Richard J Strouss
- 9
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 19
- ratings
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The Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Rise of Nations
- By: Andrew C. Fix, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Andrew C. Fix
- Length: 24 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 843
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 738
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 729
Between 1348 and 1715, western Europe was fraught with turmoil, beset by the Black Plague, numerous and bitter religious wars, and frequent political revolutions and upheavals. Yet the Europe that emerged from this was vastly different from the Europe that entered it. By the start of the 18th century, Europe had been revitalized and reborn in a radical break with the past that would have untold ramifications for human civilization.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Many mistakes!
- By FireFairy on 05-11-15
Good
Reviewed: 06-19-18
Pretty good survey course. Would have liked more explicit identification when discussing nonobjective matters, such as motivations of individuals and why certain ideas took hold when and where they did. However, as a discerning listener, you shouldn't have any problem making that distinction yourself.
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The Great Debate: Advocates and Opponents of the American Constitution
- By: Thomas L. Pangle, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Thomas L. Pangle
- Length: 6 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 290
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 267
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 264
Recent years have seen an explosion of interest in and interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. Its authority and stature are routinely invoked by voices from every point on the political spectrum, with frequent references to the Founding Fathers and their true "intent." What really was their true intent? As these 12 surprising lectures show, many of those Founding Fathers-including Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry-were highly critical of the new Constitution and staunchly opposed it when it was first put forth for ratification by the states as a replacement for the Articles of Confederation.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great comparison of federalist and anti-federalist
- By Wojciech on 12-11-13
Short but good
Reviewed: 04-06-18
Very interesting and informative. Makes you realize some things never change, as the debate then about government power and civic virtue are not too different than today, though maybe we have lost some depth in our contemporary arguments. This is a relatively short course, but a good introduction to the debate around the constitution at the time of its adoption.
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4 people found this helpful
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1984
- New Classic Edition
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57,082
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 48,913
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 48,828
George Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents, including the Thought Police - a world in which news is manufactured according to the authorities' will and people live tepid lives by rote. Winston Smith, a hero with no heroic qualities, longs only for truth and decency. But living in a social system in which privacy does not exist and where those with unorthodox ideas are brainwashed or put to death, he knows there is no hope for him.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Come one, Come all into 1984!
- By Kit McIlvaine (GirlPluggedN) on 02-18-08
- 1984
- New Classic Edition
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
meh
Reviewed: 03-20-18
I more or less agree with Orwell's message about totalitarianism. I have a pretty good understanding of the construction of memory and of the link between language and thought. Unfortunately, I came to those understandings long before reading/hearing this book and in much more rigorous contexts. So, without any sort of mind blowing revelation about controlling language or of the constructed nature of history, this is kind of second rate literature. It is a man's thoughts on totalitarianism with a veneer of a story written in some mediocre prose. Despite its reputation, I don't think I would consider this book essential reading for anyone.
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,050
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,385
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,364
With his trademark mirth and boundless charisma, actor Nick Offerman brought the loveable shenanigans of Twain's adolescent hero to life in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Now, in yet another virtuosic performance, the actor proves that despite being separated by a span of over a century, his connection to the author and his work is undeniable and that theirs is a timeless collaboration that should not be missed.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Mark Twain and Nick Offerman are a perfect match
- By Philip M. Chute on 10-23-17
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- By: Mark Twain
- Narrated by: Nick Offerman
Great
Reviewed: 02-14-18
Great production. I love the story and Offerman gives an admirable performance. I only give four stars because I have heard some audiobooks that were essentially made into expertly produced radio dramas, and so I reserve my five star rating for those absolute best and seemingly very rare productions. I do recommend this audiobook and will be listening to Offerman's readings of other Twain works.
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The History of Spain: Land on a Crossroad
- By: Joyce E. Salisbury, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Joyce E. Salisbury
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,283
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,127
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,124
Spain has played a unique and essential role in Western civilization. To understand the unfolding of Spain's epic history is to come to terms with one of the West's great cultures, and to grasp its enduring presence and impact on the world stage. In these 24 accessible lectures, Professor Salisbury presents a broad and enthralling panorama of Spanish history, covering the centuries from the first prehistoric settlement of the peninsula to Spain's 20th century civil war.
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4 out of 5 stars
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As much travelogue as history
- By Amazon Customer on 10-22-17
Good survey
Reviewed: 02-08-18
I wanted a survey of the history of Spain and that's what I got. I sometimes wished something was dug into a little deeper or different perspectives were given. This is a survey class, though, so it acts more as a table of contents for Spanish history so that I may dig in deeper with some direction.
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Natural Law and Human Nature
- By: The Great Courses, Father Joseph Koterski S.J.
- Narrated by: Father Joseph Koterski S.J.
- Length: 12 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 210
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 174
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 175
Natural law is the idea that there is an objective moral order, grounded in essential humanity, that holds universal and permanent implications for the ways we should conduct ourselves as free and responsible human beings.These 24 in-depth lectures consider the arguments for natural law, the serious objections that have been raised against it, and the ways, despite all overt criticisms, it remains a vital and even pervasive force in political, moral, and social life today, even while traveling under another name.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Conservative Christian apologetics
- By C. Mozee-baum on 05-30-20
Good introduction
Reviewed: 10-17-17
I was concerned there would be too much theology in this philosophy course. Too some extent, I was right. However, it was still pretty good. I learned from it and it caused me to think about done things in ways I had not before. I was not convinced by some of the defenses of natural law made by the lecturer, but it is a rich subject.
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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- By: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,776
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,873
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,821
Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tantalizing time trip
- By Mark on 08-21-13
Nice overview
Reviewed: 07-20-17
Nice overview of everyday life through the late middle ages. I did wonder a couple times of the examples given were representative of the majority, but for the most part it is very upfront about whether something would have been common experience for the everyman, and does focus on that experience primarily. Gives some perspective in which to put the drudgery sometimes experienced in modern life.
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Before 1776: Life in the American Colonies
- By: Robert J. Allison, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert J. Allison
- Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,332
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,183
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,176
The history of colonial America is a story of extraordinary scope, with Europeans, Africans, and the native peoples of North America interacting in a drama of settlement and conflict that lasted nearly three centuries. Go back in time and relive this epic story in 36 spellbinding lectures. While concentrating on British North America, Professor Allison also covers developments in the colonial outposts of Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the all-important British possessions in the West Indies, which were the source of the most lucrative crop in the New World - sugar - and the reason for the enormous growth in the slave trade.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Subject Matter is wonderful, Narrator no so much
- By Sasquatch on 02-25-15
good
Reviewed: 04-28-17
An enjoyable and educational series of lectures. There are a few times when opinions or personal analyses are given, sometimes at odds with the received wisdom or popular history, at which times I wish a little more information had been given to back up the assertion. Still, a very good survey course.
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,647
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,935
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,908
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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5 out of 5 stars
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An Historic Achievement
- By Ellen S. Wilds on 04-25-14
- The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
Very Good
Reviewed: 06-23-16
Would you listen to The History of the Ancient World again? Why?
You only really need to read a survey of world history once. After that, you can delve into more specific works. However, it had been a long time since I had studied any ancient history and I felt I needed a refresher. This audiobook was very good for that.
Any additional comments?
Of course, in any survey of world history, many things will be glossed over or merely touched upon when you may wish for more. That is perhaps of fault of surveys, but it is also a feature. Without that touch, you may never have known to look in some direction. The book does a very good job of telling the history of the ancient world up to Constantine. There is a greater focus on Western history than there is Eastern, but there are some chapters following developments in China and the Indian subcontinent. Again, enough to give one directions if they are interested in following the path to greater historical knowledge.
A lot of people seem unimpressed with the reader, but I like him. He has a subtle, understated style that I appreciate. It adds a wryness to the author's humor that may or may not be there otherwise.
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