Discover Top 100 Audiobooks in History, American Popular Titles

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Drama of Glass

Author: Kate Field

Narrator: Scott Nilsen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-13-10

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The Drama of Glass, by Kate Field, was published in 1895 and attempts to tell a sweeping story about the past, present, and future of glass while at the same time advertising it's publisher, the Libby Glass Company. The prologue begins with speculations of the origns of glass by the Phoenicians and Venetians. It also depicts the beginings of glass in America in 1608. The next section of the book details the evolution of glass from 1850 to 1893, focusing, not suprisingly, on Libby Glass.

The third section of the book dramatically departs from the history laid out so far to relate the fairy tale of Cinderella's glass slippers metaphorically to actress Georgia Cayvan's journey to create a dress spun out of glass, which was later duplicated by a Spanish princess. The last section returns to the Libby Glass Company and their involvement in the World's Fair of 1893. This section asks the readers (presumably those who attended the fair themselves) questions about their own experiences to encourage their own reflections on the exhibit.

Members Reviews:

The Drama Class

This book is very good and I wish that they can have more book series I will like to have when I get older

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: America the Beautiful

Subtitle: Reflections on Her Past, Present and Future

Author: Sri Chinmoy from The Illumine Group

Narrator: Richard Dreyfuss

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-29-10

Publisher: Illumine Group, LLC

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

America the Beautiful is a penetrating look into the moral and philosophical foundations of our nation. A collection of inspired poetry and prose by one of the greatest philosophers of our time, this edition offers insightful, illumining and encouraging viewpoints on America's soul, America's future, and the global responsibility of Americans.

Critic Reviews:

Every reader, whether American or any other nationality, will be moved . . . Through these writings, [Sri Chinmoy] takes his own place in the history and literature of America. (Dr. James G. Basker, Professor of Literary History, Columbia University, President, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Members Reviews:

would not recommend to friends

interesting theories

Inspirational Observations

Sri Chinmoy (1931-2007) was a modern author prolific in prose, passages and poems. This small 100-page collection contains some of the most inspirational and beautiful works available. There are hundreds to read. Some offerings are short, some long, some simple and some are extremely profound, but all are worth a second or third reading. Focusing on America, some of the writings are emboldening.

"America's independence, humanity's awareness and Divinity's self-transcendence were one, inseparably one". Another gem: "America has bad qualities, true, but American principles are absolutely divine". The longer ones are more thought provoking and amazing in their clarity.

One gets a true sense of a `master of peace and observation' when reading these passages. With major sections called, Prologue, Awakening, Blossoming, Reflections and Future, Chinmoy covers all the inspirational bases in regards to America. I'd love to quote more, but I'd never stop. I love this book.

This marvelous compendium of Sri Chinmoy's philosophical and spiritual visionary vignettes about America is superbly done!

The United States of America had been in existence for more than a century when Sri Chinmoy, a man who would embrace and illumine its core principals, was born half a world away in eastern India, a portion that is now called Bangladesh. His idyllic childhood was upended by the death of his parents at a relatively young age. He subsequently entered the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in South India. It was there he strove to learn and "understand the roots of human existence [that were] fulfilled through profound experiences of the Infinite." (p. 102) His own personal search and inner wisdom drove him to seek out and express his philosophical, religious, and political inspirational learning with others. In 1964, at the age of thirty-two, Sri landed on the shores of the home of the free and the land of the brave.

Sri's innate visionary, idealistic nature, and his philosophical leanings made many aware of the unique qualities he possessed. He began to think and write about his new home and espouse its principals. His great respect for many of America's Founding Fathers and many who followed in their footsteps was evident. He held them in high esteem for their compassion, intelligence, and the wisdom they exhibited as they built this great nation, a nation that Sri Chinmoy would hold in his heart.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Civil War Battles

Author: Tim McNeese

Narrator: Brett Barry

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-10

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Civil War Battles is an informative introduction to the subject. For four straight years, the people of the United States fought against one another in a brutal civil war that resulted in the deaths of approximately 620,000 men in uniform. Between 1861 and 1865, more Americans died during this bloody conflict than in all other American wars combined. With fighting across the South and in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Kentucky, some battles proved to be key in the overall outcome of the war.

The clashes between the Union and the Confederates are nearly countless, ranging from minor skirmishes to full-scale engagements that sometimes stretched across battlefields measuring miles in length. Sometimes, these battles displayed the limits of a man's endurance and revealed the honorable manhood of the armies. The story of these battles in Civil War Battles is the story of men who risked their lives for a personal cause and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The book is published by Chelsea House Publishing, a leading publisher of educational material.

Critic Reviews:

"[N]ot only informational but tell[s] a good story as well...Recommended." (Library Media Connection)

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Dangerous Economies

Subtitle: Status and Commerce in Imperial New York

Author: Serena R. Zabin

Narrator: Naomi Jacobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-13-10

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Before the American Revolution, the people who lived in British North America were not just colonists; they were also imperial subjects. To think of 18th-century New Yorkers as Britons rather than incipient Americans allows us fresh investigations into their world. How was the British Empire experienced by those who lived at its margins? How did the mundane affairs of ordinary New Yorkers affect the culture at the center of an enormous commercial empire?

Dangerous Economies is a history of New York culture and commerce in the first two thirds of the 18th century, when Britain was just beginning to catch up with its imperial rivals, France and Spain. In that sparsely populated city on the fringe of an empire, enslaved Africans rubbed elbows with white indentured servants while the elite strove to maintain ties with European genteel culture. The transience of the city's people, goods, and fortunes created a notably fluid society in which establishing one's own status or verifying another's was a challenge. New York's shifting imperial identity created new avenues for success but also made success harder to define and demonstrate socially. Such a mobile urban milieu was the ideal breeding ground for crime and conspiracy, which became all too evident in 1741, when 30 slaves were executed and more than 70 other people were deported after being found guilty - on dubious evidence - of plotting a revolt. This sort of violent outburst was the unforseen but unsurprising result of the seething culture that existed at the margins of the British Empire.

The book is published by University of Pennsylvania Press.

Members Reviews:

Market booms, whether in the 1740s or in the 1990s, are largely imaginary

"Dangerous Economies" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Zabin's book interview ran here as cover feature on October 2, 2009.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Days of '49

Subtitle: The California Gold Rush & Women of the West

Author: Jimmy Gray

Narrator: Donnie Blanz, Joe Loesch, Cathy Martindale

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-09-10

Publisher: Readio Theatre, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The contradictions of the new frontier were never so evident as when gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada mountains. This approximately three-hour audio collection brings to life the tumult that was Northern California circa 1849. Chronicling the lives and times of a cast of characters both rapacious and refined, Days of 49 takes the listener on an evocative exploration, from prologue to aftermath, of the California Gold Rush, an era of grubstakes and greed; hoopskirts and hope.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Tales of the Old West, Songs & Stories

Subtitle: Land Rushes, Legends & Lyrics of the American Frontier

Author: Jimmy Gray

Narrator: Donnie Blanz, Joe Loesch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-10

Publisher: Readio Theatre, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The American cowboy came to the West to begin again after a bloody civil war had ended. He worked long hours in lonely cow camps and his pay was meager, but he had grit and determination. He faced constant danger; he fought Indians and rustlers and braved swollen rivers and stampedes. And, finally, when the days of the open range were over, he rode off into the sunset. But his legacy lives on.

He had created a new West, a West that would endure forever in books, songs, movies, and television. In your mind's eye, you can still see him astride his horse, silhouetted on a hill, looking resolute, wild and free.

There were others, though, who wanted to claim a homestead and live forever in the West. On September 16, 1893, they had their chance. One hundred and fifty thousand men and women waited at the edges of a vasttract of government land they called the Cherokee Strip, waiting for a signal that would open 40,000 homesteads for settlement. They had come from every state and abroad. Among them were doctors and lawyers, housewives, farmers, cowboys, and drifters. But for every person who would claim a homestead, two would be disappointed.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: America's Favorite Pastime

Subtitle: The History of Baseball

Author: Steven Womack

Narrator: Ron Jordan, Joe Loesch

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-06-10

Publisher: Readio Theatre, LLC

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Part 1 - For over two centuries, its been what Walt Whitman called our game. Its Americas favorite pastime, our national preoccupation. Its more than a game, more than a sport. Its who we are as a people, as a culture. But where did baseball come from?

Part 2 - As baseball entered a new century, it became more poular than ever. All across the country, fans streamed to the ball parks. Along with this new popularity came a new breed of baseball hero. Men like John McGraw, Christy Mathewson, Johnny Evers, and Three-Finger Brown.

Part 3 - America enjoyed the wild ride of the Roaring '20s, but on October 29th, 1929, Wall Street crashed, and America slid headlong into the Great Depression. Several teams, including the Boston Braves, The Phillies, and the Cincinnati Reds, nearly folded.

Part 4 - After the Miracle Mets took the 1969 World Series in one of the greatest surprises in sports history, youd think baseball would become more popular than ever. But the '70s were a trying time for the sport.

Members Reviews:

A really fun listen

I hate baseball but as a fan of sports and as a fan of history, I decided to listen to this and had absolutely no regrets at all. This was a great book and a really fun listen. Two thumbs up!!

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: When the West Was Young

Author: Fredrick R. Becholdt

Narrator: John Michaels

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-10

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

They have been romanticized and glorified in the movies and TV, but these are perhaps more accurate portrayals of Wyatt Earp and his contemporaries. Published in 1923, Fredrick R. Beckholdt bases most of these stories upon research and interviews with old timers who witnessed many events portrayed here.

Becholdt's portrayal of of the outlaws, hostile Indians, cowboys, gamblers, cold blooded killers, prospectors and lawmen who inhabited the Wild West is riveting. This audiobook is a perfect companion while traveling through the Southwest.

Members Reviews:

Lost in the word play

What disappointed you about When the West Was Young?

I know your supposed add to the narrative to make the reader feel as if they're there, but he drags it out to the point you lose the storyline.

What did you like best about this story?

The stories were good.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He dragged out the narrative with big overly descriptive words.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

When the West Was Young.

Enteresting book about the Wild West. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.

Really bad book all around.

What would have made When the West Was Young better?

The wording was flowery and hard to follow. It could have been because of the reader was so bad. Hard to tell.

Would you be willing to try another book from Fredrick R. Becholdt? Why or why not?

No. I think I'll look for additionol stories that have not been told a thousand times before. In addition, some of the facts stated in this book have already been disproved.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of John Michaels?

A six year old could have presented more inflection is his voice to emphasize and convey some of the exciting parts of the book. Maybe a slight pause when you reach a period at the end of a sentence would help.

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

none

Any additional comments?

Dosome research into less known characters. Bring us stories we have not heard before.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Fourth of July and the Founding of America

Author: Peter de Bolla

Narrator: Richard Davidson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-30-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

The United States is a nation that touts its diversity, but there is one tradition that all Americans love to share. Every year on the Fourth of July, Americans celebrate the founding of the nation. Independence Day is the greatest of national traditions, but much of the inherited lore that surrounds the Fourth is myth and legend, not history. Even the fact that the holiday is celebrated on the fourth is misleading, as the Declaration of Independence was in fact penned on July 2nd, 1776. Jefferson did not write it himself, nor was it intended to mark the birth of a new nation.

In this remarkable and wonderful work of research and narrative, Peter de Bolla teases out the true story of the Fourth of July. De Bolla traces the holiday's history from 1776 through the Civil War, the Cold War, and the present. This enlightening exploration of the ritual celebration and mythology of America's birthday offers a fascinating window into the history of our nation and our people.

Critic Reviews:

"Americans, unlike poets, are made, not born. Peter de Bolla, in his witty monograph on that most patriotic of days, July 4, dismantles the making machinery....[An] elegant, ironic, brief but deeply researched meditation on what makes America America." (The Financial Times)

Members Reviews:

Informative, Entertaining, Inspring

This book provides valuable historical information about the origin of the Fourth of July holiday and its relevance to the country we know today. Reading about the early celebrations and their backgrounds is entertaining. Being made aware of the worshipful attitude with which they were originally approached is inspiring.

A promise unfulfilled

I bought the book because I had read a couple of short pieces by the author. He used them to promote the book as one which would fill in the details about our so-called Independence Day. In reality, he spends more time talking about various symbols of patriotism than he does about the Declaration of Independence. He has plenty of new information, but the book left me disappointed. If you're interested in historical trivia, buy the book; if you want to read the story of the birth of the United States, get one of the works which are already in print.

Seems so much longer than it really is....

This excellent and exhaustive book about July 4th and all the details one might want to know about it covers everything. Everything (and I mean everything) is covered so well that the book expands, as you hold it, from exhaustive to exhausting. What might have been a sixty to eighty page book, if careully pared, heavily occupies most of the surface of a hundred and eighty-one pages. Each new aspect is chewed and ruminated as though the book had six stomachs. All the sentence fragments one could want. And more. Read it if you have the time to invest in the good parts and the time to waste in the repetition and boring point-making of the rest of it.

Why we Celebrate on the 4th

The text presents five topical chapters focusing on 4 July and its meaning within American society. The introductory thesis examines and dispels the notion of a "punctual moment" (p. 18) of historic significance. For example, everyone knows the Declaration of Independence was signed by the founding fathers on 4 July 1776--but that is not actually true.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The FBI: A History

Author: Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones

Narrator: David Henry

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-10-10

Publisher: Caravan

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

This fast-paced account of the history of the FBI presents the first balanced and complete portrait of the powerful and oft-criticized institution. Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones offers a new take on the origins and mission of the bureau, the significance of J. Edgar Hoovers term as director, the bureaus pre-emptive anti-terrorist capabilities before and after 9/11, and more.

Critic Reviews:

"A prolific historian of the United States intelligence community, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones has now produced an informative survey of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.... Fascinating." (Kenneth O'Reilly, American Historical Review)

Members Reviews:

Lukewarm on Events

Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones' study of FBI history leaves much to be desired. The text approaches the FBI's most recognizable episodes in a fairly cursory manner, treating the Bureau's war against organized crime, seperatist militias and religious cults, counterterrorism and counter-espionage as the background to the author's central theme: race.

As such, the book emerges principally as a study of the Bureau's often slow progress in diversifying its workforce in order to meet diverse threats.

Points of strength: exploration of FBI leadership and the role of the Attorney General, study of the Bureau's relationship with other intelligence agencies, and effective review of the Bureau's swings from popularity to notoriety and back again throughout the past 100 years.

A Lightweight Read

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

It becomes most obvious right at the outset that the author has an agenda. So what the unsuspecting buyer gets is a rambling effort to present the agenda rather than a genuine historical critique of the FBI.

There are a number of books available tempered pro and con toward the FBI all of which deal with the Bureau's history in a far superior manner than does this read.

What was most disappointing about Rhodri Jeffreys-Joness story?

The story

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

disappointment (at having wasted good money)

Focuses on the bureacracy and not on the bureau

This audiobook is a serious and rather dry history of how the FBI evolved. It focuses much more on the political, strategic and legal frameworks which created and formed the bureau through its history. Issues are considered at very high level, only rarely illustrated with anecdotes at the street/law enforcement level.

There's some interesting stuff in the book and you leave it better informed and with a different perspective on the FBI - but it is hard work at times and not a pacy, true crime read like, say Homicide. Having said this I found the more recent history fairly engaging, so perhaps my lack of engagement with other sections of the book was due more to a lack of familiarity with the cast of characters than the content.

The reader is adequate but prone to repeated basic errors (i.e. reading 'character' for 'charter') which tends to distract.