The Lessons of History

By: Will, Ariel Durant

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.

The authors devoted five decades to the study of world history and philosophy, culminating in the masterful eleven-volume Story of Civilization. In this compact summation of their work, Will and Ariel Durant share the vital and profound lessons of our collective past. Their perspective, gained after a lifetime of thinking and writing about the history of humankind, is an invaluable resource for us today. The rare archival recordings of the Durants in conversation, made from 1957–1977, illuminate our present condition and offer insightful guidance for the future.

©2004 John Little, Monica Ariel Mihell, and William James Durant Easton (P)2004 Durant archival recordings 1957-1977 used with permission of John Little, Monica Ariel Mihell, and William James Durant Easton

Best Book on History I've Read/Listened

This is a comprehensive account of history that shows that nothing is really new under the sun and that civilizations oscillate back and forth. Many insights. Very worthwhile.

Good exercise but some suggestions in hindsight proved incorrect

One has to take the good and bad in Durant’s historical review and prognostications.
So the overall idea of examining trends in history can be very telling for current and future generations. Some of Durant’s suggestions are sound but some were clearly off the mark. For instance, he believed in eugenics and also made a number of predictions that proved to be incorrect.

Must-read classic

A Must-read classic. Enjoyed the interviews after each chapter. I will see these lessons in everything I read from now on.

informative walk through history

This was in a enlightened walk through history in a high speed manner, helping the reader realize certain aspects of history, general knowledge of the process and repeating nature of man with the human culture.

History in a nutshell

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The content in this book is critical to read. It distils the knowledge learned from decades of work - and that shouldn't be taken lightly - the couple who wrote this book won a Congressional Medal of Honour for their prolific series. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, we might even get smarter voters that aren't whipsawed around by lies if everyone read this. I found this book through Ray Dalio's recommendation as one of the most important/influential books to read. I definitely was not disappointed in the content but perhaps by the delivery, the music is irritating (and frequent) and Will Durant is incomprehensible when he speaks himself - this may be due to advanced age and bad audio quality from the 70's/80's. It's still not bad enough to detract from the audiobook.

What other book might you compare The Lessons of History to and why?

Hard to say, this is sort of a Cole's Note or Cliff's Notes on history. It goes into more of the human condition with some historical context to support its arguments but its fundamentally a book about unchanging human nature. It's organized very well.

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Decent narrator for the prose sections. I have no complaints other than the cheesy music and the 'audio-legibility' of Will Durant in the live skits sections.

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

I was irritated at the terrible music they would play between chapters or when they bring in Will Durant himself.

Any additional comments?

Ditch the music!!!

Should be mandatory reading in high school.

A timeless classic. just as relevant now as it was when it was written. I wonder what Will Durant would think if he could see how right he was in his predictions.

👍👍

Interviews with both Ariel and Will were such a great benefit, clarifying certain points. well done!

Interesting

I enjoyed this very much. The interviews were good (although a few were poor audio quality). It is always easier to like a book when the general position is in agreement with your own. His observations on history are informative although not always the way I look at them. Durrant has a very materialistic (non-spiritual) prism he looks though, but the interesting thing is that it leads him to many of the same conclusions that a more spiritual person would draw. I think the most fascinating aspect is his obvious conversion from a socialistic perspective to a more devine perspective (although not necessarily supporting or believing in God, he supports man's needs for such a concept). A good listen - even the second time through.

Classic Book - Must Read

True classic that is as relevant today as it was in the 70’s. Distilling over 2000 years of history with relevant connections, the book arrives at thoughtful conclusions. I don’t necessarily agree with all of them, but certainly invite further study in areas of interest.

Everyone should read

It is impossible to write world history in a single book, but the outline given by the Durant’s gives a basis to begin our own study. With the undertones of 50’s and 60’s in this book we get a glimpse into our own history today and how it will likely be viewed by those who come after. A great refresher or starter to understanding us as humans.