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Amerigo
- The Man Who Gave His Name to America
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 9 hrs and 14 mins
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Publisher's summary
With imagination, thematic breadth, and his trademark wit, Fernandez-Armesto covers a range of cultural, political, and social subjects, taking us from the dawn of human migration to North America, to the colonial and independence periods, and to the "American century" and beyond. Fernandez-Armesto does nothing less than revise the conventional wisdom about cross-cultural exchange, conflict, and interaction, making and supporting some brilliantly provocative conclusions about the Americas' past and where we are headed.
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Narration
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Critic reviews
"Fernandez-Armesto can personalize broad historical trends without sinking into triviality....History written at its best." (Booklist)
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- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Abridged
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In this sweeping, enthralling biography, acclaimed historian David Hackett Fischer brings to life the remarkable Samuel de Champlain - soldier, spy, master mariner, explorer, cartographer, artist, and Father of New France. We remember Champlain mainly as a great explorer. On foot and by ship and canoe, he traveled through what are now six Canadian provinces and five American states. Over more than 30 years he founded, colonized, and administered French settlements in North America.
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Excellent Narration - Illuminating History
- By jmholmberg on 11-02-08
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One Nation, Under Gods
- A New American History
- By: Peter Manseau
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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At the heart of the nation's spiritual history are audacious and often violent scenes. But the Puritans and the shining city on the hill give us just one way to understand the United States. Rather than recite American history from a Christian vantage point, Peter Manseau proves that what really happened is worth a close, fresh look.
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Tapestry of different pieces makes for a whole
- By Gary on 03-23-15
By: Peter Manseau
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The Ugly Renaissance
- Sex, Greed, Violence and Depravity in an Age of Beauty
- By: Alexander Lee
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 15 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Renowned as a period of cultural rebirth and artistic innovation, the Renaissance is cloaked in a unique aura of beauty and brilliance. Its very name conjures up awe-inspiring images of an age of lofty ideals in which life imitated the fantastic artworks for which it has become famous. But behind the vast explosion of new art and culture lurked a seamy, vicious world of power politics, perversity, and corruption that has more in common with the present day than anyone dares to admit.
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Author falls into the pit he digs for others
- By Sean on 01-23-16
By: Alexander Lee
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The Arawak: The History and Legacy of the Indigenous Natives in South America and the Caribbean
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Dan Gallagher
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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The Arawak: The History and Legacy of the Indigenous Natives in South America and the Caribbean examines the culture and history of the indigenous groups and what happened when they came into contact with the Europeans. You will learn about the Arawak like never before.
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good content, terrible pronunciation by reader.
- By takajej on 11-04-19
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Lost Enlightenment
- Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
- By: S. Frederick Starr
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.
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Subject worthwhile but repetative narrative
- By F-M on 04-10-14
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The House of Wisdom
- How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
- By: Jonathan Lyons
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Here is the remarkable story of how medieval Arab scholars made dazzling advances in science and philosophy, and of the itinerant Europeans who brought this knowledge back to the West. For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was a benighted backwater, a world of subsistence farming, minimal literacy, and violent conflict. Meanwhile, Arab culture was thriving, dazzling those Europeans fortunate enough to catch even a glimpse.
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Missing history
- By Robert on 11-26-11
By: Jonathan Lyons
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The Written World
- The Power of Stories to Shape People, History, Civilization
- By: Martin Puchner
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Martin Puchner leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the powerful role stories and literature have played in creating the world we have today. Puchner introduces us to numerous visionaries as he explores 16 foundational texts selected from more than 4,000 years of world literature and reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of philosophical and political ideas, and the birth of religious beliefs. Indeed, literature has touched generations and changed the course of history.
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Powerful and illuminating!
- By Gloria J. Petit-Clair on 12-04-17
By: Martin Puchner
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The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- By: Justin Pollard, Howard Reid
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
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A good listen
- By Jeffrey on 10-02-08
By: Justin Pollard, and others
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Bible and Sword
- England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour
- By: Barbara W. Tuchman
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 12 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Two-time Pulitzer Prize - winning historian Barbara Tuchman explores the complex relationship of Britain to Palestine that led to the founding of the modern Jewish state - and to many of the problems that plague the Middle East today.
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Excellent book, but not quite objective
- By Kellie on 04-25-11
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The Renaissance
- A Captivating Guide to a Remarkable Period in European History, Including Stories of People Such as Galileo Galilei, Michelangelo, Copernicus, Shakespeare, and Leonardo da Vinci
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard L. Walton
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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If you want to discover the captivating history of the Renaissance, then pay attention.
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Monotone reader
- By Harry R. Martin on 08-07-19
What listeners say about Amerigo
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- M. Risher
- 12-01-22
A little thick in the weeds but a good understanding of the man.
I really just wanted to know why America was named after this guy since everyone knows that Colombus was the first [sic] European to sail to the new world. The author nearly avoids that whole question until the last chapter.
I could have used a little less coverage of what Europe, Florence, Spain, etc was like back then.
It was interesting to know how much we don’t know about him due to lost or misappropriated letters and contemporary exaggerations.
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Overall
- Roy
- 04-16-09
A Seagoing Life
This is the story of Vespucci and his seagoing, pragmatic approach to life. We learn he took advantage of opportunities that came his way and that he also contrived. This book brings home that he was not the man we learned about in school for sure.
Well written and well read, the book was a little dry to me in spots. That could well be a function of the limited evidence available to scholars in general. Alternatively, the book I heard immediately prior was very intersting and may have colored my evaluation of this one. The book is informative and worthwhile none-the-less.
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- Barry
- 09-10-12
Genuinely enlightening
I was surprised first of all that there was enough real historical information as there is about Amerigo. Hardly enough to write a real biography but enough to get a real picture of who he was. Definitely enough to convince anyone that his name does not deserve to be plastered over two continents. But what is really interesting about this book is the light it sheds on what the early days of the exploration of the new world was like. The voyages, schemes, cartographers, memoirs (real and imaginery)--it was a fascinating time in European history.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Nathon Williams
- 10-11-24
Too much information makes for a poor story
The author demonstrates strong research skills and preparation, and the writing style is commendable. However, the story is weighed down by an overabundance of detailed research, which detracts from the narrative and leads to a lack of engagement or enjoyment, ultimately causing boredom. A more balanced approach between storytelling and research would have enhanced the reader’s experience.
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