The Spirit of the Laws
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Narrated by:
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Wanda McCaddon
About this listen
Originally published in 1748, this is possibly the most masterful and influential book ever written on the subject of liberty and justice. Accordingly, it is a work that profoundly influenced America’s Founding Fathers. Its success was due partly to the fact that it was the first systematic treatise on politics, partly to Montesquieu’s championship of the nobility and the Parlements, but above all, to the brilliant style of his prose.
By the “spirit of the laws,” Montesquieu means their raison d’être and the conditions determining their origin, development, and forms. Montesquieu discusses numerous topics, including the general functions of government, relations between the sexes, the morals and customs of the nation, economics and religion, and the theory of law and legislative practice.
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The Dialogues of Plato rank with the writings of Aristotle as the most important and influential philosophical works in Western thought. In them Plato cast his teacher Socrates as the central disputant in colloquies that brilliantly probe a vast spectrum of philosophical ideas and issues.
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Not Complete Dialogues
- By Jill on 08-30-07
By: Plato
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The History of Rome, Book 1
- Roman Origins Before the Monarchy
- By: Theodor Mommsen
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Book 1 begins in the dim prehistory of Latium and describes the society that emerged there in the centuries leading up to the establishment of the first Roman king. This penetrating look at emerging Latin culture takes us into the strange world of their religion; their family structure; and their legal system, trade, alliances, and relationships with neighboring tribes and kingdoms. It brilliantly sets the stage for what is to come in the following volumes.
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Details beyond imagination
- By David C. on 01-23-17
By: Theodor Mommsen
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The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1
- By: Edward Gibbon
- Narrated by: Philip Madoc, Neville Jason
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Abridged
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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.
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Beautifully written and narrated
- By Theresa on 05-05-04
By: Edward Gibbon
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The Founders' Key
- The Divine and Natural Connection Between the Declaration and the Constitution and What We Risk by Losing It
- By: Dr. Larry Arnn
- Narrated by: Van Tracy
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College, reveals this integral unity of the Declaration and the Constitution. Together, they form the pillars upon which the liberties and rights of the American people stand. United, they have guided history's first self-governing nation, forming our government under certain universal and eternal principles. Unfortunately, the effort to redefine government to reflect "the changing and growing social order" has gone very far toward success.
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Linking Declaration and Constitution.
- By Ed Bethune on 04-26-24
By: Dr. Larry Arnn
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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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No Treason: The Anarchist Classic with a New Introduction
- By: Lysander Spooner
- Narrated by: Ayrton Parham
- Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Lysander Spooner was one of slavery’s fiercest enemies. As a lawyer, he offered free legal services to escaped slaves, defending them in court. He advocated smuggling guns to slaves, with which to overthrow their masters, and take possession of their property. “Give the Slave-holders, then, a taste of their own whips.”
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I HAVE SEARCHED FOR THE WORDS FOR A LONG TIME
- By devon on 07-16-19
By: Lysander Spooner
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The Secret History
- By: Procopius
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The Secret History, written by the sixth-century Byzantine historian Procopius, is one of the most extraordinary and scandalous documents to have survived from the early Byzantine period. Procopius, the leading official historian of his time, lived during the testing and indulgent time of Emperor Justinian the Great and wrote the official records of the successful wars and the grand building projects of his ruler. These were words of aggrandisement. But covertly, Procopius kept a very different record....
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A Bit Hyperbolic
- By HalfWit on 10-13-19
By: Procopius
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Our Constitution the Way it Was
- By: Madalyn Murray O'Hair
- Narrated by: David Smalley
- Length: 2 hrs and 36 mins
- Original Recording
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In these transcripts of her American Atheist Radio programs, Dr. Madalyn Murray O'Hair tells us about Freedom of Religion in Colonial America, American Deism, Rewriting of History by Christians, The Christianity of our Founding as a Nation, Free thought in American Historical Documents, Free thought Organizations in the Early U.S., Thomas Paine - American Deist and Freethinker, Colonel Ethan Allen, James Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments, Jefferson's Idea of Religious Freedom, and Jefferson on Christianity.
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Phenomenal!!!
- By Average Joe on 01-17-18
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Common Sense
- By: Thomas Payne
- Narrated by: Mike Vendetti
- Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Read by award-winning narrator Mike Vendetti, Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775-76 that inspired people in the Thirteen Colonies to declare and fight for independence from Great Britain in the summer of 1776. The pamphlet explained the advantages of and the need for immediate independence in clear, simple language. It was published anonymously on January 10, 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution and became an immediate sensation.
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very funny
- By Drew on 03-13-17
By: Thomas Payne
What listeners say about The Spirit of the Laws
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rebecca Thomas
- 09-30-16
Challenging but Worthwhile!
Learned so much! So much more to learn! If I had a greater knowledge of history I think I would have understood more. Here lies the reason for thoughtful review and introspection of classic works from great minds!
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- No to Statism
- 09-19-18
Excellent Masterpiece! But...
This is truly a great treatise, and deserves to be re-recorded! It was in its current state, recorded in 1990 - errors included; there were a number places where whole paragraphs were repeated. I would like to also add that if this audiobook, were to be re-recorded, a good British male performer would greatly enhance this valuable historic masterpiece. If Audible were to undertake to do this, I would willingly, and happily pay the full asking price!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dr. Terence M. Dwyer
- 05-12-17
Subject fascinating, reader not so good
Montesquieu deals with some surprisingly modern themes. Take "marriage equality". He discusses Tartars marrying their daughters, sons their mothers, polygamy and so on - modern ideas seem passé before they start! The separation of powers discussion is justly famous.
The reader is not so good, her voice is harsh and fast and thee is background noise on what is an old tape.
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3 people found this helpful
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- uriah1970
- 05-07-20
The Spirit of the Laws By Baron De Montesquieu
Overall the book was boring; if you're working on a law degree might have a better understanding of it. There are a few interesting parts. Lots about Medieval Central Europe law. The recording was from analog tapes, so there are lots of repeated sentences at about the 30 minutes marks through out the reading. Good luck.
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- Matt
- 01-18-17
Narrator difficult to follow.
I'd really like to get a sense of Montesquieu. Unfortunately this reading made it difficult.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-08-13
I doubt I can finish listening to this narrator.
What would have made The Spirit of the Laws better?
Had I listened to this before I purchased it, I would not.
Please let me know if I can return this audio book.
Has The Spirit of the Laws turned you off from other books in this genre?
No, although I will make sure I never purchase an audio book,
Narrated by Wanda McCaddon.
How could the performance have been better?
Different narrator.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Yes, Baron De Montesquieu.
Any additional comments?
Please let me know if you have the audio book by a different narrator.
I really want to listen to any book by Montesquieu.
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4 people found this helpful