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On the Nature of Things
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
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Publisher's summary
This famous work by Lucretius is a masterpiece of didactic poetry, and it still stands today as the finest exposition of Epicurean philosophy ever written. The poem was produced in the middle of first century B.C., a period that was to witness a flowering of Latin literature unequaled for beauty and intellectual power in subsequent ages. The Latin title, De Rerum Natura, translates literally to On the Nature of Things and is meant to impress the reader with the breadth and depth of Epicurean philosophy.
The poem's scope, even by modern standards, is staggering. Lucretius peers into the secrets of nature with a kind of innocent curiosity and offers a "scientific" explanation for all sorts of phenomena: stars and planets, oceans and rivers, plant life, reproductive activities, the soul and immortality, and the nature of the gods, among others. According to Lucretius, mankind can be freed from the stifling structures of religion and superstition by studying the works of the Greek philosopher Epicurus. All it takes is the strength of character to look at the natural world in an uncompromisingly level and unemotional way, to observe and live in the world according to precepts laid down by the great Epicurus in the fourth century B.C. That being so, according to Lucretius, it will be possible for man to lay aside superstition and fear and to become as godlike as he can.
Even though humanity was driven by hungers and passions it little understood at the time, Lucretius' bold poem sought to embolden men with the self-confidence to get along in the world without recourse to myths and gods. In order to free themselves, men would have to adopt a personal code of self-responsibility that consisted of living and speaking personal truths founded on the work of Epicurus. On the Nature of Things is about the universe and how men should live in it.
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The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
- By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
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A bird of good omen is murdered. A fickle crew is punished by supernatural, spectral beings. A skeletal ship is sighted moving against the wind and tide. The figure of Death along with a singular, gruesome companion man the fiendish craft. And as they draw closer, it becomes clear that the two play at dice for the soul of the ancient mariner. The result is nothing short of cataclysmic.
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A classic well read
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Faust
- By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
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Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is a poem, translated by Bayard Taylor, which tells the beautiful and emotional story of a man who has seen and done it all. However, despite all of his learning and education, his life still feels empty and unaccomplished. He believes wholeheartedly that there is something else out there. Faust, having exhausted all other fields of study, turns to magic for fulfillment. He summons the devil and makes a pact - that if the devil can show him something rewarding and fulfilling, he will give the devil his soul.
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Misleading
- By Grant Pajak on 03-29-17
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Journey to the Center of the Earth (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Jules Verne, Frederick Amadeus Malleson - translator
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
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A sixteenth-century cryptogram spurs modern geologist Otto Liedenbrock to embark on the most remarkable human quest ever taken. With his nephew and guide, he leads the descent from a dormant Icelandic volcano into the unexplored realm beneath their feet. There, a vast subterranean ocean, prehistoric creatures, and natural phenomena are but a few of the wonders hidden from all but the boldest eyes.
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A Vernian Jouney
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The Inferno of Dante
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- By: Dante Alighieri, Robert Pinsky - translator
- Narrated by: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, Louise Glück, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins
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This critically acclaimed translation was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry and the Harold Morton Landon Translation Award given by the Academy of American Poets. Well versed, rapid, and various in style, the Inferno is narrated by Pinsky and three other leading poets: Seamus Heaney, Frank Bidart, and Louise Glück.
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A great translation of the epic.
- By craig on 09-14-15
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The Travel and Adventures of Little Baron Trump
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Ingersoll Lockwood invented the fictional character Baron Trump in 1890 for a two-part sci-fi/fantasy series about a privileged German heir who undertakes a sequence of fantastic voyages. The style of the Baron Trump series - a mix of fantasy and young-reader-oriented science fiction - anticipated and may have influenced L. Frank Baum's Oz series. The Travel and Adventures of Little Baron Trump describes Baron's trip around the world with his little dog, meeting new races like the Wind Eaters, Man Hoppers, and Melodious Sneezers.
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A lot of fun, and a sensitive study of a boy and his dog
- By ReadToLive on 03-04-20
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Spring and All: Facsimile Edition
- New Directions Pearls
- By: William Carlos Williams
- Narrated by: Sean Slater
- Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
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A beautiful facsimile of the 1923 original edition which is considered "one of the greatest poems of the twentieth century" by The New York Times. Spring and All is a manifesto of the imagination - a hybrid of alternating sections of prose and free verse that coalesce in dramatic, energetic, and beautifully cryptic statements of how language re-creates the world. Spring and All contains some of Williams' best-known poetry.
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Classic!
- By Amazon Customer on 01-25-18
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She And Allan
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- Narrated by: Barnaby Edwards
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She and Allan is a novel by H. Rider Haggard, first published in 1921. It brought together his two most popular characters, Ayesha from She (to which it serves as a prequel), and Allan Quatermain from King Solomon's Mines. Its significance was recognized by its republication by the Newcastle Publishing Company as the sixth volume of the celebrated Newcastle Forgotten Fantasy Library series in September 1975.
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Best of the Trilogy
- By emett holloway barfield III on 05-26-19
By: H. Rider Haggard
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The Upanishads
- A New Translation
- By: Thomas Egenes, Vernon Katz
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins
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The Upanishads are often considered the most important literature from ancient India. Yet many academic translators fail to capture the work's philosophical and spiritual subtlety, while others convey its poetry at the cost of literal meaning. This new translation by Vernon Katz and Thomas Egenes fills the need for an Upanishads that is clear, simple, and insightful - yet remains faithful to the original Sanskrit.
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horriable
- By HH on 12-07-17
By: Thomas Egenes, and others
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The Decameron is one of the greatest literary works of the Middle Ages. Ten young people have fled the terrible effects of the Black Death in Florence and, in an idyllic setting, tell a series of brilliant stories, by turns humorous, bawdy, tragic and provocative. This celebration of physical and sexual vitality is Boccaccio's answer to the sublime other-worldliness of Dante's Divine Comedy.
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Not Up to the Usual Naxos Standard
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What listeners say about On the Nature of Things
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Christina Javier
- 05-27-17
decent philosophy
Beginning through about half way was solid. lost the thread in the latter half.
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- AH
- 12-07-19
they fixed the chapter ordering issue
this review is just to let you know that, as of writing, the chapters are now in the correct order: intros one and two, and the poem itself.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Roberto Ruiz
- 03-25-13
Lucretius becomes immortal!
Where does On the Nature of Things rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Definitely one of the best.
Who was your favorite character and why?
If it were a character, I would say the poetry itself
What does Charlton Griffin bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
If there were gods, and humans went to battle against them, win or lose, the story ought to be told by Charlton Griffin.
Lucretius' De Rerum Natura is a marvel of poetry and philosophy, but you have to already know your classical poetry and philosophy to really savor every drop. But with Charlton Griffin, even those unfamiliar with the materialism, empiricism, hedonism and atheism of epicureanism, will be inspired to seriously ponder these ideas and read further on.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I had read this book before, but this audio version sent chills down my spine!
Any additional comments?
Do yourself and your loved ones a favor, and listen to this audiobook as you sit in front of a nice chimney fire.
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11 people found this helpful
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- serine
- 03-31-16
Read his own words. A+
I was in the midst of reading yet another book that referenced Lucretius' On the Nature of Things and thought I should stop and read Lucretius' words for myself. WOW. This is possibly THE best book ever written. I am amazed that someone who lived more than 2000 years ago could possess such a deep and complete understanding of our universe. If you change a few words here and there and maintain an understanding that Lucretius wrote this work long before many necessary scientific tools existed, it is relevant today. It boggles the mind that Lucretius, in his own way of describing things, was able to understand entropy, atoms, evolution, superstition, eliminative materialism, philosophy of mind, evaporation, the formation of stars and planets, metabolism, genetics, deletions, and so much more. I always thought of Newton and Einstein as the smartest men to ever live. Some people say it was Aristotle. I think, without question, Lucretius was the most brilliant man to ever live, especially given the tools available and the time period in which he lived. Lucretius, without tools, knew more than many people today, with tool, know.
Prior to reading this, I read a biography of Epicurus and Epicurean philosophy. I can see why Lucretius said that Epicurus' brilliance towered over all the other brilliant men. In the end, Lucretius towers over them all.
This is a MUST READ!
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Austin
- 03-17-08
Beautiful translation, masterful narration.
For novelty, beauty and insight into a great Roman mind, this is a worthy purchase. Charlton Griffin is awesome, especially for Roman literature. His bold and assertive style captures the Roman spirit.
Also, I hear this is the best translation. Lucretius' introduction, an invocation to Venus, is majestic.
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19 people found this helpful
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- GeorgeG
- 05-12-24
The performance
Some of the story is hard to follow at times for an audiobook. But I don't think that is the fault of the author or the performer. Just not the type of information that was meant to be heard while multitasking....more enjoyable when you stop and think on what is being said.
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- hans sandberg
- 06-03-15
Amazing!
I have a new friend, but he died 2,000 years ago. however, he still talks to us.
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6 people found this helpful
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- LIsa F.
- 09-14-17
Very intriguing
What made the experience of listening to On the Nature of Things the most enjoyable?
This books really takes you back through time to view life as it was actually happening. Gives you insight into what was really know in the past.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The narrative was AMAZING
Any additional comments?
Great job to the narrator
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- Cheri
- 01-28-20
A time machine
Hearing the words, thoughts, and ideas of this ancient writer was made doubly enjoyable by this, most excellent narrator. I found myself backing up to hear some of the pages more than once and consider several passages among my "favorite" quotes.
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Overall
- Lawrence
- 11-23-08
A Masterpiece
As someone who is not fluent in Latin, I have always wished for a way to better understand the Roman way of thinking. I have been put off in the past from De Rerum Natura because the translation that is in the public domain and is all over the internet, by W.E. Leonard, is virtually unreadable to anyone not initiated into the details of Latin poetry. In contrast, the translation used here is eminently understandable by almost anyone.
But more brilliant even than the translation is the narration by Mr. Griffin. Lucretius himself would be smiling if he could hear what Mr. Griffin has done with his work. I dare say this production opens the ideas of Epicurus to a whole new generation that otherwise might never have taken the time to get to know this work of art. I have heard it said that the Romans intended their works to be read aloud rather than read silently. I do not know if that is true, but this audiobook should be exhibit one for anyone who wants to argue in support of that point. The tone, the inflection, the pacing... all combine to make a complicated subject come alive, as if Lucretius himself were patiently explaining his position to a listening pupil.
The ideas of Lucretius and Epicurus merit careful reexamination in the modern world. The fair-minded listener will easily separate Lucretius' errors of fact, which stemmed from the limited state of science, from his far more important method of thinking and approach to philosophy, which need no revision.
If Lucretius and Epicurus ever get the monumental credit they deserve for their contributions to philosophy, it will be in no small part to this production by Mr. Griffin. To any new student of Lucretius I would heartily recommend this oral presentation over ANY written translation.
Simply outstanding. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I have several other audiobooks by this narrator and they are all excellent, but of those I have heard clearly this is his masterwork.
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