The Age of Reason Begins
A History of European Civilization in the Period of Shakespeare, Bacon, Montaigne, Rembrandt, Galileo, and Descartes: 1558 - 1648: The Story of Civilization, Book 7
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Narrated by:
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Grover Gardner
About this listen
This seventh volume of Will and Ariel Durant's renowned Story of Civilization chronicles the history of European civilization from 1558 to 1648.
The Age of Reason Begins brings together a fascinating network of stories in the discussion of the bumpy road toward the Enlightenment. This is the age of great monarchs and greater artists - on the one hand, Elizabeth I of England, Philip II of Spain, and Henry IV of France; on the other, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Montaigne, and Rembrandt. It also encompasses the heyday of Francis Bacon, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, and Descartes, the fathers of modern science and philosophy. But it is equally an age of extreme violence, a moment in which all Europe was embroiled in the horrible Thirty Years' War - in some respects, the real first world war. This chapter in cultural history is one that can't be missed.
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The Sultan and the Queen
- The Untold Story of Elizabeth and Islam
- By: Jerry Brotton
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 12 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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When Queen Elizabeth was excommunicated by the Pope in 1570, she found herself in an awkward predicament. Now England's key markets would be closed to her Protestant merchants. To complicate matters, the staunchly Catholic king of Spain was determined to destroy her, bolstered by the gold pouring in from the New World. In a bold decision with far-reaching consequences, Elizabeth set her sights on the East.
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Essential for understanding our own era
- By marwalk on 07-21-19
By: Jerry Brotton
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The White King
- Charles I, Traitor, Murderer, Martyr
- By: Leanda de Lisle
- Narrated by: Graeme Malcolm
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Less than 40 years after England's golden age under Elizabeth I, the country was at war with itself. Split between loyalty to the Crown or to Parliament, war raged on English soil. Its casualties were immense. At the head of the disintegrating kingdom was King Charles I. In this vivid portrait - informed by previously unseen manuscripts, including royal correspondence between the king and his queen - Leanda de Lisle depicts a man who was principled and brave but fatally blinkered.
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Enlightening Stuart history
- By Adeliese Baumann on 01-25-18
By: Leanda de Lisle
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Heretic Queen
- Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion
- By: Susan Ronald
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Acclaimed biographer Susan Ronald delivers a stunning account of Elizabeth I that focuses on her role in the Wars of Religion - the battle between Protestantism and Catholicism that tore Europe apart in the sixteenth century. Elizabeth’s 1558 coronation procession was met with an extravagant outpouring of love. Only 25 years old, the young queen saw herself as the nation’s Protestant savior, aiming to provide new hope, prosperity, and independence from the foreign influence that had plagued her sister Mary’s reign. Given the scars of the Reformation, Elizabeth would need all of the powers of diplomacy and tact she could summon.
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a thorough history of a great lady
- By Angelus56 on 07-24-18
By: Susan Ronald
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Tried by Fire
- The Story of Christianity's First Thousand Years
- By: William J. Bennett
- Narrated by: Wayne Campbell
- Length: 15 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Full of larger-than-life characters, stunning acts of bravery, and heart-rending sacrifice, Tried by Fire narrates the rise and expansion of Christianity from an obscure regional sect to the established faith of the world's greatest empire with influence extending from India to Ireland, Scandinavia to Ethiopia, and all points in between.
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Best history of Christianity I've read
- By JOHN F KANARY on 05-05-16
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Constantine and the Conversion of Europe
- By: Arnold Jones
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 8 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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By the end of Diocletian's reign in the opening years of the fourth century, the pagan world had collapsed into the arms of a multicultural religious movement which had spread from the eastern Mediterranean. These were the "mystery religions" which had been in competition with one another for a century. By the time of Constantine, they had spread everywhere within the empire. But one of these religions, Christianity, was chosen by the young emperor.
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A Lot of Potentially Boring Detail
- By Christopher on 07-08-10
By: Arnold Jones
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Machiavelli
- Philosopher of Power
- By: Ross King
- Narrated by: Tim Reynolds
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Part of the acclaimed Eminent Lives series, Machiavelli is a superb portrait of the brilliant and revolutionary political philosopher - history's most famous theorist of "warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed" - and the age he embodied. Ross King, the New York Times best-selling author of Brunelleschi's Dome, argues that the author of The Prince was a far more complex and sympathetic character than is often portrayed.
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Awesome
- By Crisitna Tunon on 07-16-21
By: Ross King
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The House of Medici
- Its Rise and Fall
- By: Christopher Hibbert
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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This enthralling book charts the family's huge influence on the political, economic, and cultural history of Florence. Beginning in the early 1430s with the rise of the dynasty under the near-legendary Cosimo de Medici, it moves through their golden era as patrons of some of the most remarkable artists and architects of the Renaissance, to the era of the Medici Popes and Grand Dukes, Florence's slide into decay and bankruptcy, and the end, in 1737, of the Medici line.
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Laundry list of names
- By Elizabeth W on 01-02-17
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The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
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Wonderful
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The early modern era in Europe set the mold for the Western world today. It was a complex, tragic, yet pivotal time. It marked the transition between the dominance of the Catholic church throughout Western Europe and the present age of science, reason, and skepticism. The path through this transition was an exciting yet bloody and sorrowful one. The wars between Catholics and Protestants in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries rivaled those of the present in cruelty and atrocity. Durant takes us through the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants in France.
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The Story of Philosophy (Deluxe Edition with The Age of Faith): The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
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Philosophy has often seemed like the castor oil of the disciplines: healthy, but never pleasurable, and best when swallowed quickly and forgotten. Will Durant’s classic The Story of Philosophy is a welcome remedy for this misconception, and—in view of the fact that it is nearly 100 years old—a remarkably refreshing one. This deluxe edition includes The Age of Faith, the fourth volume in the great series, The Story of Civilization. It covers the years 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300.
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The Age of Faith
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The great series The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant is one of the most monumental achievements in historical writing. In its eleven massive volumes, it tells the story of Western civilization from its origins to the age of Napoleon. This volume, The Climax of Christianity, is taken from The Age of Faith, the fourth in the series. It covers the years between 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300: the age of Dante Alighieri, whose epic poem Divine Comedy is one of the greatest treasures of our civilization.
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The Thirty Years War
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The Thirty Years War devastated seventeenth-century Europe, killing nearly a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to towns and countryside alike. Peter Wilson offers the first new history in a generation of a horrifying conflict that transformed the map of the modern world.
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Less caffeine, narrator
- By Jeff Joyner on 02-12-24
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Heroes of History
- By: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins
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At Will Durant's death at 96, in 1981, his personal papers were dispersed among relatives, collectors, and archive houses. Twenty years later, scholar John Little discovered the previously unknown manuscript of Heroes of History in Durant's granddaughter's garage. Written shortly before he died, these 21 essays serve as an abbreviated version of Durant's best-selling, 11-volume series, The Story of Civilization.
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Nice overview
- By Richard on 11-10-04
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Our Oriental Heritage
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The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.
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Wonderful
- By Michael on 11-30-13
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The Age of Reason Begins
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The early modern era in Europe set the mold for the Western world today. It was a complex, tragic, yet pivotal time. It marked the transition between the dominance of the Catholic church throughout Western Europe and the present age of science, reason, and skepticism. The path through this transition was an exciting yet bloody and sorrowful one. The wars between Catholics and Protestants in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries rivaled those of the present in cruelty and atrocity. Durant takes us through the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants in France.
By: Will Durant PhD, and others
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The Story of Philosophy (Deluxe Edition with The Age of Faith): The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
- Includes Bonus Book The Age of Faith: The Climax of Christianity 1095-1300, from the Crusades Through Dante
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- Narrated by: David Markus, Brian Conover
- Length: 49 hrs and 38 mins
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Philosophy has often seemed like the castor oil of the disciplines: healthy, but never pleasurable, and best when swallowed quickly and forgotten. Will Durant’s classic The Story of Philosophy is a welcome remedy for this misconception, and—in view of the fact that it is nearly 100 years old—a remarkably refreshing one. This deluxe edition includes The Age of Faith, the fourth volume in the great series, The Story of Civilization. It covers the years 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300.
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The Age of Faith
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The great series The Story of Civilization by Will and Ariel Durant is one of the most monumental achievements in historical writing. In its eleven massive volumes, it tells the story of Western civilization from its origins to the age of Napoleon. This volume, The Climax of Christianity, is taken from The Age of Faith, the fourth in the series. It covers the years between 1095—the launching of the First Crusade—and 1300: the age of Dante Alighieri, whose epic poem Divine Comedy is one of the greatest treasures of our civilization.
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The Thirty Years War
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The Thirty Years War devastated seventeenth-century Europe, killing nearly a quarter of all Germans and laying waste to towns and countryside alike. Peter Wilson offers the first new history in a generation of a horrifying conflict that transformed the map of the modern world.
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Less caffeine, narrator
- By Jeff Joyner on 02-12-24
By: Peter H. Wilson
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Heroes of History
- By: Will Durant
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At Will Durant's death at 96, in 1981, his personal papers were dispersed among relatives, collectors, and archive houses. Twenty years later, scholar John Little discovered the previously unknown manuscript of Heroes of History in Durant's granddaughter's garage. Written shortly before he died, these 21 essays serve as an abbreviated version of Durant's best-selling, 11-volume series, The Story of Civilization.
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Nice overview
- By Richard on 11-10-04
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The Story of Philosophy
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The Story of Philosophy is a captivating intellectual journey that explores the evolution of human thought and the enduring legacy of great thinkers throughout history. Written by the renowned author Will Durant, this monumental work provides listeners with a comprehensive overview of the world's philosophical traditions, from ancient Greece to the modern era.
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Empire
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The British Empire was the largest in all history: the nearest thing to global domination ever achieved. The world we know today is in large measure the product of Britain's age of empire. The global spread of capitalism, telecommunications, the English language, and the institutions of representative government - all these can be traced back to the extraordinary expansion of Britain's economy, population, and culture from the 17th century until the mid-20th. On a vast and vividly colored canvas, Empire shows how the British Empire acted as midwife to modernity.
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Not Balanced till Conclusion
- By Hectoris on 08-13-20
By: Niall Ferguson
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The Travels of Marco Polo
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The Travels of Marco Polo is the classic account of Marco Polo's journey to China from Venice, and his discoveries as an emissary to the great Kublai Khan. Polo explores everywhere from Baghdad, Armenia and Russia to the Caspian Sea, the Gobi Desert and the small fishing villages of China, describing the geography, architecture and customs of these exotic places.
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Disappointing
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By: Marco Polo, and others
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The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time
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Best-selling historian and philosopher Will Durant devoted his entire life to studying the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human history. Here is a summation of Durant's work, as he presents the best of world history. Filled with Durant's renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events in simple and exciting terms, it is a concise liberal arts education.
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Puzzled
- By James on 04-06-04
By: Will Durant
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The Story of Philosophy
- The Lives and Opinions of the Greater Philosophers
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- Unabridged
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Durant lucidly describes the philosophical systems of such world-famous “monarchs of the mind” as Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Kant, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. Along with their ideas, he offers their flesh-and-blood biographies, placing their thoughts within their own time and place and elucidating their influence on our modern intellectual heritage. This book is packed with wisdom and wit.
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Fantastic and insightful book
- By ESK on 01-25-13
By: Will Durant
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Captured by History
- One Man’s Vision of Our Tumultuous Century
- By: John Toland
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Captured by History is an autobiography like none other, for few historians have interviewed as many men and women who helped shape the most momentous events of our century than John Toland. Here, for the first time, Toland reveals how he found these key players and how he persuaded them to talk to him. From disgraced Japanese generals to the German doctor who nearly succeeded in assassinating Hitler, Toland’s sources are remarkable for what they reveal about their subjects, along with the secrets and stories they would tell no one else.
By: John Toland
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Fallen Leaves
- Last Words on Life, Love, War & God
- By: Will Durant
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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- Unabridged
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The final and most personal work from Pulitzer Prize - winning author and historian Will Durant - discovered 32 years after his death - is a message of insight for everyone who has sought meaning in life or the council of a wise friend in navigating life's journey. From 1968 to 1978, Will Durant made four public allusions to the existence of Fallen Leaves. One, in 1975, hinted at its contents: "a not very serious book that answers the questions of what I think about government, life, death, and God."
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Old Man’s Book
- By Michael on 12-19-15
By: Will Durant
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The Burgundians
- A Vanished Empire: A History of 1111 Years and One Day
- By: Bart van Loo, Nancy Forest-Flier - translator
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- Unabridged
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At the end of the fifteenth century, Burgundy was extinguished as an independent state. It had been a fabulously wealthy, turbulent region situated between France and Germany, with close links to the English kingdom. Torn apart by the dynastic struggles of early modern Europe, this extraordinary realm vanished from the map. But it became the cradle of what we now know as the Low Countries, modern Belgium and the Netherlands. This is the story of a thousand years, a must-listen narrative history of ambitious aristocrats, family dysfunction, treachery, savage battles, luxury, and madness.
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Extraordinary story, expertly told and skillfully narrated
- By Daniel Vergara on 03-01-24
By: Bart van Loo, and others
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The Lessons of History
- By: Will, Ariel Durant
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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- Unabridged
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The authors devoted five decades to the study of world history and philosophy, culminating in the masterful 11-volume Story of Civilization. In this compact summation of their work, Will and Ariel Durant share the vital and profound lessons of our collective past. Their perspective, gained after a lifetime of thinking and writing about the history of humankind, is an invaluable resource for us today.
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This is a must for every Educated Person
- By BradleyBurr on 10-29-07
By: Will, and others
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Rome
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The Roman Empire lasted a solid 500 years—an impressive number by any standard. The decline and final collapse of the Roman Empire took longer than most other empires even existed. Any historian trying to unearth the grand strategy of the Roman Empire must, therefore, always remain cognizant of the time scale. Over the centuries, the Empire's underlying economy, political arrangements, military affairs, and the myriad of external threats it faced were in constant flux, making adaptability to changing circumstances as important to Roman strategists as it is to strategists of the modern era.
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Antony NOT Anthony
- By Cody Rankin on 12-14-23
By: James Lacey
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Foundation
- The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors: The History of England, Book 1
- By: Peter Ackroyd
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- Unabridged
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In Foundation the chronicler of London and of its river, the Thames, takes us from the primeval forests of England's prehistory to the death of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, in 1509. He guides us from the building of Stonehenge to the founding of the two great glories of medieval England: common law and the cathedrals. He shows us glimpses of the country's most distant past - a Neolithic stirrup found in a grave, a Roman fort, a Saxon tomb, a medieval manor house.
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The Most Annoying Narrator EVER
- By JudieBee on 12-25-15
By: Peter Ackroyd
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Principles of Economics
- By: Saifedean Ammous
- Narrated by: Saifedean Ammous
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Principles of Economics is a university-level textbook in economics that offers a clear and concise exploration of the most important economic concepts. This book is unapologetically Austrian in its approach. It tackles major economic concepts and topics independently, but in a logical sequence aimed at delivering the listener an understanding of economics at an individual and societal level, and the widespread implications of economics as a topic.
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I was already a fan of the Austrian school
- By PublicName on 10-13-23
By: Saifedean Ammous
What listeners say about The Age of Reason Begins
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Salvador
- 01-24-24
phenomenal
loved it, as I do with all other durant books in this series. that being said I really wish this book were longer,I feel like with the given time period the book could run another 10 hours with material, aside from that it's an amazing book by an amazing author. the Gibbon of the 20th century on my opinion. I wish durant went deeper into the military aspect of it all as well but these gripes are all so minor that it can not take away from the fact that this book and series are magnificent.
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- Lori Tian Sailiata
- 03-01-15
Beyond Classic
The entire series is a national treasure. I grew up sifting through the volumes as did my own children. Words cannot convey my delight in finding them in audiobook version. While all three of the narrators are quite gifted, my personal favorite remains Grover Gardner. I'm quite impatient for the rest of the series to be available.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Peter Anshin
- 10-02-15
unbelievable
what people are we? where did we come from? of what are we made? learn it here! an epic story
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- Marcus
- 03-12-20
Religion and Reason in Europe
In the seventh volume of their majestic work - The Story of Civilization - the authors deal with England’s history from Elizabeth’s kingdom to the years before the French Revolution. From there they survey the main facts and the culture’s landscapes of the European States of the time. In an Europe dominated by religions wars, the book describes the politics and culture of the age. In the last part, the work focuses in science and philosophy, pointing to the emergency of reason. Good chapters about Shakespeare, Montaigne and Descartes are presented along the way. Will and Ariel Durant succeeded in combining historical description with the study of the most important characters of the age.
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- ARG
- 07-20-15
Epic, Well Worth It
There is a lot here. Well covered, well discussed, well framed. I learned a lot. Suspect most people will. There are definitely dry spots, but given the expanse that is to be understood. Well worth it. Impressive work.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jalapenodave
- 03-17-15
Solid
It is a history textbook. Very factual without making you wish for an atlas and calender. One two three four.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Frank Friskics
- 06-10-22
Very little changes
The book is a fascinating history of European countries and religions during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I am struck by how it compares to other time periods up to and including today. The wealthy controlled almost all aspects of life, while religion dictated what people should live and die for. If truths contradicted the big lies, those that espoused these facts were either forced to recant or tortured and murdered. It all sounded too similar to our current time. Does anything ever change?
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- Andrew
- 08-29-18
Seventh Gem in a Priceless Series
Will and Ariel Durant were excellent researchers and historians. I’m amazed at how, in the seventh volume of this series, the care and detail given to this work has not changed from its first book. They covered a lot over this specific 90 year period but, to be sure, they could’ve gone into much greater detail as their knowledge was so great.
It’s interesting that this is the first book in the series to have Ariel Durant as co-author. Having read the previous volumes, it’s obvious that she was involved in their production, but I believe she added her own flair to this volume in the way a question would be asked before further investigation, or the announcement of a pause for deeper study would sometimes take place. To my recollection this didn’t happen in earlier volumes (my memory stinks, though, so I may be wrong).
The look into great works of art is always fascinating and nearly every time a piece of work was mentioned, I looked it up on my laptop if it was not pictured inside because the description of monumental paintings is fantastic, making it necessary to see the work that has just been glorified. The same goes for the praised authors. There’s now a list of more books that I’ll eventually purchase because of their influence.
In middle and later chapters, the story of religion’s evolution into various sects (Catholicism, Protestantism, Calvinism, Islam, and the like) are very intense as they politically shaped the world as they do today but in more extreme measures. There was no separation of church and state, so crowns were continuously renounced because of the suspected beliefs of the king or queen, even of family members.
In the final chapters, geometry and physics wage war on religion as the Earth is not the center of the universe, or we do not orbit the sun in a perfect circle. Philosophy evolves because of these understandings and begins to turn from faith.
There’s so much in this book that the review could be pages-long but I’ll end on the notion that Grover Gardner is an excellent narrator. All words are pronounced with such eloquence that it is hard to find a match to his quality. The only thing I didn’t like about this reading was that only two footnotes were read - they were the english translations of poems. Aside from that, a brilliant audiobook that is sure to entertain and educate!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Dan Greene
- 01-02-20
Great
Great! I wish audible would get the whole series narrated by Grover Gardner. Fantastic narration.
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- Susan J.
- 07-26-17
Another great historical aide to understanding
It's great to have the understanding history brings to the present. Today's events are much less dramatic when understood in the context of human civilization.
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