Oxford History Editorial

The Oxford History of the United States:
The Complete Series

If you’re looking for the best audiobooks about American history, or great narrative history on audio, or even the best nonfiction narrators, the Oxford History of the Unites States is the place to start (and maybe finish, too!). In the 1950s, scholars C. Vann Woodward and Richard Hofstadter—imagine a time when historians were household names!—conceived a 12-volume history of America that would unify political, social, and cultural history…and they hoped to publish them all in 1976! (Spoiler alert: the first title, The Glorious Cause by Robert Middlekauff, appeared in 1982, and the epic cycle of history audios is still in progress!)

All titles in the Oxford History of the US are credit-worthy gems: written by Pulitzer, Bancroft, and Parkman prize-winning historians and performed by prize-winning narrators. Together, they convey to listeners the sweep of American history with brilliant analysis and novelistic detail; they make patriotic nonfiction feel like novels that appeal to every American. Though there are still placeholders in the series of titles, every Oxford History of the US title that has been published is available unabridged at Audible.

Listeners can begin the series chronologically, or they can dive into a favorite historical period: the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Gilded Age, the Great Depression, World War II, Watergate, and even an audio that summarizes US International Relations from 1776 till the modern era. Personally, I follow narrators, and two of my favorites are major contributors to this series: Robert Fass, who won the Audie Award in 2012 for Empire of Liberty, brings precision and energy to four of the titles in the Oxford History of the US series; Jonathan Davis, an Audible Hall of Fame narrator, highlights the narrative arc of the Civil War in two volumes of Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson, which also won the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for History. Armchair historians, I promise you can’t go wrong with any audio in this series—enjoy!
Product List
  • Regular price: $39.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $39.95 or 1 credit

  • Regular price: $39.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $39.95 or 1 credit

    • The Transformation of America, 1815 - 1848
    • By: Daniel Walker Howe
    • Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
    • Series: Oxford History of the United States, Book 5, Oxford History of the United States [Publication Order], Book 6
    • Length: 32 hrs and 50 mins
    • Release date: 01-09-09
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,378 ratings
    • 1815-1848
    • What Hath God Wrought won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 2008, and explores how the twin technologies of transportation and communication during the Industrial Revolution led to the rise of mass political parties. Listeners love Patrick Cullen’s narration. (Spoiler alert: the title isn’t just a quote from the Book of Numbers 23:23. It’s also the official first Morse Code message sent in 1844 to open the Baltimore-Washing telegraph line!).

    Regular price: $32.72 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $32.72 or 1 credit

    • The United States During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896
    • By: Richard White
    • Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
    • Series: Oxford History of the United States, Book 7, Oxford History of the United States [Publication Order], Book 9
    • Length: 34 hrs and 41 mins
    • Release date: 05-22-18
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 336 ratings
    • 1865-1896
    • The most recent (for now!) work in the series feels to me like the most valuable audio for contemporary Americans to take in. During the Reconstruction and Gilded Age, corruption and income inequality ran rampant; furthermore, reparative justice for the formerly enslaved failed to materialize, so the scars of racial violence never healed. Listening to Noah Michael Levine’s measured but passionate narration highlights how familiar those challenges sound today.

    Regular price: $39.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $39.95 or 1 credit

  • Regular price: $30.38 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $30.38 or 1 credit

    • The United States 1945-1974
    • By: James T. Patterson
    • Narrated by: Robert Fass
    • Series: Oxford History of the United States [Publication Order], Book 3, Oxford History of the United States, Book 10
    • Length: 31 hrs and 20 mins
    • Release date: 01-03-11
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 268 ratings
    • 1945-1974
    • Maybe the Bancroft Prize isn’t exactly a household name, but among historians, it’s highly coveted. (Fun fact: two other authors on this list won Bancroft Prizes—James McPherson and David M. Kennedy—but not titles other than their Oxford History of the US works). The trustees of Columbia University awarded it to James T. Patterson in 1997 for excellence in writing about America’s political history. Robert Fass narrates the story of America’s post-war years, including Vietnam and Watergate, with energy and warmth. Ok boomers!

    Regular price: $39.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $39.95 or 1 credit

  • Regular price: $29.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $29.95 or 1 credit

  • Regular price: $39.95 or 1 credit

    Sale price: $39.95 or 1 credit