this might have been in a footnote and therefore tolerable. On Audible, it became rather dull and interfered with the progress of the story linel.

What about Shaun Grindells performance did you like?

He had a pleasant voice, with appropriate inflection.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The interplay between Churchill and Roosevelt - and Roosevelt's consistent hedging/waffling/refusal to help the British.

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Title: King John

Subtitle: Treachery, Tyranny and the Road to Magna Carta

Author: Marc Morris

Narrator: Ric Jerrom

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 06-11-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

The brilliantly compelling new biography of the treacherous and tyrannical King John, published to coincide with the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta.

Authoritative and dramatic, Marc Morris's King John offers a compelling portrait of an extraordinary king whose reign marked a momentous turning point in the history of Britain and Europe. King John is buried in Worcester Cathedral.

Members Reviews:

Requires concentration

Having enjoyed Marc Morris's biography of Edward I and it being Magna Carta year, I started this book with great enthusiasm. At first I thought I must have accidentally set the reading speed to half pace but I soon came to appreciate Ric Jerrom's sedate narration because there is a lot to take in. But I found my mind wandering and the need for frequent rewinding and picking up the thread again is irritating. At least part of the problem for me is Morris's decision not to structure the book chronologically - with so many characters and battles and shifting alliances it is difficult enough to keep all the facts in the right place without the unnecessary complication of going backwards and forwards in time - someone who's dead and buried is suddenly back on the scene, alive and plotting. I accept that the problem is mine: Morris's command of the language and Jerrom's narration can't be faulted and I especially appreciate Jerrom's correct pronunciation of the many French nouns. I will definitely return to the book and give it another try at some time.

Solid

You can hear Marc Morris talking about King John on the BBC History Today podcast. He's an engaging speaker with a PhD in medieval history so I decided this was worth a listen. What you get is a nuts and bolts life of John which comes to life when Morris uses his in-depth knowledge of life in medieval Britain to show how a strange alliance of nobles from East Anglia, the north of England, Wales and Scotland collaborated with the sharp witted merchants of London to create Magna Carta. He goes on to make the case that John was just as bad as his subsequent reputation suggests.

Morris is too disciplined a historian to offer similar character portraits of other characters in the story. That's an understandable choice but John Julius Norwich's "Shakespeare's Kings", which tackles similar material was fun because he was interested in characters and willing to stick his neck out. So at times this suffered a little for me by being a slightly flat retelling of events. In addition to that, the narrator adopts a slightly irritating tone of archness throughout so just three stars for him.

However, overall it's worth a listen on the basis of an interesting life illuminated by many interesting details of medieval life alongside a fascinating dissection of magna carta

Compelling Story

Since the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta last year I have read a few books about it but this was definitely by far the best! It really set the issue of Magna Carta in its historical context so you could understand how it came about. Even better than that, though, was the author's assessment of John himself and discussion of whether he was as cruel as we are led to believe. I felt it was written very fairly and objectively and I liked how he explained why he had chosen to give more or less weight to various sources.

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Title: The Acropolis of Athens: The History of Greece's Most Famous Landmark

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Robert Slone

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-22-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

"What I would prefer is that you should fix your eyes every day on the greatness of Athens as she really is, and should fall in love with her. When you realize her greatness, then reflect that what made her great was men with a spirit of adventure, men who knew their duty, men who were ashamed to fall below a certain standard. If they ever failed in an enterprise, they made up their minds that at any rate the city should not find their courage lacking to her, and they gave to her the best contribution that they could." - The Funeral Oration of Pericles, quoted by Thucydides

The Acropolis, which literally means "a city on the heights", is a citadel whose currently surviving structures were mostly built during the fifth century BC in honor of Athena, the patron goddess of Athens. It functioned as a sacred precinct that contained the city's most important religious and municipal structures, many of which have remained relatively intact for over 2,000 years. The Propylaea (the gateway to the Acropolis), the Parthenon (the principal shrine to the goddess), the Erechtheion (a shrine that supposedly houses the burial grounds of mythical Athenian kings), and the Temple of Athena Nike all survive to this day, and for these reasons, the Acropolis is perhaps the definitive and most eloquent expression of classical architecture, if not of the classical form itself.

In order to understand whether and how this might be the case, it is important to reflect not only on the aesthetic quality of the structures themselves but also to seek out the historical, religious, and philosophical contexts that clarify the structures' purpose and significance.

Members Reviews:

interesting

I love these Charles River editions! They are always informative, concise and to the point. I have never been disappointed and l've read quite a few of them.

Anyone interested in ancient Greece will like this one. Also I believe if you are interested in the art of the period, you won't be disappointed.

There's some nice photos in the book that you will enjoy.

Worth the price.

... down the components of the Acropolis and provides an easy to read and understand analysis

The book breaks down the components of the Acropolis and provides an easy to read and understand analysis. A good reference book if you are looking to visit the site. It uses words efficiently. Every word matters. I recommend the book.

Terribly Written and Poorly Researched

This is a terribly written and poorly researched history of the Acropolis. Despite the existence of numerous sources from which to derive a comprehensive history, this is a superficial summary that repeatedly lapses into lengthy quotes bereft of citation, and oriented more around mythology and fable than history. There is also an over-abundant use of superfluous and uninstructive adjectives, apparently intended to entertain pre-adolescents, while frustrating adult readers.

Excellent

The item was received as expected. There were no issues. What else can one say about a digitally downloaded item?

Three Stars

We needed this for research. It was helpful but a bit "light" on details.

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Title: Prince of Pleasure

Subtitle: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency

Author: Saul David

Narrator: Sam Devereaux

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Described by the Duke of Wellington as "the most extraordinary compound of talent, wit, buffoonery, obstinacy and good feeling that I ever saw in one character in my life", George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales, later George IV, was a highly controversial figure. He courted both Whigs and Tories in his attempts to establish the Regency during the "madness" of his father, George III. Scandalous liaisons with prostitutes and duchesses, and his "secret" marriage to the Catholic Mrs. Fitzherbert, tested his duty - to nation and to family. Yet his support for overseas campaigns against Napoleon, culminating in such historic victories as Trafalgar and Waterloo, consolidated Britain's status as the pre-eminent world power amid the great social and economic upheavals of the Industrial Revolution.

Drawing on a wealth of original accounts of life in Georgian Britain, Saul David has created a masterly portrait - of a flamboyant, opportunistic, and influential figure, and of a nation in a time of great change. Saul David is Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham and the author of several critically-acclaimed history books, including The Indian Mutiny: 1857 (shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature), Zulu: The Heroism and Tragedy of the Zulu War of 1879 (a Waterstone's Military History Book of the Year) and, most recently, Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire. Saul David also writes acclaimed historical fiction.

Zulu Hart, the first in the George Hart series, was a best seller in 2009, and the sequel, Hart of Empire, will be published in August 2010. An experienced broadcaster, Saul David has presented and appeared in history programs for all the major TV channels and is a regular contributor to Radio 4.

Members Reviews:

George IV in all his "glory"!

What a fascinating biography of this much mocked personage of the British monarchy. It was thoroughly entertaining and there was never a moment that I was disinterested. Very well researched and focusing more on the private and personal life of the Prince Regent, rather than the politics, although these are present in just the right amount. The narration was awesome too. Loved it!

very informative about the times of George IV.

Excellent information about the time of George IV. Easy to follow. This book fills the gap between George IV and the monarchs to follow.

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Title: The Post-War Division of Germany and the Construction of the Berlin Wall

Subtitle: The History of the Cold War Split Between East and West

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Dave Wright

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

"From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an 'Iron Curtain' has descended across the continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject, in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow." - Winston Churchill, 1946

"Here in Berlin, one cannot help being aware that you are the hub around which turns the wheel of history.... If ever there were a people who should be constantly sensitive to their destiny, the people of Berlin, East and West, should be they." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

The European continent was devastated in the wake of World War II, and the conflict left the Soviet Union and the United States as uncontested superpowers. This ushered in over 45 years of the Cold War, and a political alignment of Western democracies against the Communist Soviet bloc that produced conflicts pitting allies on each sides fighting, even as the American and Soviet militaries never engaged each other.

Though it never got "hot", the Cold War was a tense era until the dissolution of the USSR. And nothing symbolized the split more than the Berlin Wall, which literally divided the city. Berlin had been a flashpoint even before World War II ended, and the city was occupied by the different Allies even as the close of the war turned them into adversaries.

Members Reviews:

Short but very interesting

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Covers a lot of history very quickly. Spoken with authority and conviction. Great listen.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Definitely makes me interested in learning more about the Cold War.

Any additional comments?

Well worth the time.

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Title: The Wars of the Roses

Subtitle: The History of the Conflicts That Brought the Tudors to Power in England

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Paul Bloede

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-10-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

Includes profiles of the leaders and tactics of the battles Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Includes a table of contents

Today, roses are a sign of love and luxury, but for over 30 years they provided the symbols for two houses at war for control of England. Thousands of people died and many more were injured fighting beneath the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster, and the noble families ruling England tore each other apart in a struggle that was as bitter as it was bloody. Though what followed was a period of strong rule under the Tudor monarchs, it ultimately came at a terrible cost, and even then it was through Elizabeth of York that the Tudor line received its legitimacy. After all, while Henry VII won his throne in battle, Elizabeth of York was the daughter of King Edward IV of England, a Yorkist monarch.

Despite their limited social and economic impact, the political and personal dramas of the Wars of the Roses have ensured that they are well remembered and still part of the popular imagination. The most famous depictions of the period came from Shakespeare, whose earliest plays included Richard III and the three parts of Henry VI. Naturally Shakespeare dramatized the tensions of what he presented as hugely destructive events, and his account, which showed the damage done by corruption and weak rule, and which turned Richard III into a popular villain, aimed to please the Tudor dynasty still in power at the time. Of course it also played to a popular interest in high drama and the sort of personal and political conflicts that lay at the heart of the war.

Members Reviews:

Could this topic be made any more boring?!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

More animated narration would have helped.

What could Charles River Editors have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

More focus on the interesting parts, and the people, not just battle after battle

Would you be willing to try another one of Paul Bloedes performances?

I might, if the content were better.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Wars of the Roses?

It's not a matter of cutting, so much as it is a matter of reshaping the book to emphasize the most interesting parts, and to focus more on people less on the progress of the war

Any additional comments?

I like most of the Charles River offerings, but not this one!!

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Title: Fatal Colours

Subtitle: Towton 1461: England's Most Brutal Battle

Author: George Goodwin

Narrator: Roger Clark

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-08-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 30 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

The tumultuous reign of Henry VI and its climax in the carnage of Towton - the bloodiest battle fought on English soil.

The battle of Towton in 1461 was unique in its ferocity and brutality, as the armies of two kings of England engaged with murderous weaponry and in appalling conditions to conclude the first War of the Roses.

Variously described as the largest, longest, and bloodiest battle on English soil, Towton was fought with little chance of escape and none of surrender. Yet, as if too ghastly to contemplate, the battle itself and the turbulent reign of Henry VI were neglected for centuries.

Combining medieval sources and modern scholarship, George Goodwin colorfully recreates the atmosphere of 15th-century England. From the death of the great Henry V and his baby son's inheritance first of England and then of France, Goodwin chronicles the vicious infighting at home in response to the vicissitudes of the Hundred Years' War abroad. He vividly describes the pivotal year of 1450 and a decade of breakdown for both king and kingdom as increasingly embittered factions struggle for a supremacy that could be secured only after the carnage of Towton.

Fatal Colours includes a cast of strong and compelling characters: a warrior queen, a ruthless king-making earl, even a papal legate who excommunicates an entire army. And at its center is the first full explanation for the crippling incapacity of the enduringly childlike Henry VI - founder of Eton and King's College, Cambridge.

With a substantive and sparkling introduction by David Starkey, Fatal Colours brings to life a vibrant and violent age.

Members Reviews:

Well done

Being a student of this era I do not often expect to learn much from books such as these. In this case I did.

Remarkable.

You will not find a better history book anywhere, you can almost feel yourself standing on the field while comprehending the larger strategic situation simaltaneously. I never listen to audio book more then once - I've just started Fatal Colours for the third time. It's that good

Tough listen.

this book is really, really hard to follow unless you have a PhD in medieval history. the author could've done a better job.

Excellent source for Towton, contributing event

Any additional comments?

Being rather well versed in this period, I was pleased to find a quite complete synopsis of not just the Battle of Towton itself, but those events leading up to it. It puts forth a few ideas regarding the motivation of several key players, which I find extremely plausible. For example, it never made sense to me that Richard of York would leave the safety of his castle to either forage, or defend the foraging party, knowing there was a full army surrounding him. This book puts forth the idea that he went to greet what he thought were troops answering his call to arms, put forth in the Kings name, and which carried a penalty of treason if ignored.

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Title: The Black Death

Subtitle: The History and Legacy of the Middle Ages' Deadliest Plague

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Katherine Thompson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

If it is true that nothing succeeds like success, then it is equally true that nothing challenges like change. People have historically been creatures of habit and curiosity at the same time, two parts of the human condition that constantly conflict with each other. This has always been true, but at certain moments in history it has been abundantly true, especially during the mid-14th century, when a boon in exploration and travel came up against a fear of the unknown. Together, they both introduced the Black Death to Europe and led to mostly incorrect attempts to explain it.

The Late Middle Ages had seen a rise in Western Europe's population in previous centuries, but these gains were almost entirely erased as the plague spread rapidly across all of Europe from 1346-1353. With a medieval understanding of medicine, diagnosis, and illness, nobody understood what caused Black Death or how to truly treat it. As a result, many religious people assumed it was divine retribution, while superstitious and suspicious citizens saw a nefarious human plot involved and persecuted certain minority groups among them.

Members Reviews:

Easy to understand

A clear explanation of the scope and importance of the Black Death with an emphasis on the changes it caused in Medieval Europe.

Very interesting

Accounts from people who lived through the Black Death. Very interesting how they describe the mass population, dealing with the plague and how peoples habits changed.

No more than a passable introduction

If you have no prior knowledge of this traumatic time in Western European history, this will serve as a passable introduction, but if you have done some reading on the topic it may add little to your knowledge.

Listen to the sound clip before buying, just to check that the narrator doesn't grate on your exposed nerve endings. I neglected to do so and regretted that oversight.

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Título: Carlomagno [Charlemagne]

Subtitular: El primer emperador del Sacro Imperio Romano [The First Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire]

Autor: Online Studio Productions

Narrador: uncredited

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 57 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 03-13-15

Editor: Online Studio Productions

Calificaciones: 3 de 5 de 1 votos

Categorías: History, European

Resumen del editor:

Un verdadero predestinado. El famoso - hombre de la barba florida, rey de los francos desde 768 hasta su muerte, expandió los distintos reinos francos hasta transformarlos en un Imperio al que incorporó gran parte de Europa Occidental y Central, unificando por primera vez la mayor parte de pueblos europeos dispersos desde la caída del Imperio romano.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.