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Our Oriental Heritage
- The Story of Civilization, Volume 1
- Narrated by: Robin Field
- Length: 50 hrs and 17 mins
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Publisher's summary
The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia. In this masterful work, readers will encounter:
- Sumeria, birthplace of the first cities and written laws
- the Egyptians, who perfected monumental architecture, medicine, and mummification more than 3,500 years ago
- the Babylonians, who developed astronomy and physics, and planted the seeds of Western mythology
- the Judeans, who preserved their culture forever in the immortal books of the Old Testament
- the Persians, who ruled the largest empire in recorded history before Rome
- Indian philosophy, Chinese philosophers, and Japanese Samurais
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Who changed the sex of God? This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and feminine values.
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Can't Even Get Started
- By Marie on 02-08-19
By: Leonard Shlain
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Asian Journals
- India and Japan (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
- By: Joseph Campbell
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 26 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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At the beginning of his career, Joseph Campbell developed a lasting fascination with the cultures of the Far East, and explorations of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy later became recurring motifs in his vast body of work. However, Campbell had to wait until middle age to visit the lands that inspired him so deeply. In 1954, he took a sabbatical from his teaching position and embarked on a year-long voyage through India, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and finally Japan.
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What a journey!
- By Anonymous User on 08-11-18
By: Joseph Campbell
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A Little History of the World
- By: E. H. Gombrich
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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E. H. Gombrich's world history, an international best seller now available in English for the first time, is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements, and an acute witness to its frailties.
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an enlightening book; very well read
- By A.B.Oxford on 06-03-06
By: E. H. Gombrich
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Nostalgia
- Going Home in a Homeless World
- By: Anthony Esolen
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
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Alone among the creatures of the world, man suffers a pang both bitter and sweet. It is an ache for the homecoming. The Greeks called it nostalgia. Post-modern man, homeless almost by definition, cannot understand nostalgia. If he is a progressive, dreaming of a utopia to come, he dismisses it contemptuously, eager to bury a past he despises. If he is a reactionary, he sentimentalizes it, dreaming of a lost golden age. In this profound reflection, Anthony Esolen explores the true meaning of nostalgia and its place in the human heart.
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Deep and thought provoking.
- By Holly Stockley on 04-24-19
By: Anthony Esolen
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The Great Transformation
- The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions
- By: Karen Armstrong
- Narrated by: Karen Armstrong
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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From one of the world's leading writers on religion and the highly acclaimed author of the best-selling A History of God, The Battle for God, and The Spiral Staircase, comes a major new work: a chronicle of one of the most important intellectual revolutions in world history and its relevance to our own time.
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Fills in the blanks
- By Laura on 09-20-06
By: Karen Armstrong
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The Swerve
- How the World Became Modern
- By: Stephen Greenblatt
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Nearly six hundred years ago, a short, genial, cannily alert man in his late 30s took a very old manuscript off a library shelf, saw with excitement what he had discovered, and ordered that it be copied. That book was the last surviving manuscript of an ancient Roman philosophical epic by Lucretius—a beautiful poem containing the most dangerous ideas: that the universe functioned without the aid of gods, that religious fear was damaging to human life, and that matter was made up of very small particles.
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Very compelling history, a less compelling thesis
- By A reader on 05-01-12
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Pagans
- The End of Traditional Religion and the Rise of Christianity
- By: James J. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 7 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Pagans explores the rise of Christianity from a surprising and unique viewpoint: that of the people who witnessed their ways of life destroyed by what seemed then a powerful religious cult. These "pagans" were actually pious Greeks, Romans, Syrians, and Gauls, who observed the traditions of their ancestors. To these devout polytheists, Christians who worshiped only one deity were immoral atheists who believed that a splash of water on the deathbed could erase a lifetime of sin.
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19th Century Scholarship
- By Marianne on 10-16-18
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Ancient Civilizations: A Captivating Guide to Mayan History, the Aztecs, and Inca Empire
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Explore the captivating history and mythology of three ancient civilizations. Three captivating manuscripts in one audiobook! In the first part of this captivating guide, you will discover why Maya have gained such worldwide admiration over the many other civilizations that existed in Mesoamerica at the time. You will learn how the Maya civilization developed, the major turning points in their 3,000-year-long history, the mysteries surrounding their demise, some of the unique places where Maya exist to this day, and much more!
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Low quality
- By Jonathan Enterline on 06-24-20
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A brilliant panorama of the ancient world
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Ties the story together in an amazing way
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The Story of Philosophy is a captivating intellectual journey that explores the evolution of human thought and the enduring legacy of great thinkers throughout history. Written by the renowned author Will Durant, this monumental work provides listeners with a comprehensive overview of the world's philosophical traditions, from ancient Greece to the modern era.
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Durant lucidly describes the philosophical systems of such world-famous “monarchs of the mind” as Plato, Aristotle, Francis Bacon, Spinoza, Kant, Voltaire, and Nietzsche. Along with their ideas, he offers their flesh-and-blood biographies, placing their thoughts within their own time and place and elucidating their influence on our modern intellectual heritage. This book is packed with wisdom and wit.
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Fantastic and insightful book
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Best-selling historian and philosopher Will Durant devoted his entire life to studying the most significant eras, individuals, and achievements of human history. Here is a summation of Durant's work, as he presents the best of world history. Filled with Durant's renowned wit, knowledge, and unique ability to explain events in simple and exciting terms, it is a concise liberal arts education.
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Puzzled
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Ties the story together in an amazing way
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The Lessons of History
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The authors devoted five decades to the study of world history and philosophy, culminating in the masterful 11-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.
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This is a must for every Educated Person
- By BradleyBurr on 10-29-07
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At Will Durant's death at 96, in 1981, his personal papers were dispersed among relatives, collectors, and archive houses. Twenty years later, scholar John Little discovered the previously unknown manuscript of Heroes of History in Durant's granddaughter's garage. Written shortly before he died, these 21 essays serve as an abbreviated version of Durant's best-selling, 11-volume series, The Story of Civilization.
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Nice overview
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Where did you find this narrator?
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Horror and randomness of war
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Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to produce the most notoriously successful game franchises in history - Doom and Quake - until the games they made tore them apart. This is a story of friendship and betrayal, commerce and artistry.
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How it was
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American Caesar
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Virtually all Americans above a certain age hold strong opinions about Douglas MacArthur. They either worship him or despise him. Now, in this superb book, one of our most outstanding writers, after a meticulous three-year examination of the record, presents his startling insights about the man. The narrative is gripping, because the general's life was fascinating. It is moving, because he was a man of vision. It ends, finally, in tragedy, because his character, though majestic, was tragically flawed.
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A Classic Collection of Philosophical Essays
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A Classic Collection of Philosophical Essays: Spinoza, Immanuel Kant, Schopenhauer, Herbert Spencer, Friedrich Nietzsche, Bertrand Russell and Many Others by Will Durant offers an insightful and comprehensive anthology of essays on some of the most influential philosophers in Western thought. This collection captures the essence of each thinker's contributions to philosophy, making complex ideas accessible and engaging for a broad audience. Spinoza: Durant explores Spinoza's pantheism and his view of a universe governed by natural laws, presenting his ideas on ethics, politics, and the nature of reality.
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Fallen Leaves
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The final and most personal work from Pulitzer Prize - winning author and historian Will Durant - discovered 32 years after his death - is a message of insight for everyone who has sought meaning in life or the council of a wise friend in navigating life's journey. From 1968 to 1978, Will Durant made four public allusions to the existence of Fallen Leaves. One, in 1975, hinted at its contents: "a not very serious book that answers the questions of what I think about government, life, death, and God."
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Old Man’s Book
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The Iliad
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One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death.
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Slow Start, Strong Finish
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In this Pulitzer Prize-winning classic, historian Barbara Tuchman brings to life the people and events that led up to World War I. This was the last gasp of the Gilded Age, of Kings and Kaisers and Czars, of pointed or plumed hats, colored uniforms, and all the pomp and romance that went along with war. How quickly it all changed...and how horrible it became.
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Wonderful
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
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The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
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What listeners say about Our Oriental Heritage
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-02-18
Great book. Audible part needs a bit of polishing
A little too slow. I had to accelerate it which made the voice sound a bit mechanic. Also, the continuous reading of "quote, end quote, note, end note" is quite irritating and unnecessary. I love the book and I wish it could be reread more fluidly. Quotation marks should not be enunciated any more than periods and commas should. Otherwise the reading would have been well intoned. I would like an updated version without the irritations. I hope the rest of these magnificent books is read without the above mentioned.
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5 people found this helpful
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- KnightT
- 07-22-18
1930s View of Civilization
Great work that was the first book in the Durants’ civilization series of works. Impressive in scope. The views of China, Japan, and India are from the 1930s before World War II, which is very fascinating to me. He indicated that war with Japan was coming soon to the Western powers. Mr. Durant’s discussion of Oriental culture may not be modern PC, but they were the views of the West at the time this work was written. Highly recommended to historians and those interested in how civilizations change and are influenced by trade and cultural exchange. Mr. Durant writes with humanistic humor in some of his commentaries, which gives the work personality and makes it seem less academic.
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2 people found this helpful
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- downtowndad
- 05-10-16
a marathon of listening
Wow, that was a lot of information! What I learned was that, 1, or thoughts are ancient but our technology and respect for life are modern. 2, there is more in common between civilizations than different. 3, did I mention human life and suffering? We know nothing of strife. Finally, really nice ties between simultaneous civilizations.
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- Theodore James Pabst
- 01-21-19
Excellently written
this is an excellent book, im very excited to continue the series, but my only trouble is the narrator. hes not bad per se, but the wordiness of the writing doesnt really lend itself to his somewhat sleepy narration. makes cerfain parts hard to focus on
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- Paul H Aube
- 02-13-16
Influencial ancestry
How amazing the influence of the orient on Europe and North America. It proves the latter lacks originality and identity. And today's politicians talk about unity and future... Such farce.
Voluminous, the story telling is well composed and deliberate. The insights are properly accentuated for a good learning experience.
A must to history enthusiasts.
It would be nice if the chapters were shorter and that they are titled since there is so much to listen too.
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- Mike B
- 05-09-17
fascinating history
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
it's a very authoritative history of many pre-historic civilizations in an easily consumable format.
How could the performance have been better?
the narrator's voice is rather high pitched and not terrific to listen to over the [long] course of this a-book.
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- book lover
- 03-17-22
Will Durant never disappoints
Durant is my favorite historian. He is objective, yet generous and covers all aspects of a culture. I particularly enjoyed "Elements of Civilization," in this book. Will Durant is every bit philosopher in tandem with historian. I read Caesar and Christ first. Now onto The Life of Greece. We are fortunate to have much of his work.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-29-22
Spectacular
it is quite astonishing not only that one man put into writing the knowledge contained in this book, but that this is volume one of 10 more just like it. This book is not only packed with historical knowledge but it's also written in an easy to understand way with language that is very quotable and true.
Amazing book. I highly recommend and look forward to adding the rest of this series to my collection.
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- peter
- 02-16-20
So Great
This is the third or fourth time I have read/listened to this series and I was surprised at how much 'new' information I received this time. But this is the charm and value of Durant's awe-inspiring work - that he covers so much that it is impossible to fully enjoy in only one exposure. I hadn't heard Robin Field before, and after some initial disappointment that he wasn't Grover Gardner, I became a fan.
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- Roger A Reid
- 02-25-16
Interesting perspective
Having been written in the 30s before WWII and Mr Durant's ideas about the possibilities of Japan and China and knowing what is in store in the future is interesting.
I'm not as interested in the art history as maybe I should be. I found the political aspects of early civilization the most interesting.
I learned a lot about early civilization. A great start to a great series.
I recommend it very highly.
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