-
American Brutus
- John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies
- Narrated by: Nelson Runger
- Length: 22 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 07-12-12
- Language: English
- Publisher: Recorded Books
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $41.99
People who bought this also bought...
-
Manhunt
- The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
- By: James L. Swanson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 63
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild 12-day chase through the streets of Washington, DC, across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Totally fascinating
- By Arlene Montemarano on 06-18-17
-
The Republic for Which It Stands
- The United States During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896
- By: Richard White
- Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
- Length: 34 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
At the end of the Civil War the leaders and citizens of the victorious North envisioned the country's future as a free-labor republic, with a homogenous citizenry, both black and white. The South and West were to be reconstructed in the image of the North. Thirty years later Americans occupied an unimagined world. The unity that the Civil War supposedly secured had proved ephemeral. The country was larger, richer, and more extensive but also more diverse.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
THIS IS WHAT HISTORY IS ABOUT!
- By Magyar on 07-06-18
-
Lee
- A Biography
- By: Clifford Dowdey
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 33 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 21
General Robert E. Lee is well known as a major figure in the Civil War. However, by removing Lee from the delimiting frame of the Civil War and placing him in the context of the Republic's total history, Dowdey shows the "eternal relevance" of this tragic figure to the American heritage. With access to hundreds of personal letters, Dowdey brings fresh insights into Lee's background and personal relationships and examines the factors which made Lee that rare specimen, a "complete person."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Readable
- By Rodney on 08-16-17
-
Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- By: Edward Steers Jr.
- Narrated by: William Coon
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is usually told as a tale of a lone deranged actor who struck from a twisted lust for revenge. This is not only too simple an explanation; Blood on the Moon reveals that it is completely wrong. John Wilkes Booth was neither mad nor alone in his act of murder. He received the help of many, not the least of whom was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the Charles County physician who has been portrayed as the innocent victim of a vengeful government.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Terrific listen.
- By Alan on 02-07-13
-
Railroaded
- The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America
- By: Richard White
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
The transcontinental railroads of the late 19th century were the first corporate behemoths. Their attempts to generate profits from proliferating debt sparked devastating panics in the US economy. Their dependence on public largess drew them into the corridors of power, initiating new forms of corruption. Their operations rearranged space and time, and remade the landscape of the West. As wheel and rail, car and coal, they opened new worlds of work and ways of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Way to Tell the History
- By Brent Paxton on 06-25-18
-
Lincoln's Last Trial
- The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency
- By: Dan Abrams, David Fisher
- Narrated by: Adam Verner, Dan Abrams
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 135
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 135
At the end of the summer of 1859, 22-year-old Peachy Quinn Harrison went on trial for murder in Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, who had been involved in more than 3,000 cases - including more than 25 murder trials - during his two-decades-long career, was hired to defend him.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
For Lawyers and Lincoln Lovers
- By Darwin8u on 06-20-18
-
Manhunt
- The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
- By: James L. Swanson
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 70
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 63
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild 12-day chase through the streets of Washington, DC, across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia while the nation, still reeling from the just-ended Civil War, watched in horror and sadness.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Totally fascinating
- By Arlene Montemarano on 06-18-17
-
The Republic for Which It Stands
- The United States During Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865-1896
- By: Richard White
- Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
- Length: 34 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 42
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
At the end of the Civil War the leaders and citizens of the victorious North envisioned the country's future as a free-labor republic, with a homogenous citizenry, both black and white. The South and West were to be reconstructed in the image of the North. Thirty years later Americans occupied an unimagined world. The unity that the Civil War supposedly secured had proved ephemeral. The country was larger, richer, and more extensive but also more diverse.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
THIS IS WHAT HISTORY IS ABOUT!
- By Magyar on 07-06-18
-
Lee
- A Biography
- By: Clifford Dowdey
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 33 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 24
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 21
General Robert E. Lee is well known as a major figure in the Civil War. However, by removing Lee from the delimiting frame of the Civil War and placing him in the context of the Republic's total history, Dowdey shows the "eternal relevance" of this tragic figure to the American heritage. With access to hundreds of personal letters, Dowdey brings fresh insights into Lee's background and personal relationships and examines the factors which made Lee that rare specimen, a "complete person."
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Readable
- By Rodney on 08-16-17
-
Blood on the Moon: The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
- By: Edward Steers Jr.
- Narrated by: William Coon
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
The assassination of Abraham Lincoln is usually told as a tale of a lone deranged actor who struck from a twisted lust for revenge. This is not only too simple an explanation; Blood on the Moon reveals that it is completely wrong. John Wilkes Booth was neither mad nor alone in his act of murder. He received the help of many, not the least of whom was Dr. Samuel Alexander Mudd, the Charles County physician who has been portrayed as the innocent victim of a vengeful government.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Terrific listen.
- By Alan on 02-07-13
-
Railroaded
- The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America
- By: Richard White
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
The transcontinental railroads of the late 19th century were the first corporate behemoths. Their attempts to generate profits from proliferating debt sparked devastating panics in the US economy. Their dependence on public largess drew them into the corridors of power, initiating new forms of corruption. Their operations rearranged space and time, and remade the landscape of the West. As wheel and rail, car and coal, they opened new worlds of work and ways of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Way to Tell the History
- By Brent Paxton on 06-25-18
-
Lincoln's Last Trial
- The Murder Case That Propelled Him to the Presidency
- By: Dan Abrams, David Fisher
- Narrated by: Adam Verner, Dan Abrams
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 135
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 135
At the end of the summer of 1859, 22-year-old Peachy Quinn Harrison went on trial for murder in Springfield, Illinois. Abraham Lincoln, who had been involved in more than 3,000 cases - including more than 25 murder trials - during his two-decades-long career, was hired to defend him.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
For Lawyers and Lincoln Lovers
- By Darwin8u on 06-20-18
-
The Final Days
- By: Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
The Final Days is the number-one New York Times best-selling, classic, behind-the-scenes account of Richard Nixon's dramatic last months as president. Moment by moment, Bernstein and Woodward portray the taut, post-Watergate White House as Nixon, his family, his staff, and many members of Congress strained desperately to prevent his inevitable resignation. This brilliant book reveals the ordeal of Nixon's fall from office - one of the gravest crises in presidential history.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good details, but feels like slo-mo asphyxiation
- By Philo on 04-26-18
-
A Country of Vast Designs
- James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent
- By: Robert W. Merry
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 290
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 222
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 226
When James K. Polk was elected president in 1844, the United States was locked in a bitter diplomatic struggle with Britain over the rich lands of the Oregon Territory, which included what is now Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Texas, not yet part of the Union, was threatened by a more powerful Mexico. And the territories north and west of Texas---what would become California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and part of Colorado---belonged to Mexico.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
History Repeats
- By Todd Gangl Usnik on 06-12-12
-
My Thoughts Be Bloody
- The Bitter Rivalry Between Edwin and John Wilkes Booth
- By: Nora Titone, Doris Kearns Goodwin (introduction and notes)
- Narrated by: John B. Lloyd
- Length: 19 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 155
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 113
My Thoughts Be Bloody, a sweeping family saga, revives an extraordinary figure whose name has been missing, until now, from the story of President Lincoln's death. Edwin Booth, John Wilkes's older brother by four years, was in his day the biggest star of the American stage. Without an account of Edwin Booth, author Nora Titone argues, the real story of Lincoln's assassin has never been told.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful!
- By Tad Davis on 11-30-10
-
Chappaquiddick
- By: Leo Damore, Howie Carr - foreword
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 196
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 179
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 179
A young woman leaves a party with a wealthy US senator. The next morning her body is discovered in his car at the bottom of a pond. This is the damning true story of the death of campaign strategist Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick and of the senator - a 37-year-old Senator Ted Kennedy - who left her trapped underwater while he returned to his hotel, slept, and made phone calls to associates. Leo Damore's 1988 national best seller, originally entitled Senatorial Privilege, almost didn't make it into print after its original publisher, Random House, judged it too explosive....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gripping
- By Anonymous User on 04-14-18
-
Chancellorsville
- By: Stephen Sears
- Narrated by: Richard Davidson
- Length: 23 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 82
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 72
A former editor of American Heritage, Stephen W. Sears has collected a wealth of new sources for this definitive portrait of one of the most dramatic battles of the Civil War. Using scores of letters and diaries written by soldiers from both Union and Confederate armies, Sears’ narrative history seeks to strip away the gloss of later commentary and restore the battle of Chancellorsville to its original voices.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Engrossing
- By oboy on 01-16-13
-
After the Civil War
- The Heroes, Villains, Soldiers, and Civilians Who Changed America
- By: James Robertson
- Narrated by: Barry Press
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 18
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 17
Returning to the turbulent days of a nation divided, best-selling author and acclaimed historian James Robertson explores 70 fascinating figures who shaped America during Reconstruction and beyond. Relentless politicians, intrepid fighters, cunning innovators - the times called for bold moves, and this resilient generation would not disappoint.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
An Introduction Only
- By Daniel on 01-07-17
-
The Assault on Intelligence
- By: Michael V. Hayden
- Narrated by: Michael V. Hayden
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 557
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 511
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 509
In the face of a president who lobs accusations without facts, evidence, or logic, truth tellers are under attack. Meanwhile, the world order is teetering on the brink. North Korea is on the verge of having a nuclear weapon that could reach all of the United States, Russians have mastered a new form of information warfare that undercuts democracy, and the role of China in the global community remains unclear. There will always be value to experience and expertise, devotion to facts, humility in the face of complexity, and a respect for ideas, but in this moment they seem more important, and more endangered, than they've ever been.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Edifying
- By Jean on 07-13-18
-
Bunker Hill
- A City, a Siege, a Revolution
- By: Nathaniel Philbrick
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,170
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,050
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,050
Boston in 1775 is an island city occupied by British troops after a series of incendiary incidents by patriots who range from sober citizens to thuggish vigilantes. After the Boston Tea Party, British and American soldiers and Massachusetts residents have warily maneuvered around each other until April 19, when violence finally erupts at Lexington and Concord.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Another Fantastic Story by Philbrick
- By Rick on 09-30-13
-
Seward
- Lincoln's Indispensable Man
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
From one of our most acclaimed new biographers - the first full life of the leader of Lincoln’s "team of rivals" to appear in more than 40 years. William Henry Seward was one of the most important Americans of the 19th century. Progressive governor of New York and outspoken U.S. senator, he was the odds-on favorite to win the 1860 Republican nomination for president. As secretary of state and Lincoln’s closest adviser during the Civil War, Seward not only managed foreign affairs but had a substantial role in military, political, and personnel matters.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
I Wish Doris Kearns Goodwin Had Written This
- By AR on 06-21-15
-
Something Wonderful
- Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution
- By: Todd S. Purdum
- Narrated by: Todd S. Purdum
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 105
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 104
They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicals Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
magnificemt!
- By Mark Stanton on 05-15-18
-
Grant
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 48 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4,221
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3,869
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 3,845
Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow sows in his masterful biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book (BUT WHERE IS THE PDF FILES)????
- By Amazon Customer on 10-25-17
-
Life in the Middle Ages
- American Heritage Series
- By: Richard Winston
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 4 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 25
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 25
Here, National Book Award winner Richard Winston explores life in the Middle Ages - from the fifth to the 15th centuries - beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire and ending with the dawn of the Renaissance. In both countryside and cities, from the peasants to the bourgeoisie to the nobility, no aspect of life in this era is left unexplored.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Romance Meets Reality in the Middle Ages
- By Hans Rigelman on 05-24-17
Publisher's Summary
In American Brutus, popular historian Michael W. Kauffman delivers a history that reads more like a best-selling novel. This definitive masterwork dispels commonly held myths and reveals the truth about John Wilkes Booth.
Luring Southern sympathizers into a “noble” presidential kidnapping, Booth stunned his puzzled pawns by murdering Lincoln. From Booth’s early life and acting career to his escape and death, this meticulously researched book re-examines it all using a wealth of primary sources.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars22
-
4 Stars14
-
3 Stars6
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars0
Performance
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars18
-
4 Stars10
-
3 Stars4
-
2 Stars3
-
1 Stars2
Story
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars23
-
4 Stars11
-
3 Stars5
-
2 Stars1
-
1 Stars0
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Scott
- Philadelphia, PA, United States
- 06-30-18
Excellent
Terrific exploration of the events and people surrounding the Lincoln assassination, both before and after. Remarkably well researched. I also thought that the narration was quite good.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Gioacchino
- Gainesville, VA, United States
- 06-25-13
Good content ruined by bad narrator
Would you try another book from Michael Kauffman and/or Nelson Runger?
Michael Kauffman, yes. Nelson Runger, never.
Would you recommend American Brutus to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes but I would recommend the print version.
Would you be willing to try another one of Nelson Runger’s performances?
Never, worst I've ever listened to.
Could you see American Brutus being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
Not really
Any additional comments?
The content of this book is well researched and detailed. I enjoyed learning about the goings on of the time and about Booth's motives. I live in the Washington, DC area and many of the places were familiar to me so there was added interest to me personally.
Now for the negatives:
I could not get passed the narrator. I have listened to many audio books over the years and have never heard a worse narrator. I had to ask myself is this guy really a professional reader? Through out the whole reading you could hear constant lip smacking, swallow, and breathing. I always knew when a paragraph would end because Runger would pause for a solid 5+ seconds and lick his chops. It reminded me of when I give my dog peanut butter. After a while I felt ready to barf listening to it.
I would highly recommend the printed version of this book over the audio book.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful