Preview
  • English History Made Brief, Irreverent, and Pleasurable

  • By: Lacey Baldwin Smith
  • Narrated by: Peter Noble
  • Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,400 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

English History Made Brief, Irreverent, and Pleasurable

By: Lacey Baldwin Smith
Narrated by: Peter Noble
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Here at last is a history of England that is designed to entertain as well as inform and that will delight the armchair traveler, the tourist, or just about anyone interested in history.

No people have engendered quite so much acclaim or earned so much censure as the English: extolled as the Athenians of modern times, yet hammered for their self-satisfaction and hypocrisy. But their history has been a spectacular one.

The guiding principle of this book's heretical approach is that "history is not everything that happened but what is worth remembering about the past". Thus its chapters deal mainly with "Memorable History" in blocks of time over the centuries. The final chapter, "The Royal Soap Opera", recounts the achievements, personalities, and idiocies of the royal family since the arrival of William the Conqueror in 1066. English History will be a welcome and amusing tour of a land that has always fascinated Anglophiles and Anglophobes alike.

©2007 Lacey Baldwin Smith (P)2017 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about English History Made Brief, Irreverent, and Pleasurable

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,173
  • 4 Stars
    767
  • 3 Stars
    354
  • 2 Stars
    78
  • 1 Stars
    28
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,379
  • 4 Stars
    541
  • 3 Stars
    164
  • 2 Stars
    32
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,035
  • 4 Stars
    681
  • 3 Stars
    301
  • 2 Stars
    74
  • 1 Stars
    23

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Easy and fun ...

Very consumable and, as titled, pleasurable. There are lots of interesting tidbits that I had never come across before too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

well done

There is a lot in this book. Sometimes I got lost, but only because of my lack of British history.
This is a "heavy" fun read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW! exactly what the title says!

A must read for anglophiles, history bluffs & royal watches! I definitely recommend this book!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Funny and Interesting

Fantastic book! Exactly what's on the tin. However an update would do this book wonders. Totally worth a listen, though.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

English History is Dry

The author makes it incredibly interesting to listen to. I enjoyed it. Great job bud!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the Book Title speaks the truth!

I am a history nerd and this has been a delightful read! The narrator's droll voice and immensely specific spacing of words and phrases left me gasping in giggles on more than one occasion. I'm about to listen to it a second time just for the joy of snickering.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

British history summarized well!

I like the narrator, who has a lot of history to condense in a few hours. Great read!
Author is spot on with facts and I have reread several times.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

I loved this book. Nicely read. it gives the highlights of every period of English history in a most entertaining way. It will also be enjoyable to listen to again and again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyable funny and objective

i throughly enjoyed listening English History. Author clearly has a command of every detail and its impact on greater things. i learned a great deal about English history but I took great personal lessons from the success a d failures and causes and effects of kings and queens. wonderfully written book i highly recommend anyone any age

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth listening to!!

I love history. Am very familiar with the history of Great Britain. In order to fully enjoy this book and follow it, I recommend that you are familiar with history. I absolutely recommend this book. The narrator was excellent.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!