Download Best Sellers Audiobooks in History, American

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Title: John Quincy Adams

Author: Robert V. Remini

Narrator: Ira Claffey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-13-03

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 42 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Adams' career suffered little from his demeanor. A learned and well-traveled intellectual as well as a shrewd negotiator, Adams rose through the diplomatic ranks, eventually serving as a dynamic and influential secretary of state under President James Monroe. In this role, he helped solidify many basic cornerstones of American foreign policy, including the Monroe Doctrine. The greatest triumph of this period was undoubtedly his negotiation of the Transcontinental Treaty, through which Spain acknowledged Florida to be a part of the United States.

Eventually, Adams arrived in the White House, chosen by the House of Representatives after an inconclusive election against Andrew Jackson. His administration, however, had less of a long-term impact than much of Adams pre- and post-presidential endeavors. He often failed to mesh with the ethos of his times, pushing unsuccessfully, for example, for a strong, consolidated national government. After leaving office, Adams served nine consecutive terms in the House, earning the nickname "Old Man Eloquent" for his passionate anti-slavery oratory.

Critic Reviews:

"No one who reads this fine, short study will fail to place Adams in the pantheon of Great Neglected Americans, which is just what Remini hopes to achieve and does." (Publishers Weekly)

"Capable and thoughtful...Does Adams justice and well serves to acquaint readers with a neglected leader." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

Average President, but extraordinary man

John Quincy Adams did not have one of the great Presidencies, eventually giving way to Andrew Jackson. But he lived an extraordinary life, from witnessing the Battle of Bunker Hill as a child, to serving as ambassador to Russia, to time as Secretary of State and later President, then back to the US House of Representatives (one of very few Presidents to ever return to Congress after leaving the White House), to his famous representation of the slaves who revolted on the Amistad. This is a medium length introduction to this former President and does a good job of covering all the bases.

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Title: Hallowed Ground

Author: James M. McPherson

Narrator: James M. McPherson

Format: Abridged

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-13-03

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 38 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

McPherson, who has led countless tours of Gettysburg over the years, makes stops at Seminary Ridge, the Peach Orchard, Cemetery Hill, and Little Round Top, among other key locations. He reflects on the meaning of the battle, describes the events of those terrible three days in July 1863, and places the struggle in the greater context of American and world history. Along the way, he intersperses stories of his own encounters with the place over several decades, as well as debunking several popular myths about the battle itself.

What brought those 165,000 soldiers - 75,000 Confederate, 90,000 Union - to Gettysburg? Why did they lock themselves in such a death grip across these once bucolic fields until 11,000 of them were killed or mortally wounded, another 29,000 were wounded and survived, and about 10,000 were "missing" - mostly captured? What was accomplished by all of this carnage? Join James M. McPherson on a walk across this hallowed ground as he be encompasses the depth of meaning and historical impact of a place that helped define the nation's character.

Critic Reviews:

"This book is a very good thing in a remarkably small package." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A great account of Gettysburg

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

Yes. The story is straightforward and understandable. Mcpherson gives a nice 2 hour summary and brings up some personal notes and references to break the story up.

What did you like best about this story?

The personal stories behind leaders as well as the 'tour' of Gettysburg that runs along with the story.

Which character as performed by James M. McPherson was your favorite?

None in particular, being a Marylander.

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

My memorable moments include Chamberlain's victory at Little round top, Lee's thoughts of Pickett's charge, the honoring of veterans but, especially, Lee's retreat followed by Mead and Lincoln's response.

Any additional comments?

Before reading this book try to have a basic understanding of the civil war and Major generals particularly before Gettysburg, but this is not completely necessary.

Excellent

I have then to Gettysburg many times. I have read killer Angels more than five times. I have also read the work colleges guide to the battle of Gettysburg. This book is by far the easiest to comprehend.

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Title: What If? Volume 2

Subtitle: Eminent Historians Imagine What Might Have Been

Author: Caleb Carr, Lance Morrow, Cecelia Holland, more

Narrator: Murphy Guyer

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-01

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 59 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

These original essays range across the full span of history. Geoffrey Parker describes ramifications that might have included a divided Reformation movement, a strengthened Catholic leadership, and no European settlements in the Americas. And Caleb Carr argues that we could have been spared the horrific last six months of World War II in Europe if Eisenhower had seized his chance to destroy the Nazis in the fall of 1944.

This all-star list of award-winning and best-selling authors includes Lance Morrow, Andrew Roberts, Cecilia Holland, Theodore F. Cook, and Geoffrey C. Ward, and is edited by Robert Cowley.

Critic Reviews:

"Delicious mind candy." (Amazon.com)

"The book of the year for any history lover." (Kirkus Reviews)

Members Reviews:

An interesting book tainted by a poor narrator

The introduction to this second What If book promises to go beyond the first volume's war- and conflict-heavy focus on "counter-factual history."

As a genre of history writing, "counter-factual," or "what if" scenarios, are a particularly fun and engaging way of looking at events. The essays contained in this book are written by several different historians, each with their own style and approach.

They seem to work best when the authors truly explore the alternate scenario, providing a fantastical, narrative account - such as the counterfactual "history" of a world where the Chinese became a great seafaring empire, or if Jesus had been spared by Pontius Pilate.

Unfortutnately, the majority of the essays are written by authors who are brilliant historians, but hardly great writers. Military history, despite the promise of the introduction, still dominates the book. The final essay, a speculation on a world where the potato was never introduced to Europe, carries on for ages about facts and figures, and dwindles off in a weak afterthought, committing only the last very few seconds to the idea of a Europe without potatoes. It is as if the author of that final piece had been reminded right at the end what the thesis of this book was.

The most disappointing aspect of the audiobook, however, is the narrator himself. With a flat, dispassionate voice and mediocre sense of timing, Murphy Guyer comes across more like a high school teacher than a professional reader. His mangled pronunciation of Chinese names takes one of the best essays in the book down from gripping to merely bearable.

A shame, since the narrators of Volume I had done such a good job.

Worth the free download, but not up to the usual standards of Simon & Schuster Audio.

Surprisingly amateurish, grating, and curmudgeonly

There is no such thing as "counterfactual history": rather there is fiction that uses history as the grist for its mill. It is thus as fiction that one should judge "What If?," and as fiction it sucks. The volume starts with a curmudgeonly gripe about the professionalization of history in the academy. The first effort in the collection is an eye-rolling fantasy about Jesus and the crucifiction. The writer meanders through a muddle of gross characterizations about religion (it is "about" interpretation, we are told), then wanders through some cardboard set-pieces about Pontius Pilot. I found myself baffled and bored.

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Title: The Battle of Gettysburg

Author: Frank Haskell

Narrator: Tom West

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

What really happened at the Battle of Gettysburg? Frank Haskell was there: a young officer in the Army of the Potomac. Here is his eyewitness report - written only days after the event. An intelligent and insightful soldier, he made valuable observations of the battle and its participants. Stand with him at the wall and relive Pickett's charge.

(P) Recorded Books, Inc.

Editorial Reviews:

What differentiates this description of The Battle of Gettysburg from others is the fact that Frank Haskell, the author, was an officer in the Army of the Potomac. Haskell wrote this report days after the battle itself, and his observations are crisp and insightful.

Tom West's performance of this eyewitness account is not to be missed. He makes Haskell's account fluid and enrapturing. The listener will feel like he or she is standing next to Haskell in one of the most important moments of American history.

Critic Reviews:

"Details that escape the eye stand out clearly in the voice narration." (Media Review)

"Tom West's flair for reading battle descriptions has been enhanced by a powerful yet compassionate audio presentation." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

The battle of gettysburg

It was interesting to get the perspective of someone who was at the battle. The book was written a short time after the battle, and therefore only contains those events the author was witness to. Thus the lack of detail about the first day of the battle and the fighting on Culp's hill. The main problem I had with the book was the terrible sound quality of the recording though the narrative was quite interesting.

fantastic

This was written by a union captian who was at "the angle"; he lead the deail that counted the confederate dead after pickett's charge, and he was killed in action several months later.

A Reputable Account

A very good 1st hand account from a reputable individual at a pivotal location on the line.

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Title: Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

Author: Edward Steers

Narrator: William Coon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 06-04-12

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 72 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Winner of the 2001 The Lincoln Group of New York's Award of Achievement A History Book Club Selection.

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is usually told as a tale of a lone deranged actor who struck from a twisted lust for revenge. This is not only too simple an explanation; Blood on the Moon reveals that it is completely wrong. John Wilkes Booth was neither mad nor alone in his act of murder. He received the help of many, not the least of whom was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the Charles County physician who has been portrayed as the innocent victim of a vengeful government. Booth was also aided by the Confederate leadership in Richmond. As he made his plans to strike at Lincoln, Booth was in contact with key members of the Confederate underground, and after the assassination, these same forces used all of their resources to attempt his escape.

Noted Lincoln authority Edward Steers Jr. introduces the cast of characters in this ill-fated drama. He explores why they were so willing to help pull the trigger, and corrects the many misconceptions surrounding this defining moment that changed American history.

About the author: After completing an acclaimed career as a research scientist at the National Institutes of Health, Edward Steers Jr. has turned his research skills to the Lincoln assassination. He is the author of several books about the president, including The Trial. He lives in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

Critic Reviews:

"An exceptionally well-written and thorough book on the assassination. For anyone who is sincerely interested in the assassination, this book is a 'must read." (Historian)

"Steers has a sharp ear for historical discordance and a novelist's eye for illuminating detail. Provocative reading." (Publishers Weekly)

"Steers has written a careful synthesis of what is known about Lincoln's murder." (New York Review of Books)

Members Reviews:

Terrific listen.

Blood on the moon is a totally gripping account of the events leading up to and subsequent to the assassination of Abe Lincoln. Detailed biographies of every major player is given. This book deals with the plots to kidnap / kill the president and really doesnt delve into the civil war and Washington politics that a lot of other works tend to do. You are truly moved by the funeral. The trial of the conspirators is remarkably recreated before your eyes.

My only complaint with Blood on the Moon is the author's habit of when presented with a historical question where no definitive answer is known, the author drops his opinion down and without any justification, simply moves on. This is more annoying then anything else and should not prevent you froookm enjoying this wonderful book

William Coon did an excellent job reading this book to me and Ill gladly listen to other productions of his in the future.

Well worth the 1 credit

Engrossing

What made the experience of listening to Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln the most enjoyable?

This book is full of so many important details of the assasination that i never knew existed - the spy network, the Dahlgren raid. the kidnap plot, the players. It is thorough but not labrious and the story maintains a level of suspense throughout.

Have you listened to any of William Coons other performances before? How does this one compare?

Performances can either make or break an audio book.

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Title: Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Wild Bill Hickok

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Steve Marvel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Discusses Wild Bill's most famous shootouts and his murder, explaining what's fact and what's legend. Includes a bibliography for further reading.

"Wild Bill was a strange character. Add to this figure a costume blending the immaculate neatness of the dandy with the extravagant taste and style of a frontiersman, you have Wild Bill, the most famous scout on the Plains." (General George Custer)

Space may be the final frontier, but no frontier has ever captured the American imagination like the Wild West, which still evokes images of dusty cowboys, outlaws, gunfights, gamblers, and barroom brawls over 100 years after the West was settled. A constant fixture in American pop culture, the 19th-century American West continues to be vividly and colorful portrayed not just as a place but as a state of mind. In Charles River Editors' Legends of the West series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most famous frontier figures in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

In many ways the narrative of the Wild West has endured more as legend than reality, and a perfect example of that can be found in the legend of James Butler Hickok (1837-1876), forever known as "Wild Bill". Indeed, separating fact from fiction when it comes to the life of Wild Bill is nearly impossible, something due in great measure to the fact that the man himself exaggerated his own adventures or fabricated stories altogether. When he was killed while playing poker in the mining South Dakotan outpost of Deadwood, he put Deadwood on the map and ensured both his place and his poker hand's place in legend.

Members Reviews:

Short and Sweet

Would you try another book from Charles River Editors and/or Steve Marvel?

You can't escape the text book feeling at the beginning but about half way through it really got interesting for me. 90 minutes later I was very satisfied and will download more of this series.

Would you recommend Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Wild Bill Hickok to your friends? Why or why not?

Yes, a nice glimpse at the old west

Have you listened to any of Steve Marvels other performances before? How does this one compare?

First one. Very pleased.

Was Legends of the West: The Life and Legacy of Wild Bill Hickok worth the listening time?

YES!

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Title: General Sherman's Christmas

Subtitle: Savannah, 1864

Author: Stanley Weintraub

Narrator: Ed Sala

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

General Sherman's Christmas opens on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 1864, one month before Christmas. Sherman was relentlessly pushing his troops across Georgia, reaching Savannah days before Christmas. His methodical encroachment of the city from all sides eventually convinced Confederate general W. J. Hardee to slip away in darkness across an improvised causeway toward South Carolina to the north. In freezing rain and terrifying fog, soldiers with their equipment crossed an improvised pontoon bridge across the mile-wide Savannah River.

Three days before Christmas, the mayor, Richard Arnold, surrendered the city, populated now mostly by women and children and slaves who had not fled. Then General Sherman telegraphed to Abraham Lincoln, "I beg to present you as a Christmas-gift the city of Savannah." The end of the long war was in sight.

The siege of Savannah took place as its inhabitants were preparing for Christmas, and Stanley Weintraub explores what remained of the holiday in the South by the last full year of the war. On Christmas Eve, the 33rd Massachusetts Regiment band serenaded Sherman and "a constant stream" of freed slaves filed by the house he had taken over for his headquarters. That he had come at Christmas was immensely symbolic to them.

Editorial Reviews:

This work of popular history is a splendid account of William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" during the Civil War. Famous to Northerners and infamous to Southerners, the march and subsequent capture of Savannah took place in November-December 1864, just before Christmas. Narrator Ed Sala's easygoing style helps moderate Weintraub's descriptions of the cost to civilians and soldiers alike as Sherman's Army looted and burned its way from Atlanta to Savannah, while pursued by Confederate troops who did the same. Sala's Midwestern accent and almost-conversational delivery help listeners imagine themselves living this moment in history.

Critic Reviews:

"Beautiful, brutal, and deeply moving." (The Baltimore Sun)

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

:)

not as good a christmas present as it could have been

This book spent way too much time on the march and not enough time about the occupation of Savannah - I know that there are many interesting stories about Sherman in Savannah that I hoped would be told with some detail but were not.

Book review

I highly recommend this book. Once I started it, I did not put it down until I finished the last page.

Sherman's Christmas

Weintraub's depiction of Christmas in Savannah at the end of Sherman's famous March to the Sea was just what I needed to round out my research on a project relating to the War. In addition to providing additional information about Sherman's march, I found it also a good read and can heartily recommend the book to fans of the Civil War.

Audio version pronunciations

I listened to the audio version, downloaded from the Georgia Download Destination, a great service of the Georgia library service. This is a wonderful book. Period. As for a comment or two, I will have to agree with an earlier reviewer that more time could have been spent on the occupation of Savannah. That is, after all, what the title alludes to.

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Title: Monticello: The History of Thomas Jefferson's Famous Estate

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Neil Holmes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-29-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"[A]nd our own dear Monticello, where has Nature spread so rich a mantle under the eye? Mountains, forests, rocks, rivers. With what majesty do we there ride above the storms! How sublime to look down into the workhouse of nature, to see her clouds, hail, snow, rain, thunder, all fabricated at our feet! And the glorious Sun, when rising as if out of a distant water, just gilding the tops of the mountains, and giving life to all nature!" - Thomas Jefferson, letter to Maria Cosway, 1786 >

Nobody spent more time in the thick of the Revolutionary era than Thomas Jefferson, one of the most famous and revered Americans. Jefferson was instrumental in all of the debates before the Revolution, authoring the Declaration of Independence, laying out the ideological groundwork of the notion of states' rights, leading one of the first political parties, and overseeing the expansion of the United States during his presidency.

For all of his accomplishments, Jefferson's reputation and legacy are still inextricably intertwined with the divisive issues of his own day. As the slaveholder who wrote that all men are created equal, and his relationship with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, Jefferson's life and career are still sometimes fiercely debated today.

Few Presidents are remembered for their homes, but Jefferson's Monticello is the greatest exception to that rule, and to this day it remains one of the nation's most instantly recognizable landmarks.

Members Reviews:

NOT WORTH THE @@ SHEETS OF PAPER IT IS PRINTED ON :(

Poor quality and many many many inaccurate facts = NOT WORTH THE 22 SHEETS OF PAPER IT IS PRINTED ON :(

Monticello

A very informative and interesting take on the home of Thomas Jefferson. It added even more information than what I learned by touring Monticello.

Perfect!

Taking a tour of Monticello in September and wanted to read up on the site. Perfect!

Four Stars

Good brief history of physical plant at Monticello, which is what I wanted.

Good overview

This book was not long, but gave a good overview of the early history of Monticello.

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Title: The Patriots History Reader

Subtitle: Essential Documents for Every American

Author: Larry Schweikart, Dave Dougherty, Michael Allen

Narrator: Tom Weiner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-28-11

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

An original collection of the most influential documents in American history from the best-selling authors of A Patriots History of the United States

Since 2005, A Patriots History of the United States has become a modern classic for its defense of America as a unique country founded on the principles of justice, equality, and freedom for all. The Patriots History Reader continues this tradition by going back to the original sourcesthe documents, speeches, and legal decisions that shaped our country into what it is today. The authors explore both oft-cited documentsthe Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, and Roe v. Wadeas well as those that are less famous. Among these are George Washingtons letter to Alexander Hamilton, which essentially outlined Americas military strategy for the next 150 years, and Herbert Hoovers speech on business ethics, which examines the governments role in regulating private enterprise.

By helping readers explore history at its source, this book sheds new light on the principles and personalities that have made America great.

LARRY SCHWEIKART and MICHAEL ALLEN are the coauthors of A Patriots History of the United States and have each written several books on American history and politics.

DAVE DOUGHERTY is a self-employed businessman and has collaborated with prominent historians on their books, most recently on Schweikarts What Would the Founders Say?

Critic Reviews:

Praise for A Patriots History of the United States: This book has taught me more about our history than any Ive read in years. A Patriots History of the United States should be required reading for all Americans.(Glenn Beck)

Members Reviews:

This became "heavy-handed" at times.

I probably should have expected that anything with the word "patriot" in the title would get a bit preachy and this lived up to my expectations. I enjoyed the choices of documents but I didn't need as much "commentary" as this book provided. Certainly, I am happy that I am educated enough to enjoy the documents and draw my own conclusions but this might be better titled "Some Essential Documents for Americans". Still, it was a nice July 4th listen with the fireworks going off in the background.

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Title: General Sherman's Christmas

Subtitle: Savannah, 1864

Author: Stanley Weintraub

Narrator: Ed Sala

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

General Sherman's Christmas opens on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 24, 1864, one month before Christmas. Sherman was relentlessly pushing his troops across Georgia, reaching Savannah days before Christmas. His methodical encroachment of the city from all sides eventually convinced Confederate general W. J. Hardee to slip away in darkness across an improvised causeway toward South Carolina to the north. In freezing rain and terrifying fog, soldiers with their equipment crossed an improvised pontoon bridge across the mile-wide Savannah River.

Three days before Christmas, the mayor, Richard Arnold, surrendered the city, populated now mostly by women and children and slaves who had not fled. Then General Sherman telegraphed to Abraham Lincoln, "I beg to present you as a Christmas-gift the city of Savannah." The end of the long war was in sight.

The siege of Savannah took place as its inhabitants were preparing for Christmas, and Stanley Weintraub explores what remained of the holiday in the South by the last full year of the war. On Christmas Eve, the 33rd Massachusetts Regiment band serenaded Sherman and "a constant stream" of freed slaves filed by the house he had taken over for his headquarters. That he had come at Christmas was immensely symbolic to them.

Editorial Reviews:

This work of popular history is a splendid account of William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" during the Civil War. Famous to Northerners and infamous to Southerners, the march and subsequent capture of Savannah took place in November-December 1864, just before Christmas. Narrator Ed Sala's easygoing style helps moderate Weintraub's descriptions of the cost to civilians and soldiers alike as Sherman's Army looted and burned its way from Atlanta to Savannah, while pursued by Confederate troops who did the same. Sala's Midwestern accent and almost-conversational delivery help listeners imagine themselves living this moment in history.

Critic Reviews:

"Beautiful, brutal, and deeply moving." (The Baltimore Sun)

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