Dudley
- 16
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 36
- ratings
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Empire of Liberty
- A History of the Early Republic
- By: Gordon S. Wood
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 30 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,232
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 934
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 916
In Empire of Liberty, one of America's most esteemed historians, Gordon S. Wood, offers a brilliant account of the early American Republic, ranging from 1789 and the beginning of the national government to the end of the War of 1812. As Wood reveals, the period was marked by tumultuous change in all aspects of American life - in politics, society, economy, and culture.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent historical writing
- By Joseph on 01-14-10
- Empire of Liberty
- A History of the Early Republic
- By: Gordon S. Wood
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
Good, though dated narrative history
Reviewed: 02-03-25
The book does a good job of setting out the evolution of post-revolutionary American culture and politics. But it only pays lip services to slavery and the American Indian genocide, which makes it seem pretty thin by contemporary standards. Also, failing to call out Thomas Jefferson as a rapist is a glaring omission.
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American Colonies: The Settling of North America
- Penguin History of the United States, Book 1
- By: Alan Taylor
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 21 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 493
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 428
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 426
In the first volume in the Penguin History of the United States series, edited by Eric Foner, Alan Taylor challenges the traditional story of colonial history by examining the many cultures that helped make America, from the native inhabitants from millennia past through the decades of Western colonization and conquest and across the entire continent, all the way to the Pacific coast.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent ..
- By aintbuyinit on 09-03-18
- American Colonies: The Settling of North America
- Penguin History of the United States, Book 1
- By: Alan Taylor
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
richly detailed
Reviewed: 07-27-24
Fascinating account of pre-revolutionary America. Great narration as well. It includes a lot of tragic details about the suffering of the American Indians.
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Battle Cry of Freedom
- The Civil War Era
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 39 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 1,100
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 949
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Story5 out of 5 stars 948
Battle Cry of Freedom vividly traces how a new nation was forged when a war both sides were sure would amount to little dragged for four years and cost more American lives than all other wars combined. Narrator Jonathan Davis powerful reading brings to life the many voices of the Civil War.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Book
- By J. Weston on 12-11-20
- Battle Cry of Freedom
- The Civil War Era
- By: James M. McPherson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
Excellent overview of the civil war.
Reviewed: 10-07-23
I really enjoyed the narration, and the book lived up to its reputation as the best one-volume overview of the American civil war.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Afghanistan Papers
- A Secret History of the War
- By: Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,359
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,174
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,162
Unlike the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 had near-unanimous public support. At first, the goals were straightforward and clear: Defeat al-Qaeda and prevent a repeat of 9/11. Yet soon after the United States and its allies removed the Taliban from power, the mission veered off-course and US officials lost sight of their original objectives.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Eye-Opening Book
- By David J Ray on 09-01-21
- The Afghanistan Papers
- A Secret History of the War
- By: Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post
- Narrated by: Dan Bittner
Fascinating hidden history
Reviewed: 07-29-23
Excellent post-morten of the many mistakes made, heroic lives thrown away, billions wasted, and the lies told to try to cover it all up. The blame goes to both parties. Really enjoyed the narration, too.
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Never Greater Slaughter
- Brunanburh and the Birth of England
- By: Michael Livingston
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 38
Late in AD 937, four armies met in a place called Brunanburh. On one side stood the shield-wall of the expanding kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons. On the other side stood a remarkable alliance of rival kings - at least two from across the sea – who’d come together to destroy them once and for all. The stakes were no less than the survival of the dream that would become England. The armies were massive. The violence, when it began, was enough to shock a violent age.
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3 out of 5 stars
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not what i thought it would be
- By Dudley on 02-26-23
- Never Greater Slaughter
- Brunanburh and the Birth of England
- By: Michael Livingston
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
not what i thought it would be
Reviewed: 02-26-23
This book is mostly about trying to locate the battle sight than discussing the battle itself. There’s not much narrative or story here.
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2 people found this helpful
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The Trials of Thomas Morton
- An Anglican Lawyer, His Puritan Foes, and the Battle for a New England
- By: Peter C. Mancall
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 11
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 10
This compelling counter-narrative to the familiar story of the Puritans combines a rich understanding of the period with a close reading of early texts to bring the contentious Morton to life. This volume sheds new light on the tumultuous formative decades of the American experience.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Historical
- By Stephanie Colella on 11-19-24
- The Trials of Thomas Morton
- An Anglican Lawyer, His Puritan Foes, and the Battle for a New England
- By: Peter C. Mancall
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
strange, compelling story
Reviewed: 01-27-23
The history of the puritans in Massachusetts was morally compromised from the start. This book tells that story through the lens of Thomas Morton, who envisioned living alongside the American Indians in a drunken, joyous society centered on the maypole.
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Emperor
- A New Life of Charles V
- By: Geoffrey Parker
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 26 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 246
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 206
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 205
The life of Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), ruler of Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and much of Italy and Central and South America, has long intrigued biographers. But the elusive nature of the man (despite an abundance of documentation), his relentless travel and the control of his own image, together with the complexity of governing the world's first transatlantic empire, complicate the task.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Amazing.
- By bigdjunta on 10-21-19
- Emperor
- A New Life of Charles V
- By: Geoffrey Parker
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
Detailed, scholarly and entertaining.
Reviewed: 09-14-22
Geoffrey Parker is a great storyteller and careful historian. I wasn’t even especially interested in Charles V, but knew i would enjoy a major work by Parker.
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The Sacred Band
- Three Hundred Theban Lovers Fighting to Save Greek Freedom
- By: James Romm
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 33
From classicist James Romm comes a thrilling deep dive into the last decades of ancient Greek freedom leading up to Alexander the Great’s destruction of Thebes - and the saga of the greatest military corps of the age, the Theban Sacred Band, a unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Stop now and don’t buy this book.
- By Robert Pitman on 06-08-21
- The Sacred Band
- Three Hundred Theban Lovers Fighting to Save Greek Freedom
- By: James Romm
- Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny
Romm makes history come alive
Reviewed: 02-20-22
James Romm is one of my favorite popular historians. His weaves fascinating stories, peppered with memorable characters. I had never heard of the Sacred Band of Lovers before and really enjoyed learning about them.
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1 person found this helpful
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SPQR
- A History of Ancient Rome
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 18 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,011
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,400
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,365
In SPQR, world-renowned classicist Mary Beard narrates the unprecedented rise of a civilization that even 2,000 years later still shapes many of our most fundamental assumptions about power, citizenship, responsibility, political violence, empire, luxury, and beauty.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Shallow and unsatisfying
- By Joe on 02-19-17
- SPQR
- A History of Ancient Rome
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
a personal, lively history of Rome
Reviewed: 01-29-22
Mary Beard has lived with Rome long enough to really make her history feel alive, with Cicero and Pliny as your two main tour guides. It’s not a regular, linear history, so it’s probably better suited to someone who already knows a lot of the basics.
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The Storm Before the Storm
- The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
- By: Mike Duncan
- Narrated by: Mike Duncan
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,995
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8,062
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 8,018
The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. After its founding in 509 BCE, the Romans refused to allow a single leader to seize control of the state and grab absolute power. The Roman commitment to cooperative government and peaceful transfers of power was unmatched in the history of the ancient world. But by the year 133 BCE, the republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Interesting, albeit a bit dry
- By Aria on 11-14-17
- The Storm Before the Storm
- The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic
- By: Mike Duncan
- Narrated by: Mike Duncan
History comes alive
Reviewed: 12-20-21
Mike Duncan is a consummate story-teller, and weaves a compelling narrative history of the late Roman Republic. The only very minor complaint is that he mispronounces a number of the Roman names, which can be a bit distracting.
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