1776

By: David McCullough

Narrated by: David McCullough

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

In this stirring audiobook, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence, when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.

Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats, who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known. But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost: Washington, who had never before led an army in battle.

The darkest hours of that tumultuous year were as dark as any Americans have known. Especially in our own tumultuous time, 1776 is powerful testimony to how much is owed to a rare few in that brave founding epoch, and what a miracle it was that things turned out as they did.

Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.

©2005 David McCullough (P)2005 Simon and Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon and Schuster Audio Division, Simon and Schuster Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2005 Audie Award Nominee, Narration by the Author
• 2005 Publishers Weekly Listen Up Award, Nonfiction

"A first-rate historical account." (Booklist)

"A narrative tour de force, exhibiting all the hallmarks the author is known for: fascinating subject matter, expert research, and detailed, graceful prose.... Simply put, this is history writing at its best from one of its top practitioners." (Publishers Weekly)

"A stirring and timely work, reminding us that it's soldiers rather than 'tavern patriots and windy politicians' who have always paid the price of American idealism and determined its successes. (The New York Times)

Great Book! (This is the complete version)

Great book! Read along with a physical copy. Something about David McCullough reading makes it better! The other version of the same book on audible (blue cover) jumps pages and doesn't read the entire book. Make sure you read this one with the "red" cover.

great book and well read

I loved the book and the author's narration is easy to listen to. Highly reommended to any fan of American history.

listened to it 10+ times and never gets old

this is one of my favorite historical listens. I enjoy everything about the revolutionary war and David McCullough does a great job of giving a very objective Fair handed overview of the beginning of the American revolutionary war

I loved it!

I loved it! I push myself to read biographies and non-fiction, but the author made it interesting and a joy to read. To me, I felt like it really showed God's hand in American Independence, which was interesting and inspiring to me.

Historic

Learn how close we came to not achieving independence. Our forefathers suffered and died for it. We can never forget only learn. Great for all historians and warmongers.

Worth it...in any way!

Though it is simple historical accounting at its most basic process, it is masterful storytelling in the rendering. Not in the slightest way intimated as a treatise to justify "American exceptionalism" the facts DO point to a nation aided numerous times, especially at its inception, by forces and 'coincidences' well too improbable to be altogether ignored as simple luck. History that EVERY citizen should hear and take to heart during EVERY age. Bravo.

1776

I always enjoy reading or listening about American History especially when you have I witness accounts of those who were there taking part in it.

Great short read

Very detailed and well researched. Goes by very fast and very interesting. And I like how it’s specifically about just 1776.

Very slow but incredibly impactful

It’s probably one of David’s slowest books on how it was written, with something as incredible as the American revolution he was really strong in the beginning, then amazingly slow through the middle but the last 2 hours is what really wraps up the book. If you like the American revolution you have to add this to your list but know that (for me at least) it wasn’t a “can’t put down page turner” but I’m glad that I did read it and at the end truly enjoyed myself

Excellent and Well Presented

Told in a flowing narrative, the book presents all the major players in 1776 as fully developed characters, with the brilliance of Washington's character head and shoulders above them all.