
Danubia
A Personal History of Habsburg Europe
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Narrated by:
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James Cameron Stewart
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By:
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Simon Winder
About this listen
From the end of the Middle Ages to the First World War, Europe was dominated by one family: the Habsburgs. Their unprecedented rule is the focus of Simon Winder's vivid third book, Danubia.
Winder's approach is friendly, witty, personal; this is a narrative that, while erudite and well researched, prefers to be discursive and anecdotal. In his survey of the centuries of often incompetent Habsburg rule which have continued to shape the fate of Central Europe, Winder does not shy away from the horrors, railing against the effects of nationalism, recounting the violence that was often part of life. But this is a history dominated above all by Winder's energy and curiosity. Thrillingly informative, Danubia is a treat that listeners will be eager to dip into.
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Poland
- The First Thousand Years
- By: Patrice M. Dabrowski
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 25 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Since its beginnings, Poland has been a moving target, geographically as well as demographically, and the very definition of who is a Pole has been in flux. In the late medieval and early modern periods, the country grew to be the largest in continental Europe, only to be later wiped off the map for more than a century. Yet even under these constraints, Poles persisted in their desire to wrest from their oppressors a modicum of national dignity and, ultimately, managed to achieve much more than that.
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Easy listen.
- By Pieter Reyneke on 01-11-23
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The Rhine
- Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps
- By: Ben Coates
- Narrated by: Ciaran Saward
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of the Netherlands, through the industrial and political powerhouses of Germany and France, to the wealthy mountain fortresses of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
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Picky listener loved this book.
- By William on 03-08-22
By: Ben Coates
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The Golden Rhinoceros
- Histories of the African Middle Ages
- By: François-Xavier Fauvelle, Troy Tice - translator
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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From the birth of Islam in the seventh century to the voyages of European exploration in the 15th, Africa was at the center of a vibrant exchange of goods and ideas. It was an African golden age in which places like Ghana, Nubia, and Zimbabwe became the crossroads of civilizations, and where African royals, thinkers, and artists played celebrated roles in the globalized world of the Middle Ages. The Golden Rhinoceros brings this unsung era marvelously to life, taking listeners from the Sahara and the Nile River Valley to the Ethiopian highlands and Southern Africa.
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Excellent scholarly intro to a medieval Africa
- By jlwrvw on 04-27-21
By: François-Xavier Fauvelle, and others
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A Bite-Sized History of France
- Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment
- By: Stephane Henaut, Jeni Mitchell
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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From the cassoulet that won a war to the crêpe that doomed Napoleon, from the rebellions sparked by bread and salt to the new cuisines forged by empire, the history of France is intimately entwined with its gastronomic pursuits. A witty exploration of the facts and legends surrounding some of the most popular French foods and wines by a French cheesemonger and an American academic, A Bite-Sized History of France tells the compelling and often surprising story of France from the Roman era to modern times.
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Great stories, but...
- By David on 01-12-20
By: Stephane Henaut, and others
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Germany, 1923
- Hyperinflation, Hitler's Pusch and Democracy in Crisis
- By: Volker Ullrich, Jefferson Chase - translator
- Narrated by: Christopher Douyard
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The great Austrian writer Stefan Zweig confided in his autobiography: “I have a pretty thorough knowledge of history, but never, to my recollection, has it produced such madness in such gigantic proportions.” He was referring to Germany in 1923, a “year of lunacy,” defined by hyperinflation, violence, a political system on the verge of collapse, the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, and separatist movements threatening to rip apart the German nation. Bestselling author Volker Ullrich presents a riveting chronicle of one of the most difficult years any modern democracy has ever faced.
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Interesting read about economics
- By molliet on 11-01-23
By: Volker Ullrich, and others
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Two Houses, Two Kingdoms
- A History of France and England, 1100-1300
- By: Catherine Hanley
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The twelfth and thirteenth centuries were a time of personal monarchy, when the close friendship or petty feuding between kings and queens could determine the course of history. The Capetians of France and the Angevins of England waged war, made peace, and intermarried. In this lively history, Catherine Hanley traces the great clashes, and occasional friendships, of the two dynasties. Along the way, she emphasizes the fascinating and influential women of the houses—including Eleanor of Aquitaine—and shows how personalities and familial bonds shaped the fate of two countries.
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Great book with a bit of slant
- By Ky on 12-20-22
By: Catherine Hanley
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A History of France
- By: John Julius Norwich
- Narrated by: John Julius Norwich
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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John Julius Norwich - called a "true master of narrative history" by Simon Sebag Montefiore - returns with the book he has spent his distinguished career wanting to write, A History of France, a portrait of the past two centuries of the country he loves best. Beginning with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters - Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antionette, to name a few - as Norwich chronicles France's often violent, always fascinating history.
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Kings and Wars
- By Awake Tex on 08-22-19
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Sailing from Byzantium
- How a Lost Empire Shaped the World
- By: Colin Wells
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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A gripping intellectual adventure story, Sailing from Byzantium sweeps you from the deserts of Arabia to the dark forests of northern Russia, from the colorful towns of Renaissance Italy to the final moments of a millennial city under siege.
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The Missing Years
- By Nikoli Gogol on 12-29-07
By: Colin Wells
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The Habsburg Way
- 7 Rules for Turbulent Times
- By: Eduard Habsburg
- Narrated by: Eduard Habsburg
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Few families in history are as renowned as the Habsburgs, one of the principal sovereign dynasties of Europe from the 13th to the 20th century. This enthralling audio provides glimpses into the lives of their esteemed members. The lessons that their lives teach will help guide your family in faith and will help you live in peaceful prosperity and grow in holiness. Their maxims could also provide a road map for healing the world we live in.
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The real connection to centuries past of the Hapsburg
- By Anonymous User on 04-09-25
By: Eduard Habsburg
Lovely narration, brilliant book
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Amazing level of detail
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Worse, though, is the fact that the narrator can't make it through a sentence without having to stop and inhale at least twice. While I feel bad for him with his apparent dyspnea, it's distracting.
I'm giving up on the audio version and will read the Kindle version instead.
Narrator ruins it
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Too scattered for me
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Informative and Entertaining
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Good listen
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Not an easy book, but worth the time .
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Superb narration
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The love the author has of traveling to explore unique aspects of history shines through, and his occasional wry and humorous comments being a smile.
Intensive history with a dash of humor.
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But for me personally it was hard to listen because of the unusual ( to me) manner of reading. And also it felt boring to be repetitively told about some personal experiences of the author . But this is me.
I just love facts and fluent narration.
Interesting subject for sure
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