The Start Audiobook By William L. Shirer cover art

The Start

1904-1930

 Preview

$0.00 for first 30 days

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Start

By: William L. Shirer
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.97

Buy for $20.97

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

William L. Shirer was a CBS foreign correspondent and renowned author of New York Times best-selling nonfiction about World War II, and this is the first part of his three-part autobiography.

A renowned journalist and author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, William L. Shirer chronicles his own life story in a personal history that parallels the greater historical events for which he served as a witness.

In this first volume, Shirer tells of his early life, growing up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and later serving as a new reporter in Paris. In this surprisingly intimate account, Shirer details his youthful challenges, setbacks, rebellions, and insights into the world around him. He offers personal accounts of his friendships with notable people, including Isadora Duncan, Ernest Hemingway, and Sinclair Lewis.

This fascinating personal account also provides an illuminating look into the lost era of pre-World War II - and is notable as much for its historical value as for its autobiographical detail.

©1979, 2018 William L. Shirer (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing Art & Literature Historical Journalists, Editors & Publishers Biography
Compelling Historical Account • Fascinating Firsthand Experiences • Excellent Narration • Comprehensive History
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
William Shirer gives the reader an excellent understanding of the events and society of the early 1900s. He is a magnificent raconteur who reflects the values and thoughts of people of that time.

Grover Gardner is the perfect narrator for this book.

An Excellent Review of Decades of History

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
a riveting insider tale of much including rise of facism and many fascinating portraits. Just tremendous and personably written

corruption rampant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is truly a memoir more than it is a history of these years. World events happen in the background.

Shirer accomplished more (had a wider variety of experience) by 26 than most people do in a lifetime.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This a wonderful history of the first decades of the 20th century in our country and in Europe. A splendid look at the life and times of a youth from the Midwest whose curiosity and drive made him a gifted reporter and broadcaster and, as we see in this volume, historian.

Not Just An Autobiography

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Shirer is the author of the iconic Rise and Fall of The Third Reich. He is one of the most underrated writers of the 20th C.

A journalist who was on the scene of most of the first half of the 20th C’s most historical events.

From his roving reportage throughout Europe pre- and post-WWII, Shirer observes, interviews and reports on the notable WHO’s Who of the era, whether in politics, culture or the arts: Hitler, Churchill, Mussolini, Petain, Chamberlain, Attlee, Michael Collins, Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Gertrude Stein, Grant Wood et.al.

But for me, what is most fascinating are perhaps the descriptions of all the lesser known notables and Shirer’s highly honed sense of timing and ability to distill what is important to the story and likely to be of the highest historical import.

Grover Gardener is brilliant as narrator, his style and manner suits the era and material perfectly. I can’t imagine anyone else eliciting the texture and ambiance of the times so on point.

You are there! First Rate!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I’ve read and listened to both of Shirer’s epic reads the rise and fall of the third Reich and the collapse of the third republic, I’ve listened to so many hours of Grover Gardner voice I couple pics of Shirer with Gardners voice.

I stumbled upon this story and thought what the hell. I’m so glad I listened, I learned a ton about Shirer and of history during this era - my parents era. It’s been extremely valuable and educational to me and Gardner’s reading makes it all the better, he’s a superb reader, totally believable, excellent cadence and easy to understand and follow.

A hidden gem

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Part autobiography and part biography of all the people he met, this is a very interesting book. It captures the 1910s-1920s like no other story I've ever read.
And the reader reads it like only he can. Highly recommended.

very captivating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book had a profound impact on me for many reasons. Here are a few:

1. After reading Mr. Shirer’s comprehensive book on the rise and fall of the 3rd Reich about 5 years ago, this book was helpful to understand how it was possible for Mr. Shirer to create such a compelling and comprehensive history book.

2. I like how Mr. Shirer covered events like the 1927 Atlantic crossing by Lindbergh. It’s rare to read about the people who lost their lives just weeks before his trip, and the hour-by-hour commentary since Mr. Shirer was there when he landed in Paris.

3. Because I lived and studied in a few countries in Europe and Asia as a 20 something year old, I felt a kinship with Mr. Shirer as he explored the world.

4. The commentary about the 1929 stock market crash was also very interesting.

5. Mr. Shirer’s brief and extended relationships with authors and other well-known figures of his time was also fascinating to me.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants many firsthand reports from life in the early to mid 20th Century.

A Truly Superb Work!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved everything about this. And I am a tough critic. Will start the next volume soon

Everything

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am very well grounded in 19th and 20th century European history and the first thing of Shrier's I ever read was his Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in the 7th and 8th grade in the early 1960s soon after it was published. Then, years later, read Berlin Diary. But until this book I I did appreciate how young he was when he embarked on a cattle boat for Europe right after college. I didn't appreciate how much experience he got so soon in his 20s before years later Edward armor picked him up for CBS for the two of them he create the CBS news beachhead in Europe. The book includes a fabulous description of post World War I Europe and the generation of young Americans with artistic ambitions in literature and painting etc., struggling in Paris to make a name of themselves. Shrier seems to have known them all. The section on Paris is comprised of a large series of mini biographies with fascinating and insightful anecdotes, providing the reader with "original source" material to enhance his of her understanding.!

I

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews