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Venice
- A New History
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
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- A Captivating Guide to the Conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks That Marked the End of the Byzantine Empire
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 1 hr and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Explore a major turning point in the history of Europe and the Middle East. The fall of Constantinople was an event that had great repercussions across both East and West. Why did it happen? How did it happen? And what was the aftermath?
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Awesome history!
- By Ranger Rick MN on 11-16-23
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The Rise of Rome
- The Making of the World's Greatest Empire
- By: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Emerging as a market town from a cluster of hill villages in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C., Rome grew to become the ancient world's preeminent power. Everitt fashions the story of Rome's rise to glory into an erudite book filled with lasting lessons for our time. He chronicles the clash between patricians and plebeians that defined the politics of the Republic. He shows how Rome's shrewd strategy of offering citizenship to her defeated subjects was instrumental in expanding the reach of her burgeoning empire.
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Rome from the fall of Troy through Julius Caesar
- By Mike From Mesa on 12-11-12
By: Anthony Everitt
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The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
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An Historic Achievement
- By Ellen S. Wilds on 04-25-14
By: Susan Wise Bauer
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Ancient Rome
- The Rise and Fall of An Empire
- By: Simon Baker
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 17 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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This is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Simon Baker charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower, focusing on six momentous turning points that shaped Roman history. Welcome to Rome as you've never seen it before - awesome and splendid, gritty and squalid. From the conquest of the Mediterranean beginning in the third century BC to the destruction of the Roman Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders some seven centuries later, we discover the most critical episodes in Roman history.
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Clear and dramatic
- By Tad Davis on 08-01-17
By: Simon Baker
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The Race for Paradise
- An Islamic History of the Crusades
- By: Paul M. Cobb
- Narrated by: Paul M. Cobb
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
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In The Race for Paradise, Paul M. Cobb offers a new history of the confrontations between Muslims and Franks we now call the "Crusades", one that emphasizes the diversity of Muslim experiences of the European holy war. There is more to the story than Jerusalem, the Templars, Saladin, and the Assassins. Cobb considers the Arab perspective on all shores of the Muslim Mediterranean, from Spain to Syria.
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A heady piece of history and a romp.
- By Meeno on 05-28-15
By: Paul M. Cobb
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Rome
- By: Matthew Kneale
- Narrated by: Neil Gardner
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Rome, the Eternal City. Today visitors can stand on bridges that Julius Caesar and Cicero crossed; walk around temples in the footsteps of emperors; visit churches from the earliest days of Christianity. This is all the more remarkable considering what the city has endured. It has been ravaged by fires, floods, earthquakes, and - most of all - by roving armies. Matthew Kneale uses seven of these crisis moments to create a powerful and captivating account of Rome’s extraordinary history. He paints portraits of the city before each assault, describing how Romans, both rich and poor, lived their everyday lives.
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Lack of language skills an irritation
- By lmc on 07-16-18
By: Matthew Kneale
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Magna Carta
- The Birth of Liberty
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Dan Jones
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The Magna Carta is revered around the world as the founding document of Western liberty. Its principles - even its language - can be found in our Bill of Rights and in the Constitution. But what was this strange document and how did it gain such legendary status? Dan Jones takes us back to the turbulent year of 1215, when, beset by foreign crises and cornered by a growing domestic rebellion, King John reluctantly agreed to fix his seal to a document that would change the course of history.
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Complicated period of history made accessible
- By NH on 12-09-15
By: Dan Jones
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The French Revolution: A Captivating Guide to the Ten-Year Revolution in France and the Impact Made by Napoleon Bonaparte
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
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Few historical events are as greatly revered and entirely misunderstood as the French Revolution that began in 1789. The memory of this complicated and lengthy political, violent uprising has been generally painted in broad - and oversimplified - strokes. While the French Revolution was certainly centered around two lavish monarchs and an enlightened common class, there was so much more going on behind the scenes.
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Good, but in a Non-chronological Format.
- By Christian on 05-13-19
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The Sea Wolves
- A History of the Vikings
- By: Lars Brownworth
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In AD 793 Norse warriors struck the English isle of Lindisfarne and laid waste to it. Wave after wave of Norse "sea wolves" followed in search of plunder, land, or a glorious death in battle. Much of the British Isles fell before their swords, and the continental capitals of Paris and Aachen were sacked in turn. Turning east, they swept down the uncharted rivers of central Europe, captured Kiev, and clashed with mighty Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire.
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A little dry but very interesting
- By Angela on 08-30-15
By: Lars Brownworth
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The Borgia family have become a byword for evil. Corruption, incest, ruthless megalomania, avarice, and vicious cruelty - all have been associated with their name. And yet, paradoxically, this family lived when the Renaissance was coming into its full flowering in Italy. Examples of infamy flourished alongside some of the finest art produced in western history.
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Gossip
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The Venice Sketchbook
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Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper...Venice. Caroline’s quest: to scatter Juliet “Lettie” Browning’s ashes in the city she loved and to unlock the mysteries stored away for more than 60 years.
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Poor character and storyline development
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What listeners say about Venice
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Rocky Stonebreaker
- 08-21-16
Omits slave trade
Since listening to this book, I have learned that Venice was big time in to the slave trade. Omitting slave trading from the history of Venice makes me wonder what other history has been glossed over!
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15 people found this helpful
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- Romney
- 01-15-13
Excellently Done
The author provides a very holistic view of Venice, covering everything from its artwork and architecture to its politics and history. It offers a great balance between narrative and scholarly detail. A must-read for any student of history. The performance is also well done, with the speaker clearly knowledgeable on Italian.
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12 people found this helpful
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- Esteban Suarez
- 04-29-15
This is the way history is meant to be written
I love Venice and it's history but even if I wasn't an admirer of the city this book would probably make me one. I love the narrative, at points, it keeps you at the edge of your seat as if it were a fiction novel. The narrator is also very engaging and has an appealing voice. The author did a great job of telling the facts of history but not without sharing the popular and legendary history of the city. I bought a few other history books and this is without a doubt my favorite one yet.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Lauri Donahue
- 10-26-13
Absolutely wonderful
I listened to this shortly after returning from my first visit to Venice.
It's a dramatic story, with vivid and memorable personalities. The writing is clear and elegant and overall fun to listen to. The people and the city come alive in all their colorful dimensions.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Nanci Arvizu
- 06-19-13
Fantastic telling of the history of Venice
What made the experience of listening to Venice the most enjoyable?
Edoardo Ballerini speaks slowly and with perfect emphasis for telling what could be a boring history lesson. He brings it all to life, adding in perfect Italian pronunciation. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this history lesson!
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9 people found this helpful
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- V
- 02-19-13
Elaborate, interesting story. Mediocre performance
I was pleasantly surprised by the length of this book. I think it achieves its goal of combining better attention to facts/accuracy (as opposed to legend) with a more interesting style of writing than, say, a history textbook.
In an effort to dispute the legends/stereotypes of Venetians being misers and tricksters, the book attempts to show their side of the story. I tend to think that yes, it is very unlikely that all venetians were greed motivated and sneaky. But I also think that it's just as unlikely that the Venetians were never ever ever at fault for anything that happened to them over a period of many centuries. I think that the author favors the Venetians so strongly that it makes them out to be the victims of everything when in reality, it's probable that sometimes they deserved their fate, and sometimes they didn't -- like most humans on this planet.
Aside from the occasional melodrama, I found this book very interesting and informative and definitely worth reading. I would, however, recommend the BOOK over the audiobook as this particular performance is odd. I don't mind the reader's voice or portrayal, but there are lots of weird... burps, gurgles, and other strange vocal noises that happen a lot within the book. This is unbearably annoying when listening through headphones and it makes me want to turn it off and just buy the actual book.
So: Story is great. Performance is meh.
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7 people found this helpful
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- WWaltonG
- 10-31-13
Pretentious but informative
Kind of like taking History of Venice 301 from a egotist prof who thinks everything he has to say is interest and important. Fact is, a good bit is worthy of the time it takes to get though the heavy lifting of rest of the text.
Listened in advance of a trip to Venice. Gave me some new perspectives on a place that I love. But after the first few chapters I had to edit to keep myself interested.
The reader sounds like a professor speaking slowly so the class can keep up and take notes. Happily you can speed him up to keep things moving.
Bottom line. A special interest listen but worth the time if you want to find out the history behind the masks.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Ann Onimous
- 08-07-18
Excellent Storytelling
The author does a masterful job of telling the story of Venice and its people. Considering the over 1000 year history of that city, events are sometimes and necessarily given short consideration. However, by the end, the reader has an understanding of how a band of refugees from mainland Italy turned marshy lagoon into one of the West's great powers.
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- Jill Howson
- 02-24-18
Terrific read
Riveting history. Very easy to absorb and great pace of narrative. Just enough detail to provide insight without overwhelming the listener. A great achievement to cover everything from the founding of the city to the great flood of 1966. I knew little of the events leading up to the end of the republic and the eventual incorporation into Italy in the 1860s. But the tales of naval battles, Byzantine intrigue and the pilfering of St Mark’s remains are spellbindingly well told. It touches on art, architecture and music, as well as crusades and commerce. All in all, excellent.
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- w.l.
- 11-15-18
Fascinating and Compete History of Venice
This was a detailed history of Venice, once an empire that ruled the seas, now better known as a tourist destination. At first I struggled with all the names, places, and dates, but finally I found my rhythm for listening to this fascinating history. Since this is the first history of Venice I've read, I can't say it skipped anything, but sometimes it felt as though an event important to me was too lightly covered. Then I remembered the scope of the book and realized what I thought was glossed over, was actually a drop in the bucket to the entire story.
The rise and eventual fall of one of the first non-monarchy based governments was fascinating. Venice had elections of a Doge who while the head of state, also had a governing body below him. While this was never perfect, it worked for a vey long time until forced out of existence by Napoleon.
Lest you think this is all about government, the book includes the wars upon Venice as well as those wars Venetians fought elsewhere. Much is discussed about the populating of these islands, the labors of the people, as well as the reasons Venice is more Eastern than Western in architecture and learning. Also addressed in this book is any scientific and artistic development, their shipbuilding and trade at sea, bookbinding and, surprising to me, Venice's role in the development of Banking.
Many of the words and practices we still use today in finance began in Venice. Banks, bankers, lending, commerce, money exchanges, currency, record keeping were all products of these islands. Even Double-entry Bookkeeping and our use Arabic numerals are a product of Venice.
The final struggles for Venice's survival and today's issues as a tourist destination were told in fascinating detail. Now that I know so much more, my desire to return and locate sites from the book are stronger than ever.
I do not know if the book has pictures or maps, so I cannot comment on this, only that I needed them and when listening at home, looked things up.
The narrator was incredible with voice as well as with pronunciation of words, names and places, no matter the language. I recommend this highly.
#venice #history #tagsgiving #sweepstakes
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