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The Discoverers
- A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself
- Narrated by: Christopher Cazenove
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's summary
The story of our world is not the usual succession of battles and empires and political leaders, but a tale of discoveries and beginnings. The long human quest for what man does not yet know becomes a mystery story played by a vast cast on an ever-changing stage. The heroes of this saga are men with an insatiable hunger for knowledge and the courage to venture into the unknown.
Why didn't the Chinese discover America? Why were people so slow to learn the earth goes around the sun? How and why did we begin to think of "species" of plants and animals? How, when, and why did people begin digging in the earth to learn about the past? How did the study of economics begin? These are but a few of the fascinating questions answered by Dr. Boorstin, Librarian of Congress Emeritus.
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Award-winning author Philip Dray delves into the lesser-known side of an American icon in Stealing God's Thunder. Benjamin Franklin, more often viewed as a statesman and founding father than as a man of science, challenged religion, science, and reason with his inventions. But in a time when everything was blamed on sin, it was the lightning rod, Franklin's attempt to control the heavens, that caused the greatest controversy.
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Fascinating
- By Abigail on 05-26-11
By: Philip Dray
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The Renaissance
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If you want to discover the captivating history of the Renaissance, then pay attention.
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Monotone reader
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The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books
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The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books tells the story of the first and greatest visionary of the print age, a man who saw how the explosive expansion of knowledge and information generated by the advent of the printing press would entirely change the landscape of thought and society. He also happened to be Christopher Columbus’ illegitimate son.
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Erudite. Stimulating. Rewarding.
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Da Vinci's Ghost
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Toby Lester, author of the award-winning The Fourth Part of the World, masterfully crafts yet another century-spanning saga of people and ideas in this epic story of Vitruvian Man, Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic drawing of a man inscribed in a circle and a square. Over time, the nearly 550-year-old ink-on-paper sketch has transformed into a collective symbol of the nature of genius, the beauty of the human form, and the universality of the human spirit.
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Haunting Expierience
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History Is Wrong
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Erich von Däniken again shows his flair for revealing truths that his contemporaries have missed. After closely analyzing hundreds of ancient and apparently unrelated texts, he is now ready to proclaim that human history is nothing like the world religions claim---and he has the proof! In History Is Wrong, von Däniken takes a closer look at the fascinating Voynich manuscript, which has defied all attempts at decription since its discovery, and makes some intriguing revelations about the equally incredible book of Enoch.
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Voynich Manuscript to nowhere
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Nature's Mutiny
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Although hints of a crisis appeared as early as the 1570s, the temperature by the end of the 16th century plummeted so drastically that Mediterranean harbors were covered with ice, birds literally dropped out of the sky, and "frost fairs" were erected on a frozen Thames - with kiosks, taverns, and even brothels that become a semi-permanent part of the city. Recounting the deep legacy and far-ranging consequences of this "Little Ice Age", acclaimed historian Philipp Blom reveals how the European landscape had subtly, but ineradicably, changed by the mid-17th century.
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Starts On Track; End Becomes Ideological Rant
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The Seashell on the Mountaintop
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A thrilling scientific investigation and the portrait of an extraordinary genius, The Seashell on the Mountaintop gives us new insight into our planet, revealing how we learned to read the story told to us by the Earth itself, written in rock and stone.
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Not to be missed
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Ibn Khaldun
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Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) is generally regarded as the greatest intellectual ever to have appeared in the Arab world - a genius who ranks as one of the world's great minds. Yet the author of the Muqaddima, the most important study of history ever produced in the Islamic world, is not as well known as he should be, and his ideas are widely misunderstood. In this groundbreaking intellectual biography, Robert Irwin provides an engaging and authoritative account of Ibn Khaldun's extraordinary life, times, writings, and ideas.
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Issues with accuracy, pronounciation
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The Invention of Air
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Best-selling author Steven Johnson recounts - in dazzling, multidisciplinary fashion - the story of the brilliant man who embodied the relationship between science, religion, and politics for America's Founding Fathers. The Invention of Air is a title of world-changing ideas wrapped around a compelling narrative, a story of genius and violence and friendship in the midst of sweeping historical change that provokes us to recast our understanding of the Founding Fathers.
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Good scientific history
- By Roger on 05-03-10
By: Steven Johnson
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What listeners say about The Discoverers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- P. Simshauser
- 09-04-19
Poor recording quality
And the content is overly superficial in my opinion. Would have preferred a deeper dive on more focused content.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-15-20
One of my all time favorites.
I’ve read or listened to Daniel Borstin’s Discoverers at least three or more times over the last couple of decades. Every time I do, I learn something new. A must read for any educated person. A very entertaining, wide ranging perspective of the great discovering minds that have created and advanced our world. This book, as well as Borstin’s Creators are among my top five favorites. Tony Battaglia, Rancho Palos Verdes, Ca.
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Overall
- shannonnn
- 05-09-05
One of my Top 10 Fav. Books!
Having little interest in reading history books, it was by chance I came across this book. "The Discoverers" opened my eyes to the wonders of history and discovery. This book tells the tales of mystery, discovery and invention. The first chapter alone had me fully engrossed. The history of time and it's measurement. Planting seasons, politics, religion and whim led to thousands of different calenders. Once the measurements we know today were increasingly agreed upon the next challenge to overcome was how to measure time by day. Hourglasses were useless of a listing boat and so the contest was on to see who could invent a device for measuring time when at sea.
I lent this book out to everyone I know. My family, friends and coworkers all loved it. My 14 yr old cousin told me he thinks the book is "cool and awesom." I have kept a copy of "The Discoverers" in my car for a few years now and I never get tired of listening to it.
If you loved Bill Bryson's "A Brief History of Nearly Everything" then you will really enjoy "The Discoverers"
If you loved "The Discoverers" then you will really enjoy Bill Bryson's "A Brief History of Nearly Everything"
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14 people found this helpful
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- Ginny T
- 07-03-21
Medium Goodness
Narrator was raspy; hurt my ears.
Overall story was reliable, but mainstream and from a European perspective. Did not mention Library of Alexandria.
Other than that, well done.
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- PaulC
- 10-22-23
Great, but terrible audio quality and old school
I’m a fan of history, and particularly science history. This classic work is cool that it briefly touches on points of history, including science, that put them into a bigger context not often visible from the weeds. There’s a quaint discomfort I get when listening to this, where I wonder what someone from a non-western-European culture might think about some of the interpretations. Food for thought for sure if you can put up with the Victrola-like audio quality.
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- Chris
- 09-08-17
Interesting but anot enough
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
This is a fascinating synopsis of some key figures in history. It's pretty abbreviated though
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
the unabridged version
How could the performance have been better?
This was a tape to digital transfer and it sounded like it...not good
Any additional comments?
I would have preferred the unabridged version but it wasn't offered
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3 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 04-21-21
It was ok.
I mainly bought this audiobook for school for I would have a summarized version of my book for an easier study. It does focus on the most important parts of the book so that's helpful but the recording is a little funky which makes it hard to listen or understand at some parts. Overall there are only 2 of these audiobooks for the discoverers so it was kinda a necessary evil. I wouldn't recommend just for reading though.
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Overall
- Steven Petersen
- 06-07-05
Interesting book - poor audio quality
The main reason for only 3 stars is that the recording is poor. The narrator sounds like he's speaking through a tube. But the content is interesting, if you have any interest in the history of science and exploration.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Yehoshua
- 07-23-12
So Glad I Discovered This Book!
Would you listen to The Discoverers again? Why?
I have found this book fascinating and will no doubt read it again. I really wish they would come out with an unabridged version.
What other book might you compare The Discoverers to and why?
I think that those who enjoy this book would also enjoy the History of Science (Peter Whitfield), or vice versa.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Beverly Lynn Sterling
- 01-01-17
Better performance is needed...
This is very textbook-like material. It needs an exceptional performance to keep it from being dull and boring. Also, the recording is abysmal. The narrator sounds as though he's recording inside a tin can. Read it instead.
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1 person found this helpful