Publisher's summary

This historical magnum opus covers 4,000 years of the extraordinary history of the Jews as a people, a culture, and a nation. It shows the impact of Jewish character on the world - their genius, imagination, and, most of all, their ability to persevere despite severe persecutions. Compelling insights into events and individuals are chronologically detailed, from Moses and Jesus to Spinoza, Marx, Freud, the Rothschilds, and Golda Meir.
©1987 Paul Johnson (P)1989 Blackstone Audio, inc.

Critic reviews

"It's no mean feat to successfully compress 4,000 years of history into 645 pages, but Johnson has more than met the challenge....an excellent, nonscholarly history for general readers." ( Library Journal)
"A tour de force....A remarkable achievement." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"A marvelous book....This is history: richly textured, provocative and wise." ( The Plain Dealer)

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

in-deapth, scholarly omnibus of history

This book surveys the Israelites and then the Jews as they progressed through time. The author strives to fairly access positive and negative factors and trends. This book calls anti-Semitism wrong at every turn. It doesn't ingore the gory details of history. The book doesnt assume that all Jews are observant, rather is contrasts the full spectrum of beliefs held by those of the Jewish race and the views held by others towards the Jews. The book highlights those Jews who have contributed significanttly to humanity. Overall, there is nothing simplistic about this book. After reading it, I feel I understand more about Jewish history, yet at the same time I am in awe of how very complex a topic this is.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Look at the review

What did you love best about A History of the Jews?

I loved the same part that I disliked. Paul Johnson has so much info about so many different societies from different centuries.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

If you are going to read this book you had better have quite a bit of knowledge already about these civilizations and times. Paul Johnson moves quickly through 4000 years and I reallized that this book was too much for me soon after I started it. Reading this book without a substantial knowledge base on the subjects is like trying to play the guitar just having listened to a lot of music and thinking you're just going to breeze through it. It isnt going to happen. I would recommend reading some other books that focus on specific great civilizations throughout history. This book isnt for newbie historians, this thing moves fast and the author seems to believe that you already know a lot. I'm sure it is a great read for people who do know a lot on the subject

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent history of Jews + good reader

Thorough history told by a humanist Tory catholic.

Prose and storytelling style reminded me of Barbara Tuchman. Learned a lot.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Narrator’s voice is awful

This excellent book needs to be re-recorded because the narrator’s pitchy voice is painful to listen to.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great for those who love history.

A great book. Tells the story of the Jews from the beginning to 1980's.
The audio isn't perfect, but the book is still worth a credit.

I will listen to this again.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Tainted with mispronunciationS

My review of this text is tainted by the reader's constant mispronunciation of names. How someone can read a text of such historical levity, without first researching how to properly pronounce the names is beyond me.

In addition, the book is definitely written from an outsider's perspective, and with a Christian misunderstanding of certain aspects of Jewish life and history.

I am still searching for the perfect text, but this one is only adequate in terms of historical perspective.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, poor recording

Would you listen to A History of the Jews again? Why?

The information in the book was excellent. Well organized and intelligent.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Nadia May?

Nadia May was a fine reader, but the recording was poor. I could hear other people in the background and the levels made her voice very high pitched at times.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book. Terrible Narration.

Would you consider the audio edition of A History of the Jews to be better than the print version?

The book was great. Typical of Paul Johnson, it was thoroughly researched, interesting to read and listen to, and comprehensive. The problem was the narration. I don't think it was Nadia May's English accent. It was incredibly bad sound engineering. I often had to listen to passages two to five times. More than less, I figured out the gist of what was being read and accepted that is good enough. This is such a great book that I hope they produce another audio version for future listeners. It was still worth the listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful fascinating history!

The story of the Jews from Biblical times to the present. Fascinating history, wonderfully researched, beautifully written, superbly narrated.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Facts facts facts

Some opinion. So much to learn. I am on my third audible reading. Easier than real reading

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