The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1
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Narrated by:
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Philip Madoc
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Neville Jason
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By:
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Edward Gibbon
About this listen
Gibbon's The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire is one of the greatest texts in the English language. In magisterial prose, Gibbon charts the gradual collapse of the Roman rule form Augustus (23 BC - AD 14) to the first of the barbarian kings, Odoacer (476- 490 AD). It is a remarkable account, with the extravagant corruption and depravity of emperors such as Commodus, Caracalla, and Elagabalus contrasted by the towering work of Constantine, Julian, and other remarkable men. It remains the standard work of scholarship on the subject two hundred years after it is written; yet equally important, in its sheer accessibility, it is an unforgettable story.
Download the accompanying reference guide.(P)1995 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.; ©1995 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Story
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
By: Will Durant
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The Assassination of Julius Caesar
- A People's History of Ancient Rome
- By: Michael Parenti
- Narrated by: David Stifel
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Most historians, both ancient and modern, have viewed the Late Republic of Rome through the eyes of its rich nobility - the one percent of the population who controlled 99 percent of the empire's wealth. In The Assassination of Julius Caesar, Michael Parenti recounts this period, spanning the years 100 to 33 BC, from the perspective of the Roman people. In doing so, he presents a provocative, trenchantly researched narrative of popular resistance against a powerful elite.
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another side to Roman history
- By Darksnovia on 04-16-22
By: Michael Parenti
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The Age of Caesar
- Five Roman Lives
- By: Plutarch, James Romm - preface and notes, Pamela Mensch - translator
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, Antony: the names resonate across thousands of years. Major figures in the civil wars that brutally ended the Roman republic, their lives still haunt us as examples of how the hunger for personal power can overwhelm collective politics, how the exaltation of the military can corrode civilian authority, and how the best intentions can lead to disastrous consequences. Plutarch renders these history-making lives as flesh-and-blood characters.
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Terrific
- By Michael on 06-13-23
By: Plutarch, and others
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Politics
- By: Aristotle
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Aristotle's Politics is a work of political philosophy. The end of Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics declared that the inquiry into ethics necessarily follows into politics, and the two works are frequently considered to be parts of a larger treatise, or perhaps connected lectures, dealing with the philosophy of human affairs. Aristotle is generally regarded as one of the most influential ancient thinkers in a number of philosophical fields, including political theory.
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Aristotle Lives Again!
- By Jeff on 02-25-15
By: Aristotle
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Common Sense
- By: Thomas Paine
- Narrated by: Adrian Cronauer
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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This pamphlet, first published in 1776, set in print the word every American was thinking about, but none dared say: independence! It was published anonymously in New York, selling 120,000 copies in the first 3 months and half a million in that same year. Its author, Thomas Paine, wrote in a language that could be understood by any reasonably literate colonist. But more important than it being so well received, is that it captured the American colonists' imaginations and was a primary catalyst to the independence movement in the United States. Noted American historian Bernard Bailyn called it "the most brilliant pamphlet written during the American Revolution, and one of the most brilliant ever written in the English language."
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revolutionary ideas for sure
- By reggie p on 08-20-03
By: Thomas Paine
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The Prince
- By: Nicolo Machiavelli
- Narrated by: Joseph Gomez
- Length: 3 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513, after he was forced to leave Florence as a political exile. Dedicated to Lorenzo de’ Medici, the work is Machiavelli’s advice to the ruler of Florence on how to stay in power.
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Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
- By: Charles MacKay
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 27 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Why do otherwise intelligent individuals form seething masses of idiocy when they engage in collective action? We may think that the Great Crash of 1929, junk bonds of the '80s, and over-valued high-tech stocks of the '90s are peculiarly 20th century aberrations, but Mackay's classic - first published in 1841 - shows that the madness and confusion of crowds knows no limits, and has no temporal bounds.
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People don't change
- By J. on 07-05-16
By: Charles MacKay
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The Jewish War
- By: Flavius Josephus
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 23 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In AD 66, nationalist and religious revolutionaries in Judaea led a ferocious revolt of the Jewish people against the authority of mighty Rome, culminating in the greatest upheaval and savagery the world had known up to that time. By the end of the conflict seven years later, over one million Jews had perished and tens of thousands were sold into slavery. Until the Holocaust, it remained the greatest tragedy ever endured by a people. How had this once prosperous region been laid low, and by what process did its fratricidal feuds take it down a slippery slope to utter annihilation? Fortunately for us, there was an eyewitness.
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mispronunciations are irritating
- By DR on 01-22-18
By: Flavius Josephus
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Heidi
- By: Johanna Spyri
- Narrated by: Marnie MacAdam
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Heidi is sent to live with her embittered grandfather high in the Swiss Alps. Heidi's innocent joy of life and genuine concern and love for all living things become the old man's salvation. From the goat - herder Peter and his family to the sickly girl Clara and her desperate father, Heidi's special charm enriches everyone she meets. Unselfish to the core, Heidi's goodness overcomes all obstacles - even those seemingly insurmountable.
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Auditory quality not acceptable
- By D. A. Smith on 07-28-13
By: Johanna Spyri
What listeners say about The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Scott
- 05-07-12
Getting Through the Book
When I was in grade nine, I was told by my grandfather that this was one of the best written books in the English language. I began to read it on the bus, its corners became tattered as I poured over the words. I memorized passages and adopted its language in my high-school essays and was promptly reprimanded by my english teacher.
I never managed to place the book in a narrative that I could describe to myself.
This recording helped me get through the book in its entirety and absorb it as a narrative.
Great book, great reading, read experience.
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2 people found this helpful
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- guglielmos.
- 10-25-22
Fair warning: this is a heavily abridged version of the great classic
Well read and always fascinating, but… this is not the original version. It is heavily abridged, and this important fact was not disclosed in the book’s description. Otherwise, exceptional reading and great book.
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- Haakon B. Dahl
- 12-01-12
Gripping!
This is of course an old text and a classic, so I will reserve only a single comment for the content. First, however, the narration and production are excellent. No doubt you, considering buying this work, are concerned that it will be dry or dull. Not at all! I thoroughly enjoyed this effort.
The only complaint I have is with the content itself, and it stands out. If it means anything to you, you will notice the special venom Gibbon pours upon one group, and unjustifiedly so. It speaks more of the prejudices of 19th-century Britain than anything of Rome and her contemporaries. It is a shame, and it mars an otherwise perfect work.
Let this not deter you from rushing RIGHT OUT and buying this audiobook. If you care enough to read the review, then THIS IS the version you want.
Finally, I had zero technical problems with this or any other audiobook in the last year. Whatever the issues were, they have been thoroughly wiped out.
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5/5 Buy it now.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Theresa
- 05-05-04
Beautifully written and narrated
This is one of those classics that, sooner or later, all educated people manage to get around to. I had attempted reading it in my youth, but never finished it. I was pleased to find an abridged version that would not strain my attention span. This is a very well narrated version by two British readers who are skillful in the craft. It is elegantly done, and the voices match the baroque style of Gibbons' flowery style. If ancient Rome is a subject that interests you, you must hear this. However, this history does NOT include the origins and history of republican Rome. In fact, the vast bulk of the subject matter is the corruption and fall of the Roman Empire, starting approximately with the events of the first half of the 2nd century A.D. and proceeding from there. I recommend this work without hesitation to lovers of ancient history.
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14 people found this helpful
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- Jesse
- 09-06-07
A Triumph
How often does one hear of someone admitting to have tried and failed to get through Gibbon's "Decline and Fall"? I have heard it several times and I include myself in the statistic. This abridged audio version is exquisitely done and makes Gibbon accessible enough to enjoy and be inspired by this timeless masterpiece. Philip Madoc reads Gibbon beautifully and earnestly, while Neville Jason provides background and context. Both are first rate. I happened to listen to a sample of the other Decline and Fall version offered by Audible. I respectfully prefer this one (However, I'm intrigued by the other because it looks much less abridged than this one). I would also recommend Cyril Robinson's "A History of Rome" as a companion. Charlton Griffin is an excellent narrator.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Adu
- 10-20-16
Do you want to know what period volume 1 covers?
Any additional comments?
Volume 1 of this audiobook, after some general discussion, begins in some depth with the reign of Augustus (27 B.C - A.D. 14). Only a very cursory account is given of the period comprising the reigns of the next several emperors, through Antoninus Pius (A.D. 161).
That's as far as I've gotten, but I'll update this, if that's possible.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Martin
- 07-02-03
Well-written and Colourful
Were he writing today, Gibbon could be justly criticized for an overemphasis on the Emperors of Rome, the royal court and the wars of conquest, without devoting much ink to the other 99% of people in the world at the time. That said, he offers a compelling, well-written and colourful account of the Roman Emperors and their contribution to the Empire's decline. This is an enjoyable book, though listeners might want to take some simple notes to avoid disorientation as the Emperor's names frequently repeat themselves in later generations.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-23-20
More historical artifact than history
The first “classic” in many years to leave me thoroughly disappointed. Gibbon goes on so many unfounded rants about “heroes” and “villains” that his credibility as a historian is completely destroyed in my eyes. The most obvious example is the way his vicious hatred of the Jews drives an outsized proportion of his cause-and-effect “analysis”. I found it instructive to observe how much Gibbon sounds like a neo-Nazi conspiracy theorist, this does tell one something about Gibbon’s own time and cultural milieu, but gaining this insight did not seem to justify the time spent listening. I know it is not reasonable to apply the intellectual standards of our time to Gibbon, yet even an ancient historian like Thucydides managed to achieve incomparably greater objectivity in the treatment of his subject matter. I kept hoping that the book will get better and more insightful, but in the end it feels like a waste of time.
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- JHMore
- 12-27-15
Too heavily abridged, and where's vol. 2?
What's covered amounts to a sketch of the emperors from the death of Nero (68 CE) to the sacking of Rome in 476. Little else is said about other aspects of Roman society and politics, outside of the various interventions of the army, especially the Praetorian Guards, in determining the fall and succession of individual emperors. Essentially Spark notes coverage. That said, the production quality is high, and the principle reader handles the text beautifully (the secondary reader simply provides summaries of abridged content). The best I can say is that it leaves a taste for more, and at some point I hope to tackle the unabridged volumes, which run to nearly 150 hours! Should give an idea of how much is missing here.
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1 person found this helpful