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The History of the Renaissance World
- From the Rediscovery of Aristotle to the Conquest of Constantinople
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Series: The History of the World
- Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Europe
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The History of the Medieval World
- From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.
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so disappointing
- By ELIZABETH L ROSS on 2019-06-05
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
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Iffy narration, abrupt ending
- By Micah Clark on 2020-09-07
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
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The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- Written by: Thomas Asbridge
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
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Fantastic Book
- By braden on 2018-11-18
Written by: Thomas Asbridge
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The Story of Western Science
- From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Far too often, public discussion of science is carried out by journalists, voters, and politicians who have received their science secondhand. The Story of Western Science shows us the joy and importance of reading groundbreaking science writing for ourselves and guides us back to the masterpieces that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos, and ourselves.
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
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Philip and Alexander
- Kings and Conquerors
- Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hrs and 36 mins
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This definitive biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world - and their rise and fall from power.
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excellent read
- By jeff olasz on 2021-06-06
Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
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The Life of Greece
- The Story of Civilization, Volume 2
- Written by: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 32 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
Here Durant tells the whole story of Greece from the days of Crete's vast Aegean empire to the final extirpation of the last remnants of Greek liberty, crushed under the heel of an implacably forward-marching Rome. The dry minutiae of battles and sieges, of tortuous statecraft of tyrant and king, get minor emphasis in what is preeminently a vivid recreation of Greek culture, brought to the listener through the medium of supple, vigorous prose.
Written by: Will Durant
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The History of the Medieval World
- From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 22 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the schism between Rome and Constantinople to the rise of the T'ang Dynasty, from the birth of Muhammad to the crowning of Charlemagne, this erudite book tells the fascinating, often violent story of kings, generals, and the peoples they ruled.
-
-
so disappointing
- By ELIZABETH L ROSS on 2019-06-05
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
-
The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
-
-
Iffy narration, abrupt ending
- By Micah Clark on 2020-09-07
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
-
The Crusades
- The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land
- Written by: Thomas Asbridge
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 25 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Crusades is an authoritative, accessible single-volume history of the brutal struggle for the Holy Land in the Middle Ages. Thomas Asbridge - a renowned historian who writes with "maximum vividness" (Joan Acocella, The New Yorker) - covers the years 1095 to 1291 in this big, ambitious, listenable account of one of the most fascinating periods in history.
-
-
Fantastic Book
- By braden on 2018-11-18
Written by: Thomas Asbridge
-
The Story of Western Science
- From the Writings of Aristotle to the Big Bang Theory
- Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Far too often, public discussion of science is carried out by journalists, voters, and politicians who have received their science secondhand. The Story of Western Science shows us the joy and importance of reading groundbreaking science writing for ourselves and guides us back to the masterpieces that have changed the way we think about our world, our cosmos, and ourselves.
Written by: Susan Wise Bauer
-
Philip and Alexander
- Kings and Conquerors
- Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This definitive biography of one of history's most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world - and their rise and fall from power.
-
-
excellent read
- By jeff olasz on 2021-06-06
Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
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The Life of Greece
- The Story of Civilization, Volume 2
- Written by: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 32 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here Durant tells the whole story of Greece from the days of Crete's vast Aegean empire to the final extirpation of the last remnants of Greek liberty, crushed under the heel of an implacably forward-marching Rome. The dry minutiae of battles and sieges, of tortuous statecraft of tyrant and king, get minor emphasis in what is preeminently a vivid recreation of Greek culture, brought to the listener through the medium of supple, vigorous prose.
Written by: Will Durant
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The English and Their History
- Written by: Robert Tombs
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 43 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert Tombs' momentous The English and Their History is both a startlingly fresh and a uniquely inclusive account of the people who have a claim to be the oldest nation in the world. The English first came into existence as an idea, before they had a common ruler and before the country they lived in even had a name. They have lasted as a recognizable entity ever since, and their defining national institutions can be traced back to the earliest years of their history.
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Really great!
- By Cedric on 2020-01-12
Written by: Robert Tombs
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The Fall of Carthage
- The Punic Wars 265-146BC
- Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The struggle between Rome and Carthage in the Punic Wars was arguably the greatest and most desperate conflict of antiquity. The forces involved and the casualties suffered by both sides were far greater than in any wars fought before the modern era, while the eventual outcome had far-reaching consequences for the history of the Western World, namely the ascendancy of Rome. An epic of war and battle, this is also the story of famous generals and leaders: Hannibal, Fabius Maximus, Scipio Africanus, and his grandson Scipio Aemilianus, who would finally bring down the walls of Carthage.
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It's a basic outline of the 3 Punic wars
- By Duy B. on 2019-03-20
Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
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The Reformation
- A History
- Written by: Diarmaid MacCulloch
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 36 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
At a time when men and women were prepared to kill - and be killed - for their faith, the Protestant Reformation tore the Western world apart. Acclaimed as the definitive account of these epochal events, Diarmaid MacCulloch's award-winning history brilliantly recreates the religious battles of priests, monarchs, scholars, and politicians - from the zealous Martin Luther and his 95 Theses to the polemical John Calvin to the radical Igantius Loyola, from the tortured Thomas Cranmer to the ambitious Philip II.
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Great book, horrible reading
- By Jmh on 2019-08-02
Written by: Diarmaid MacCulloch
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Great Mythologies of the World
- Written by: The Great Courses, Grant L. Voth, Julius H. Bailey, and others
- Narrated by: Grant L. Voth, Julius H. Bailey, Kathryn McClymond, and others
- Length: 31 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
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Performance
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Story
The deep-seated origins and wide-reaching lessons of ancient myths built the foundation for our modern legacies. Explore the mythologies of Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Learn what makes these stories so important, distinctive, and able to withstand the test of time. Discover how, despite geographical implausibilities, many myths from across the oceans share themes, morals, and archetypes.
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Tinny Sound Made it Very Difficult to Listen To
- By Amazon Customer on 2019-06-18
Written by: The Great Courses, and others
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Our Oriental Heritage
- The Story of Civilization, Volume 1
- Written by: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 50 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Story
The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
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Starts slow but picks up steam
- By Greg Deleersnyder on 2018-09-14
Written by: Will Durant
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History of the World (Updated)
- Written by: J. M. Roberts
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 54 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
In his monumental History of the World, J.M. Roberts delivered a powerful vision of human history as a story of change, a deliberate shaping of experience and environment. This revised and updated edition takes into account the great range of events and discoveries that have altered our views on everything from early civilizations to post-Cold War globalism.
Written by: J. M. Roberts
Publisher's Summary
A lively and fascinating narrative history about the birth of the modern world.
Beginning in the heady days just after the First Crusade, this volume - the third in the series that began with The History of the Ancient World and The History of the Medieval World - chronicles the contradictions of a world in transition. Popes continue to preach crusade, but the hope of a Christian empire comes to a bloody end at the walls of Constantinople. Aristotelian logic and Greek rationality blossom while the Inquisition gathers strength. As kings and emperors continue to insist on their divine rights, ordinary people all over the world seize power: the lingayats of India, the Jacquerie of France, the Red Turbans of China, and the peasants of England.
New threats appear, as the Ottomans emerge from a tiny Turkish village and the Mongols ride out of the East to set the world on fire. New currencies are forged, new weapons invented, and world-changing catastrophes alter the landscape: the Little Ice Age and the Great Famine kill millions; the Black Death, millions more. In the chaos of these epoch-making events, our own world begins to take shape.
Impressively researched and brilliantly told, The History of the Renaissance World offers not just the names, dates, and facts but the memorable characters who illuminate the years between 1100 and 1453 - years that marked a sea change in mankind's perception of the world.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about The History of the Renaissance World
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Troy
- 2015-05-20
The 2nd Half of the Medieval World
The History of the Medieval World gave us that history up to the end of the First Crusade, with this book picking up in the wake of that around 1100 and carrying us to 1453--the approximate beginning of the Renaissance. So why is this book labeled like this when practically every other historian agrees on the labeling? As near as I can tell, it's because this is when the texts of the Ancient Greeks were first rediscovered, just as the title claims. I realize the devil's in the details, but that's pedantic. This book, like the two volumes before it, is for general audiences that want to see how the pieces fit together. Confusing people with something that arbitrary seems pointless.
What is not pointless is this book. As with the Ancient and Medieval World volumes before it, this book covers all of the hotspots of the globe, East and West. To see how the world of the Samurai line up with that of the Crusaders or the Mongols is just astounding. If you've not read the previous two volumes, get them. Everything in these books serves to show the cause and effect of historical events and the people who rode through them. Names and dates are there as references, but the personalities are touched upon so as to give the overview some meaning and provide that perfect springboard for future learning.
I really want a book on the Renaissance and Reformation now so as to continue the flow of these works. When viewed through the long lens, it's easy to see how the world we live in today is built upon all of that which has gone before. To the people who lived back then, it's always the modern world, just as ours is for us. Why there aren't more history books written like this, I'll never know. Kudos all around for this book and for its predecessors for making history both broad enough to see the big picture and detailed enough to understand it in context as the sum of its parts.
65 people found this helpful
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- Captain Morgan
- 2014-02-14
Almost Great
Any additional comments?
This was a very enjoyable listen. It took a little while but once I settled into this book I really enjoyed John Lee's reading. I am not a student of this time period in history and this book gave me a great broad understanding of and exposure to many events I had heard of (and many I had't) but would have been hard pressed to explain or put in context. This sparked my interest in specific subjects that I can delve into deeper. I doubt a knowledgable history buff would learn much new or hear any critical insights.
In the end that is where the book fell a bit short for me. I suppose there was so much material to cover that there was little room for historical retrospective. I was also hoping for more background on the influence of ancient writers and thought and how it shaped events.It would have been more engaging if there was more focus on the development of thought and knowledge and the struggles it caused.
Ultimately the history of this time period (and alas much of human history) can be summed up thus .... dates, Kings, Popes, conquests, mass murders, ruthless power struggles and untimely deaths ... rinse and repeat. There were very few heros beyond the inventors, artists and thinkers.
36 people found this helpful
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- Jay Quintana
- 2015-05-30
This happened, then that happened
I listened to this dutifully with no enjoyment. It's like eating vegetables, you do it because it's good for you. Sometimes historians are guilty of creating a narrative that is just not there. Well, not here. This is basically a chronicle of the events that happened and the people who made it happen. In order words, you're just handed fact after fact, as though you're reading an almanac. I'm glad I listened to it, though. Just wish it were more compelling.
38 people found this helpful
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- Michael LeDuc
- 2020-05-21
Extremely Misleading Title
DO NOT BUY if you want to hear about the actual Renaissance. This is a summary of notable historical events and figures of the middle ages. The narration is quite good and the book itself isn't terrible, but I wanted to hear about the late 1400's through late 1500's. Not having that expectation met makes me hate this book.
17 people found this helpful
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- I am No Expert
- 2016-05-25
Mostly about wars leading up to the Renaissance
While this was an entertaining book, it was not really about the Renaissance period. It spends most of its time talking about the wars and Intrigue leading through the medieval period of time to the Renaissance. it bounces Asian, mongul, American, European history.
17 people found this helpful
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- 4GO
- 2016-02-16
The Title is a bit misleading....
I wanted a book about the Renaissance; not the period leading up to the Renaissance .
Those looking for tales of art and enlightenment should look elsewhere. This book ends just before the Renaissance begins.
A good work to be sure, but hopelessly (however literally) misnamed.
26 people found this helpful
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- Carlos
- 2019-05-07
Absolutely insufferable
Worst audible purchase I've made so far. Like her other books the author focuses too much on politics and military affairs. She makes zero attempt to flesh out the historical characters so they're all forgettable. Every chapter is the same garbage story - forgettable generals fight for crown. Of the authors trilogy this is the worst I was getting drowsy while listening. I didn't learn a single thing and asked myself why any of the content in the book mattered. I couldn't finish it.
12 people found this helpful
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- Michael Guthrie
- 2017-06-13
not about the renaissance
What disappointed you about The History of the Renaissance World?
This history of the renaissance is misnamed. it is simply an account of everything going on in the known world in the late 11th and early 12th centuries. (I don't actually know how far it goes since I am dropping it halfway through.) But if you bought this book, odds are you weren't expecting a history of sri lanka or japan or peru, but that's what you get - in addition to European history. but even there, it's all political/military. I have yet to hear of an artist. why does the author even refer to the renaissance? it would be more apt to entitle it: history of the world 1170 - 1300.
7 people found this helpful
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- G.W.
- 2016-03-15
Lots of details but not much insight
I understand that historians today believe it is their job to report facts without critiquing them, however, this book could have been a lot more interesting had the author made some attempt to weave these disparate histories into some kind of narrative on the drivers influencing the Renaissance. The time spent covering societies in south and mesoamerica made it clear that the author didn't have any interest in explaining the relevance of the various stories with the supposed subject of the book. The abrupt ending was also disconcerting without any type of closure or explanation for why this particular event in SE Europe should signal the end of whatever era she was claiming to cover.
11 people found this helpful
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- Stephen S.
- 2016-07-15
Not. about the. Renaissance
A. good history but not really about. the. Renaissance. Covers the time around the start but only touches the Renaissance at the start and end of the book. Disappointing.
9 people found this helpful