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The Lessons of History
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins
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The Lessons of History
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Publisher's Summary
A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.
The authors devoted five decades to the study of world history and philosophy, culminating in the masterful eleven-volume Story of Civilization. In this compact summation of their work, Will and Ariel Durant share the vital and profound lessons of our collective past. Their perspective, gained after a lifetime of thinking and writing about the history of humankind, is an invaluable resource for us today. The rare archival recordings of the Durants in conversation, made from 1957–1977, illuminate our present condition and offer insightful guidance for the future.
What listeners say about The Lessons of History
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jason Feddema
- 2021-10-01
Very dated
The book is all opinion based on the perspective of two married historians. It is very old and the opinions are very dated, even for the time it was published. It is interesting to hear an older perspective, but some info is false or offensive to modern post WW2 society.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Daniel
- 2023-07-16
A great history lesson
Compact – It’s interesting and thoughtful. A really great book covering a lot of great material in a small amount of time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrey S.
- 2022-10-09
Great Summary of History
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. One of my favorite books on history and great summary.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-09-08
Succinct summary of a wide berth of history.
Durant manages to paint a picture akin to Toffler in connecting ideas and narratives that permeate throughout history.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Brian
- 2022-08-28
borring
this is really borring, and really hard to stay focused. there has to be no inflation on this planet earth to read this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-07-28
Masterpiece
This audio book contains additional commentary with the authors that adds extra insights and a look behind the curtain. The contents are timeless, and although there is obvious bias on the part of the authors their attempt to zoom all the way out and look at humanity since inception will enlighten you.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Paul (Church) Spate
- 2022-07-27
Fascinating insights
Amazing word Smith. intriguing insights and perspectives. Very poor audio recordings. worth the read. Did not agree with everything but enjoyed his insights. Slightly dated.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2022-04-13
Love it!
This book reminds of how much I once enjoyed my high school history class. I want to purchase the hard copy now so I can read it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claude, Calgary
- 2022-01-17
Masterpiece!
What a great and insightful summary of history. Short, to the point. To read every year.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nicholas
- 2021-11-02
history repeats itself
I enjoyed knowing that we will not change yet. but there is hope for a far future!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- BradleyBurr
- 2007-10-29
This is a must for every Educated Person
I read a lot. But this is one of the most important books I have ever read. I just wish every body would have the opportunity to listen to or read this book. Rarely is there such a distilled understanding of what history has to teach us. Durrant is one of the most intelligent, articulate and deep thinking people of our time (dead now). I now own his 11 volume history of the world. But this book is a gem. A clear thinking, facinating view of the sweep of history from one of the few people who really, really understand the sweep of history. This is a must read for everyone in my humble opinion. You don't even need to be interested in history really. You just have to be interested in humanity, it's state and the great priciples of life. It is almost more of a book of philosphy derived from a study of the history of humanity.
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85 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2004-11-05
I Am Humbly in Awe.
Will Durant started out caught up in the socialist ferver of his time and one will find remnants of that in his writing. Yet the breadth of what he wrote trumps any idealogical subtleties and places him firmly in the company of such timeless writers as Wells and Gibbon. Reading Durant I find myself so appreciative of this supremely educated man's breadth of perspective that he matched with a humble lack of presumption (an amazing feat for someone so learned). I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. Who wouldn't want to read the conclusions of a man who spent over half a century studying, synthesizing, and writing The Story of Civilization. WONDERFUL!
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68 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Judith
- 2007-11-13
A Freshman All Over Again
Will & Ariel gently and articulately took me in a head lock and pried my eyes open and made me gaze upon my ignorance a new. I feel like I am a college freshman all over again with a mountain of ignorance to plow through. 200 undergrad hours and 20 countries failed to properly illuminate much of the wonder they bare here. Do not deprive yourself of these delicious perspectives on the patterns of religion, morality, trade, economics and the clash of classes through the ages.
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25 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Eric
- 2004-11-30
6,000 Years In a Nutshell
The book, itself, is a swift collection of fascinating ideas. It reminds me of Jacques Barzun's "From Dawn to Decadence" in its ability to draw ideas from the famous events and characters of history. Since it is so quick, one isn't able to follow the roots of the ideas that surface like one might with Barzun. One must take the author's word for a lot of his conclusions. But, the thoughts stimulated from this survey are quite rewarding nonetheless.
The narrator is reliable and appropriate for the tone of the book. The quite enjoyable interviews are more for learning the personality of the Durants rather than amending the ideas in the book, but are still insightful.
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24 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Cal
- 2005-03-22
Genius Mind
This is one of the best books I've read on history. It encompasses the basic actions and motivations of the human race since the start of civilization with philosophical twist. Excellent reading for future leaders and philosophers.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2004-07-15
Excellent Interviews
The narrator interviews of Will and Arial Durrant are exquisite. Will Durrant's intelligent answers are stunning.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Douglas J. Wolf
- 2013-08-16
If you only read one book on history, this is it
Americans seem particularly immune to the lessons of history but also openly disdainful of the subject. Well, for those of you who are in that category but realize reading an insightful survey of history might add to your overall education, this is the best choice.
Or, if you enjoy reading history, this recording gives you a great touchstone to the context of whatever you are reading at the time. Herodotus' Greek histories make much more sense when the aspect of the strategic importance to trade the Dardanelles played in the Greeks vs Persians.
I have listened many times over and still glean insights that I had missed or relationships.
The huge bonus of the live interviews of the Durants is worth the cost alone.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Bookie
- 2019-03-27
Astonishing...READ THIS BOOK!
Will and Ariel Durant's books have graced my shelves all my life, admittedly collecting dust most of the time, until I needed some specific reference information. Regardless, I knew I could trust them to present historical information and context better than any website or encyclopedia.
So when I saw this short book, I hesitated perhaps thirty seconds - a land speed record for a girl who tends to vacillate over everything. But I love history. I want to know everything that happened, everything we know. Which, of course, is impossible.
However, if any one (or two) people knew close to everything about human history, it would have been the Durants. But then to find a book about the philosophy of history, the trends spanning thousands of years, the cycles and instincts that dominate an allegedly civilized animal, the directions we always go when certain stimuli is applied...
This book is something of a miracle - the perfect combination of knowledge and wisdom. An exceedingly rare thing indeed.
Then too, the recordings of Will and Ariel in interviews further elucudating their points... Brilliant and so endearing! For that reason I dare say this Audible edition is the best version of this book! And often I believe points can be lost in listening to complex and often abstract ideas. Not here. Not at all.
Accessible, intelligent, humble, and CRITICAL to the enduring success of our modern civilization, this book may be the MOST IMPORTANT BOOK I have EVER READ. And I have read some amazing works.
So read this. Listen. Don't hesitate. Read it again, share it with...everybody. Require it in schools. Base government decisions on its guidance. I am serious. No exaggeration. The future of our world may well depend on grasping and initiating the ideas so generously shared by the Durants. Their contribution to their world can not be overstated.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Martin Renert
- 2005-01-15
Disappointing
I was disappointed in this book. While the Durants gave a broad overview of what they thought were the lessons of history, I found most of their insights fairly superficial. There was a horrible whinning music between each chapter which I found extremely irritating. It was also hard to understand Will Durant when he spoke and it was even more difficult to understand Ariel Durant, especially when she was interrupting her husband.
The chapters themselves were fairly good and gave some good, broad historical perspectives, which made the book somewhat wothwhile,
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12 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 2014-11-23
Impossible
It is not possible to summarize the lessons of history so compactly, and I would not really recommend this book on its own, but as a capstone to Durant’s massive history series it is quite nice. I enjoyed the authors ideas of what America should do to postpone, for a short while, our inevitable demise as a civilization.
The narration of the actual book was excellent, bold and clear, with humor and feeling.
Having read and listened to Durant’s many volume history I completely enjoyed the short interview sections between chapters with the 72 year old author and his wife, Ariel. Ariel correctly points out, one should not take the advice of an old man, nevertheless it was fun to hear the author’s voice and his opinions that have changed over the years. The audio of the interview parts is really not great and the interviewer is not very good (with repeated Ah huhs and sometimes quite silly questions).
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9 people found this helpful