Download Popular Titles Audiobooks in History, 20th Century

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Title: Black Tuesday: The History and Legacy of the Wall Street Stock Market Crash of 1929

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Doron Alon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-08-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

The Roaring Twenties were an age of optimism. New technology was being invented, and novel products were making their way to the store shelves. Americans believed that a new era, driven by technology, was upon them, and this optimism extended to financial markets.

During the 1920s, financiers believed that the economy would continue to boom, as it had been since the end of World War I. As a result, investors and financiers increasingly accepted lower and lower returns on money they lent.

However, during the fall of 1929, the stock market was becoming increasingly unstable. Prices would rise and fall rapidly, and some investors were becoming more cautious. Then, on October 24, 1929, the stock market lost 11% of its value right at the opening of the stock market. Panic ensued, but several prominent investment bankers were able to restore confidence by buying stocks well above the market rate.

Black Tuesday was a catastrophe the country wasn't ready for, and in fact, the market would not return to its 1929 peak until the 1950s. Black Tuesday is best remembered for investors and consumers making a run on banks that could not service everyone, and banks failed often during the Great Depression, due to bad loans and a lack of public confidence. The Federal Reserve was reluctant to backstop banks and protect them against bank runs, so banks were unable to borrow enough money to cover depositors' demands. When banks failed, depositors who couldn't get their money out of the bank were wiped out.

Members Reviews:

Good for a quick overview

For people who know absolutely nothing about the 1929 crash, this book is a good overview I suppose. However, the book is very short and at least a third to a half of it consists of quotations from other sources. He borrows lots of material from John Kenneth Galbraith's book. Also, it has many quotations from people related to many of the key players. I recognized many quotes that I had heard in a (very good) Youtube video.

Truthfully, it reads like a high school senior's research paper. If you want a quick (you can easily read it in a single session) overview to what happened, this would be good. But if you want any kind of depth, you should go with one of the other books.

Wonderful synopsis

This book is a very good introduction to the great Wall Street Crash of 1929. It is discussed from multiple viewpoints and the author's liberal use of contemporary quotes from both individuals as well as newspapers give this account a fascinating context. This allows the reader to understand many different facets of a very complicated, but very important era of American history.

The narrative would have been greatly enhanced if the author had discussed the long term ramifications in a bit more detail. Nevertheless, this book is a compelling story is both informative and enlightening.

The difference between a depression and economic turndown

This book provides a great introduction to Black Tuesday and provides a lot of insight that I had never read before. After reading this book people will understand the difference between the Great Depression and the turndown in the economy a few years ago.

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Title: A 15-minute Summary & Analysis of Erik Larson's Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

Author: Instaread

Narrator: Jason P. Hilton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-19-15

Publisher: Instaread

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Dead Wake by Erik Larson is a nonfiction account of the German unterseeboot, or U-boat, sinking of Lusitania, a British merchant vessel belonging to Cunard Line, on May 7, 1915, and its aftermath.

On the night of May 6, 1915, Captain William Thomas reassured the passengers in the first-class lounge as the ship approached the "area of war" off the southern coast of Ireland.

The Great War, later known as World War I, had been raging in France since July 28, 1914, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.

In August of 1914, President Woodrow Wilson's wife, Ellen, died of Bright's disease. Her death left Wilson grief stricken. Two days before her death, Britain entered the war in Europe. Wilson chose to keep America neutral in the war and refused to allow British and German warships to enter US ports.

Please note: This is an unofficial summary and analysis of the book and not the original book.

Members Reviews:

not bad narration, just a bad book

I don't like that book, but the narration was pretty spot on I'd say so

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Title: Titanic Tragedy

Subtitle: A New Look at the Lost Liner

Author: John Maxtone-Graham

Narrator: Gayle Hendrix

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-06-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

This is an audiobook unlike any other. Rather than offering simply a detailed retelling of the Titanic's sinking on her maiden voyage, John Maxtone-Graham devotes his considerable knowledge and impeccable prose to a discussion of salient, provocative, and rarely investigated components of the story, including dramatic survivors' accounts of the events of the fateful night, the role of newly invented wireless telecommunication in the disaster, the construction and its ramifications at the famous Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, and the dawn rendezvous with the rescue ship Carpathia.

Richly written and vividly detailed, this is the book Titanic buffs have been waiting for.

Critic Reviews:

"Maxtone-Grahams take on the Titanic will be catnip to the ships dedicated buffs." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Good story, weak performance

Always enjoy John's books. and this is no exception. the performance is very mechanical, and I would choose to read this next time.

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Title: The Panama Canal

Subtitle: The Construction and History of the Waterway Between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Dennis E. Morris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood..." - Theodore Roosevelt

Most people have heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but while not as many have heard of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, those who have are aware that the Panama Canal is considered one of them. In a world where few natural rivers carved out over eons of time have reached a length of more than 50 miles, the idea that a group of men could carve a canal of that length seemed impossible. In fact, many thought it could not be done. On the other hand, there was a tremendous motivation to try, because if a canal could be successfully cut across Central America to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, it would cut weeks off the time necessary to carry goods by sea from the well-established East Coast of the United States to the burgeoning West Coast. Moreover, traveling around the tip of South America was fraught with danger, and European explorers and settlers had proposed building a canal in Panama or Nicaragua several centuries before the Panama Canal was actually built. By the late 19th century, the French actually tried to build such a canal, only to fail after a great deal of resources were put into construction and after workers died of malaria and other illnesses. At the turn of the 20th century, not only was the need for a canal still there, but the right man was in the White House.

Members Reviews:

History of the Building of the Panama Canal that also Exposes Audacity of Racism & Discrimination

Lentry: 55 pages.

I dare any American to read chapter 7 of this book and then criticize OSHA.

This brief history of the building of the Panama Canal is a frank, even sometimes gruesome portrayal of a society that was great in its ambitions, and brutal in its treatment of human beings.

Granted, those times were far different than present day America. Granted, people then commonly slaved for paltry wages. And, granted, racial discrimination was so prevalent, and so 'normal' that those who were in control had no clue as to how morally wrong their behavior was, or, simply did not have the temerity to speak out against the widespread apartheid than endured during the construction of one of the modern wonders of the world.

I dare any American to read just Chapter 7 and then go out and bash OSHA.

This is a terrific book that should be in every historian's library. Nor should any Union member fail to keep a copy of this book of this booklet in his pants pocket, or lunch box, or in the glove box of his car to use in recruiting.

This story also is a tribute to the can-do spirit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Cliff notes to David McCullough's book

Great short overall description

A gerat into to this amazing engineering feat

Fact filled and many first hand and personal accounts of both building the canal and living in the housing areas around the construction sites.

PANAMA CANAL

Interestig, well informed and well illustrated.

A peice of history usually overlooked. Explains well the why and where of the dams,

Limited information

Very basic information from limited sources.

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Title: Fire in the Sky

Subtitle: The History of the Hindenburg Disaster

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Jairus Amar

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-02-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

"It's burst into flames! Get this, Charlie; get this, Charlie! It's fire... and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my! Get out of the way, please! It's burning and bursting into flames and the... and it's falling on the mooring mast. And all the folks agree that this is terrible; this is the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world...its flames... Crashing, oh! Four or five-hundred feet into the sky and it...it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. It's smoke, and it's in flames now; and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast. Oh, the humanity!" (Herb Morrison's broadcast of the Hindenburg disaster)

Societies across the globe are incredibly thankful for all the modern devices and opportunities that have been developed over time, including the cars and planes that have allowed people to travel long distances in short times, but it is often easy to forget that all these advances came with a price. Car accidents and plane crashes leave the headlines almost as quickly as they enter them, in part because they're recognized as the kind of things that occur with technological advances.

That was not the case, however, with the Hindenburg disaster. On May 6, 1937, the famous passenger zeppelin burst into flames while attempting to dock in New Jersey, and the horrific scenes were captured on film and broadcast over the radio. The Hindenburg was carrying nearly 100 people and was still hundreds of feet in the air when it caught fire, so the fact that only 35 people died between the fire and the airship plummeting to the ground was much lower than it could have been.

Members Reviews:

Stay away from this book!

While the book itself is tolerable, the reader is too monotonous and boring. Stay away from this book like the plague!

Couldn't Take It!

What would have made Fire in the Sky better?

I love non-fiction, but I didn't make it past the first 15 minutes of this. The narration make it painful - like nails on a chalkboard.

How could the performance have been better?

A better narrator

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

Disappointment

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Title: The Last True Story of Titanic

Author: James G. Clary

Narrator: John Rayment

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-25-15

Publisher: The Marine Art of J. Clary

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Although many denied it, a giant ocean liner was dying. The superstitious nodded their heads, knowing her fate had already been sealed. The freezing Atlantic crept up to the forecastle head as the massive vessel, with all her lights aglow, slowly, almost imperceptibly, sank at the bow.

Members Reviews:

Great narration

This is a fascinating story of the sinking of the great ship, with details and facts not previously published The author was the resident artist and historian on the mission that located the wreck, and he knows of which he writes. Very good book - not to be missed.

Best account of the events of the Titanic

This is the best account of the events of the Titanic I have read. The book is short (156 pages) but packed with facts and interviews with survivors.

Very informative but not boring

I learned a lot about Titanic in this book and even shared the little known stories with my friends. I was confused when I was only halfway through the book and Titanic had already sunk. I don't like to read interviews, so I struggled a little through that part. Still, this was a very good read, and I definitely recommend it.

Finally-The reality of the Event

This is an excellent and true account of the events as we can determine. An excellent read. It presents the facts of that fateful night and sheds light on the myths.

Chock Full of Information AND Entertaining

Wonderful book - extremely interesting and fact-filled. This is the 2nd book I've read by this author, and I'm again impressed with his level of maritime knowledge. I commend Mr. Clary for packing so much information into a mere 149 pages (paperback edition), yet still having this book be so engrossing. I especially enjoyed learning about the building and launching of the ship prior to the tragedy itself. The writing style is both very succinct and very thorough (not easy to do): I came away from this with a far better understanding of what happened than I had gained from other good books on the subject.

Included also was a fascinating phone interview that the author had with a survivor in 1981. Those observations, including recollections of the final moments, really added a great personal touch to the whole narrative.

I picked this book up because it looked like an interesting addendum to what I had already read. But I finished the book with a much better understanding of what happened and why it happened. It wasn't just a chronology of the tragedy - it presents great analysis too (e.g. - was inferior metal used for the hull, did the Titanic restart and proceed forward after striking the berg, and more). And I got a better appreciation for the heroics and stupidity that mankind can exhibit. I highly recommend Mr. Clary's book.

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Title: The Deep Dark

Subtitle: Disaster and Redemption in America's Richest Silver Mine

Author: Gregg Olsen

Narrator: Gary Roelofs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-13-15

Publisher: Crime Rant Classics and Notorious USA

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 19 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

For nearly a century, Kellogg, Idaho, was home to America's richest silver mine, Sunshine Mine. Mining there, as everywhere, was not an easy life, but regardless of the risk, there was something about being underground, the lure of hitting a deep vein of silver. The promise of good money and the intense bonds of friendship brought men back year after year. Mining is about being a man and a fighter in a job where tomorrow always brings the hope of a big score.

On May 2, 1972, 174 miners entered Sunshine Mine on their daily quest for silver. Aboveground, safety engineer Bob Launhardt sat in his office, filing his usual mountain of federal and state paperwork. From his office window he could see the air shafts that fed fresh air into the mine, more than a mile below the surface. The air shafts usually emitted only tiny coughs of exhaust; unlike dangerously combustible coal mines, Sunshine was a fireproof hardrock mine, nothing but cold, dripping wet stone. There were many safety concerns at Sunshine, but fire wasn't one of them. The men and the company swore the mine was unburnable, so when thick black smoke began pouring from one of the air shafts, Launhardt was as amazed as he was alarmed.

When the alarm sounded, less than half of the dayshift was able to return to the surface. The others were trapped underground, too deep in the mine to escape. Scores of miners died almost immediately, frozen in place as they drilled, ate lunch, napped, or chatted. No one knew what was burning or where the smoke had come from. But in one of the deepest corners of the mine, Ron Flory and Tom Wilkinson were left alone and in total darkness, surviving off a trickle of fresh air from a borehole.

The miners' families waited and prayed, while Launhardt, reeling from the shock of losing so many men on his watch, refused to close up the mine or give up the search until he could be sure that no one was left underground.

Members Reviews:

Not the same narrator

The story is excellently told by Gregg Olsen. Powerful!

The narrator is not the same as the original audible recording (I still have a copy of that recording). This guy stinks.

I am extremely upset that when I downloaded this from audible, the original narrator version that I purchased is not this one. I would like to request a refund or the ability to download my original purchase.

Not a bright thing to do audible.

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Title: Chasing Gold

Subtitle: The Incredible Story of How the Nazis Stole Europe's Bullion

Author: George M. Taber

Narrator: Robertson Dean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-14

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

In the highly anticipated new book from the best-selling author of Judgment of Paris,George M. Taber reveals the integral role gold played in World War II, from its influence on the Nazi war machine to the ultimate triumph by the Allies and the fall of Berlin.

For the entire history of human civilization, gold has enraptured people around the globe. The Nazis were no less enthralled by it and felt gold was the solution to funding Hitler's war machine. Gold was also on the mind of FDR across the Atlantic, as he worked with Europe's other leaders to bring the United States and the rest of the world out of a severe depression. FDR was hardly the first head of state to turn to gold in difficult times. Throughout history, it has been the refuge of both nations and people in trouble, working at times when nothing else does. Desperate people can buy a loaf of bread or bribe a border guard. Gold can get desperate nations oil to keep tanks running or munitions to fight a war. If the price is right, there is always someone somewhere willing to buy or sell gold. And it was to become the Nazi's most important medium of exchange during the war.

Chasing Gold is the story of how the Nazis attempted to grab Europe's gold to finance history's bloodiest war. It is filled with high drama and close escapes, laying bare the palate of human emotions. Walking through the tale are giants of world history, as well as ordinary people called upon to undertake heroic action in an extraordinary time.

Members Reviews:

Riveting

What did you like best about this story?

Reads like a clive cussler novel, unbelievable suspense and events that are not in the history books. More like a James Bond movie, but the real history of what was really a gold war.

Fascinating story

Wonderful performance of a very interesting story. Would recommend highly. Will look for other books by this author.

Interesting story

I have read a number of WW2 Books, but this one was the first that covered the gold and monetary movement. It could be a great movie one day.

The beginning was the best part.

The first 10-15 minutes was exactly what I was hoping to get with this book as it shot out of the gate as a thoroughbred. It was as if the author then realized its a marathon and not a sprint after which the book remained flat until the end which it continued where the start ended.

History seems to indicate the Nazis had most of the goal, but the books made it seem like they really didn't capture much at all.

There were some interesting behind the scenes info which did add to the book, but I was hoping/expecting more of what the first few minutes of the book had to offer.

It's about the money...

A really interesting angle on WWII, and how gold impacted military strategy and alliances. I would have given this book a 5, but occasionally the author rambles about statistics (quantities of gold) a bit much.

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Title: The People's Republic of Amnesia

Subtitle: Tiananmen Revisited

Author: Louisa Lim

Narrator: Louisa Lim

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-21-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

On June 4, 1989, People's Liberation Army soldiers opened fire on unarmed civilians in Beijing, killing untold hundreds of people. A quarter-century later, this defining event remains buried in China's modern history, successfully expunged from collective memory.

In The People's Republic of Amnesia, NPR correspondent Louisa Lim charts how the events of June 4 changed China, and how China changed the events of June 4 by rewriting its own history. Lim reveals new details about those fateful days, including how one of the country's most senior politicians lost a family member to an army bullet, as well as the inside story of the young soldiers sent to clear Tiananmen Square. She also introduces us to individuals whose lives were transformed by the events of Tiananmen Square, such as a founder of the Tiananmen Mothers, whose son was shot by martial law troops; and one of the most important government officials in the country, who post-Tiananmen became one of its most prominent dissidents. And she examines how June 4 shaped China's national identity, fostering a generation of young nationalists, who know little and care less about 1989. For the first time, Lim uncovers the details of a brutal crackdown in a second Chinese city that until now has been a near-perfect case study in the state's ability to rewrite history, excising the most painful episodes. By tracking down eyewitnesses, discovering US diplomatic cables, and combing through official Chinese records, Lim offers the first account of a story that has remained untold for a quarter of a century.

The People's Republic of Amnesia is an original, powerfully gripping, and ultimately unforgettable audiobook about a national tragedy and an unhealed wound.

Members Reviews:

great book and recording

You could hear the passion for the topic in Ms. Lim's writing and delivery. An important story to be recounted and remembered.

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Title: The Copyright Wars

Subtitle: Three Centuries of Trans-Atlantic Battle

Author: Peter Baldwin

Narrator: Peter Johnson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-22-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: History, 20th Century

Publisher's Summary:

Today's copyright wars can seem unprecedented. Sparked by the digital revolution that has made copyright - and its violation - a part of everyday life, fights over intellectual property have pitted creators, Hollywood, and governments against consumers, pirates, Silicon Valley, and open-access advocates. But while the digital generation can be forgiven for thinking the dispute between, for example, the publishing industry and Google is completely new, the copyright wars in fact stretch back three centuries - and their history is essential to understanding today's battles. The Copyright Wars - the first major trans-Atlantic history of copyright from its origins to today - tells this important story.

Peter Baldwin explains why the copyright wars have always been driven by a fundamental tension. Should copyright assure authors and rights holders lasting claims, much like conventional property rights, as in Continental Europe? Or should copyright be primarily concerned with giving consumers cheap and easy access to a shared culture, as in Britain and America? The Copyright Wars describes how the Continental approach triumphed, dramatically increasing the claims of rights holders. The book also tells the widely forgotten story of how America went from being a leading copyright opponent and pirate in the 18th and 19th centuries to becoming the world's intellectual property policeman in the late 20th. As it became a net cultural exporter and its content industries saw the advantage of the Continental ideology of strong authors' rights, the United States reversed position on copyright, weakening its commitment to the ideal of universal enlightenment - a history that reveals that today's open-access advocates are heirs of a venerable American tradition.

Compelling and wide-ranging, The Copyright Wars is indispensable for understanding a crucial economic, cultural, and political conflict that has reignited in our own time.

Members Reviews:

Great book.

Great book. Informative, interesting, and despite the weighty topic, the author keeps the story moving. I learned a lot.

Good summary about the creation of current views of intellectual ...

Good summary about the creation of current views of intellectual property, the author gives lots of examples that are entertaining

Five Stars

Very good book for begginers

History-based, pond-hopping, channel-crossing, long-on-facts-and-context romp through copyright laws

Unlike most non-legal text on copyright, this one is long on facts and historic context while leaving the fist pounding and pontification to others. I checked this book out of the library after seeing it on the "new arrivals" shelf. Having read it, wishing I could hi-light and annotate its pages with notes, I am now committed to buying it. The author is truly immersed in his subject historically, and the topical nuances of the present legal debates are given their place in history. The evolution of copyright is far more complex in England, European and America than it would appear from the bloggy diatribes dancing across the web today. In European, the question of the honor of the author and his/her ability to defend it was a major factor in determining the laws -- something that has never been an issue in America with its crass love of business for business sake. Likewise the crown-based publishers guild is a player in Europe.