A Short History of the World According to Sheep
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Narrated by:
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Karen Cass
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By:
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Sally Coulthard
About this listen
An addictively free-ranging survey of the massive impact that the domesticated ungulates of the genus Ovis have had on human history.
From the plains of ancient Mesopotamia to the rolling hills of medieval England to the vast sheep farms of modern-day Australia, sheep have been central to the human story.
Starting with our Neolithic ancestors' first forays into sheep-rearing nearly 10,000 years ago, these remarkable animals have fed us, clothed us, changed our diet and languages, helped us to win wars, decorated our homes and financed the conquest of large swathes of the earth. Enormous fortunes and new, society-changing industries have been made from the fleeces of sheep and cities shaped by shepherds' markets and meat trading.
Sally Coulthard weaves the rich and fascinating story of sheep into a vivid and colourful tapestry, thickly threaded with engaging anecdotes and remarkable ovine facts, whose multiple strands reflect the deep penetration of these woolly animals into every aspect of human society and culture.
©2020 Sally Coulthard (P)2020 Head of ZeusListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
Sally Coulthard explores the miraculous world of the earthworm, the modest little creature without whom life as we know it would not be possible. For Charles Darwin - who estimated every acre of land contained 53,000 earthworms - the humble earthworm was the most important creature on the planet. And yet, most people know almost nothing about these little engineers of the earth. We take them for granted but, without the earthworm, the world's soil would be barren and our gardens, fields and farms wouldn't be able to grow the food and support the animals we need to survive.
By: Sally Coulthard
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The Golden Thread
- How Fabric Changed History
- By: Kassia St. Clair
- Narrated by: Helen Johns
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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From colorful 30,000-year-old threads found on the floor of a Georgian cave to the Indian calicoes that sparked the Industrial Revolution, The Golden Thread weaves an illuminating story of human ingenuity. Design journalist Kassia St. Clair guides us through the technological advancements and cultural customs that would redefine human civilization - from the fabric that allowed mankind to achieve extraordinary things (traverse the oceans and shatter athletic records) and survive in unlikely places (outer space and the South Pole).
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Excellent for those interested in textiles
- By Adeliese Baumann on 12-14-19
By: Kassia St. Clair
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Dress Codes
- How the Laws of Fashion Made History
- By: Richard Thompson Ford
- Narrated by: Bill Andrew Quinn
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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For centuries, clothing has been a wearable status symbol; fashion, a weapon in struggles for social change; and dress codes, a way to maintain political control. Dress codes evolved along with the social and political ideals of the day, but they always reflected struggles for power and status.
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Unlistenable
- By Lauren on 08-01-23
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Grand Transitions
- How the Modern World Was Made
- By: Vaclav Smil
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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What makes the modern world work? The answer to this deceptively simple question lies in four "grand transitions" of civilization - in populations, agriculture, energy, and economics - that have transformed the way we live.
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Nihil novum sub soli
- By Sam J. on 08-29-22
By: Vaclav Smil
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Fabric
- The Hidden History of the Material World
- By: Victoria Finlay
- Narrated by: Carla Kissane
- Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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How is a handmade fabric helping save an ancient forest? Why is a famous fabric pattern from India best known by the name of a Scottish town? How is a Chinese dragon robe a diagram of the whole universe? What is the difference between how the Greek Fates and the Viking Norns used threads to tell our destiny? In Fabric, bestselling author Victoria Finlay spins us round the globe, weaving stories of our relationship with cloth and asking how and why people through the ages have made it, worn it, invented it, and made symbols out of it. And sometimes why they have fought for it.
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Perfect Book for Needleworking
- By LaVonne on 11-18-23
By: Victoria Finlay
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Empire of Cotton
- A Global History
- By: Sven Beckert
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 20 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the story of how, beginning well before the advent of machine production in the 1780s, these men captured ancient trades and skills in Asia, combined them with the expropriation of lands in the Americas and the enslavement of African workers to crucially recast the disparate realms of cotton that had existed for millennia. We see how industrial capitalism then reshaped these worlds of cotton into an empire, and how this empire transformed the world.
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A New History of Global Capitalism
- By Lucian of Samosata on 03-17-15
By: Sven Beckert
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Sheepish
- Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet
- By: Catherine Friend
- Narrated by: Erin Bennett
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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What do you do when you love your farm...but it doesn’t love you? After 15 years of farming, Catherine Friend is tired. After all, while shepherding is one of the oldest professions, it’s not getting any easier. The number of sheep in America has fallen by 90 percent in the last 90 years. But just as Catherine thinks it’s time to hang up her shepherd’s crook, she discovers that sheep might be too valuable to give up. What ensues is a funny, thoughtful romp through the history of our woolly friends, why small farms are important, and how each one of us - and the planet - would benefit from being very sheepish, indeed.
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We're all a little sheepish
- By Pam on 12-23-14
By: Catherine Friend
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Only the Clothes on Her Back
- Clothing and the Hidden History of Power in the Nineteenth-Century United States
- By: Laura F. Edwards
- Narrated by: Stephanie Richardson
- Length: 12 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Only the Clothes on Her Back uncovers practices, commonly known then, but now long forgotten, which made textiles - clothing, cloth, bedding, and accessories, such as shoes and hats - a unique form of property that people without rights could own and exchange. The value of textiles depended on law, and it was law that turned these goods into a secure form of property for marginalized people, who not only used these textiles as currency, credit, and capital, but also as entree into the new republic's economy and governing institutions.
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Buy the book
- By Susan on 12-29-22
By: Laura F. Edwards
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Vanishing Fleece
- Adventures in American Wool
- By: Clara Parkes
- Narrated by: Clara Parkes
- Length: 5 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Join Clara Parkes on a cross-country adventure and meet a cast of characters that includes the shepherds, dyers, and countless workers without whom our knitting needles would be empty, our mills idle, and our feet woefully cold. Travel the country with her as she meets a flock of Saxon Merino sheep in upstate New York, tours a scouring plant in Texas, visits a steamy Maine dyehouse, helps sort freshly shorn wool on a working farm, and learns how wool fleece is measured, baled, shipped, and turned into skeins.
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Great Book.
- By Josemiguel Gomez on 03-02-20
By: Clara Parkes
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Silk
- A World History
- By: Aarathi Prasad
- Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Throughout history, across cultures and countries, silk has reigned as the undeniable queen of fabrics, yet its origins and evolution remain a mystery. In a gorgeous and sweeping narrative, Silk weaves together its intricate story and the indelible mark it has left on humanity.
By: Aarathi Prasad
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Wilding
- The Return of Nature to a British Farm
- By: Isabella Tree
- Narrated by: Isabella Tree
- Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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For years Charlie Burrell and his wife, Isabella Tree, farmed Knepp Castle Estate and struggled to turn a profit. By 2000, with the farm facing bankruptcy, they decided to try something radical. They would restore Knepp’s 3,500 acres to the wild. Using herds of free-roaming animals to mimic the actions of the megafauna of the past, they hoped to bring nature back to their depleted land. But what would the neighbors say, in the manicured countryside of modern England where a blade of grass out of place is considered an affront?
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In wildness is the preservation of the world
- By Nat Taggart on 03-27-20
By: Isabella Tree
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The Fabric of Civilization
- How Textiles Made the World
- By: Virginia I. Postrel
- Narrated by: Caroline Cole
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The story of humanity is the story of textiles - as old as civilization itself. Since the first thread was spun, the need for textiles has driven technology, business, politics, and culture. In The Fabric of Civilization, Virginia Postrel synthesizes groundbreaking research from archaeology, economics, and science to reveal a surprising history. From Minoans exporting wool colored with precious purple dye to Egypt, to Romans arrayed in costly Chinese silk, the cloth trade paved the crossroads of the ancient world.
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Pop journalism article lengthened into a book
- By Anonymous User on 02-05-22
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Color
- A Natural History of the Palette
- By: Victoria Finlay
- Narrated by: Victoria Finlay
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In this vivid and captivating journey through the colors of an artist’s palette, Victoria Finlay takes us on an enthralling adventure around the world and through the ages, illuminating how the colors we choose to value have determined the history of culture itself. Color is full of extraordinary people, events, and anecdotes—painted all the more dazzling by Finlay’s engaging style. The colors that craft our world have never looked so bright.
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A scrumptious, colorful adventure. Must read
- By Esio Trot on 07-26-23
By: Victoria Finlay
What listeners say about A Short History of the World According to Sheep
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- A. P.
- 05-13-21
Not bad but could be much better
This book was quite informative but definitely too much focus on UK. As if other countries don’t exist. So many lost opportunities. Narration was not great - whenever she’s quoting anything she changed her voice and is very annoying and completely unnecessary.
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1 person found this helpful
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- TJ Schreiber
- 08-20-20
A Concise History on Sheep and Their Uses
It may bounce around a lot, but thats what I love about it, If you been interested sheep for awhile this is the book for you.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Hayley Robertson
- 07-19-22
I couldn't stop talking about sheep after reading
I was drawn to this book as a fiber artist curious about the wonders of wool and interested in perhaps keeping sheep one day. The history shared covers the globe and thousands of years giving a wide range of stories and facts of this early domesticated animal. From sheepdogs to scissors and shears, there is so much more to learn about sheep than I could have imagined. This was a great book to listen to for short drives, guaranteed to leave you with a snippet of information you can share when you get to your destination.
I finished this book 6 months ago and I still think about it almost weekly. Sheep are cute, sheep are beaut, sheep are soft and curly. Don Spencer, anyone?
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2 people found this helpful
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- CathyAnn
- 08-26-24
Engaging historical information
I'm a spinner, knitter, and nålbinder, and love learning more about the history of fiber crafting. But this is so much more. The social and economic impact of sheep in the human world are fascinating. The story is told in an accessible, engaging, and often humorous way, with outstanding narration. I highly recommend it not only for fiber lovers and history lovers, but anyone interested in an enjoyable and interesting listen.
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- ®
- 07-31-24
Delightful and entertaining
As a knitter, history nerd (somewhat lapsed), wool enthusiast, and possible future nålbinder, spinner, and/or weaver—these fiber crafts are seductive and insidious!—this book was absolutely meant for me as the audience. Historical sheep, wool crafts, economy, and trade are surprisingly fascinating. Most of the book ended up Great Britain-centric, so the title is a bit misleading, but I was entertained and don't really have any complaints. (I will possibly search out more books to do with handicrafts and wool for further education and entertainment as I knit.)
The narration was absolutely delightful. I loved the narrator's accent and friendly voice, and appreciated her change of voice and use of other accents (skillfully!) for quotes and excerpts.
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- Crystal
- 03-03-23
Excellent book
This book is factual but also incredibly entertaining. The narrator has a wonderful voice. I set my device to 0.9 speed. I have listened to this book 3 times and suspect, I’ll listen to it many more.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Cate F.
- 12-11-21
More like Great Britain & Ireland
Not just for wool fans, this book tells how economic history depends on sheep. It’s an enjoyable listen and I appreciated all the details.
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1 person found this helpful
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- AmazonCustomer
- 06-14-21
Loved it!
This was so interesting and informative! The voice acting was great, too. I only wish it was longer and had even more detail about non-Western parts of the world. There was some of that, but more would have made it even better.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Brenda
- 09-06-22
An unexpected gem!
Loved it! Delightful and entertaining. Who knew sheep could be so interesting? Well worth the time to listen or read. And maybe more than once!
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- Yarngirl52
- 10-31-22
Knitter, spinster, lover of all things wool
The book is short, but by no means lacking on history, humor, and trivia regarding wool, sheep and the necessity for humans to keep warm.
Very interesting history of the British wool industry crossing over to the colonies. Seems that if all the restrictions placed on the colonists nothing enraged them more than restrictions on wool.
I am happy that the author dispelled the common myths that Ganseys, Aran, & Icelandic sweaters and Scottish tartans are ancient designs passed down for generations. They are more likely the fabrication of clever marketers wanting to lure tourists into the various shops in Dublin, Glasgow, and London.
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1 person found this helpful