-
Plague
- A Very Short Introduction
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Plague
Buy for $11.17
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Epidemiology
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Rodolfo Saracci
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
An internationally recognized authority on epidemiology, Dr. Rodolfo Saracci, provides a wealth of information on this key field, dispelling some of the myths surrounding the study of epidemiology, and explaining what epidemiology is and how vital it is to the discovery, control, and prevention of disease in world populations. Dr. Saracci provides a general explanation of the principles behind clinical trials, and explains the nature of basic statistics concerning disease.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Helpful introduction, with stodgy narration.
- By On Point on 11-12-22
By: Rodolfo Saracci
-
Pandemics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Christian W. McMillen
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Christian W. McMillen provides a concise yet comprehensive account of pandemics throughout human history, illustrating how pandemic disease has shaped history and, at the same time, social behavior has influenced pandemic disease.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compact and informative
- By ValueMinded on 10-10-23
-
Children of Ash and Elm
- A History of the Vikings
- By: Neil Price
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,301
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,116
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,111
The Viking Age - from 750 to 1050 saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples into the wider world. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they ranged from eastern North America to the Asian steppe. But for centuries, the Vikings have been seen through the eyes of others, distorted to suit the tastes of medieval clerics and Elizabethan playwrights, Victorian imperialists, Nazis, and more. None of these appropriations capture the real Vikings, or the richness and sophistication of their culture.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding
- By Than on 10-06-20
By: Neil Price
-
Bacteria
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Sebastian Amyes
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4
Bacteria form a fundamental branch of life. They are the oldest forms of life and the most prolific of all living organisms, inhabiting every part of the Earth's surface, its ocean depths, and even such inhospitable places as boiling hot springs. In this Very Short Introduction, bacteriologist Sebastian Amyes explores the nature of bacteria, their origin and evolution, bacteria in the environment, and bacteria and disease.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
well done
- By Kim on 08-31-22
By: Sebastian Amyes
-
The History of Political Thought
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Richard Whatmore
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2
Thinking about politics has tended to be historical in nature because of the comparisons and contrasts that can be drawn between past and present. Different periods in politics have used the past differently. At times, political thought can be said to have been drawn directly from the study of history; at others, perhaps including our own time, the relationship is more indirect.
By: Richard Whatmore
-
The Ghost Map
- By: Steven Johnson
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,361
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 976
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 971
This is a thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
It was okay until the end
- By Matthew Groom on 12-04-08
By: Steven Johnson
-
Epidemiology
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Rodolfo Saracci
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 2
An internationally recognized authority on epidemiology, Dr. Rodolfo Saracci, provides a wealth of information on this key field, dispelling some of the myths surrounding the study of epidemiology, and explaining what epidemiology is and how vital it is to the discovery, control, and prevention of disease in world populations. Dr. Saracci provides a general explanation of the principles behind clinical trials, and explains the nature of basic statistics concerning disease.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Helpful introduction, with stodgy narration.
- By On Point on 11-12-22
By: Rodolfo Saracci
-
Pandemics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Christian W. McMillen
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Christian W. McMillen provides a concise yet comprehensive account of pandemics throughout human history, illustrating how pandemic disease has shaped history and, at the same time, social behavior has influenced pandemic disease.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compact and informative
- By ValueMinded on 10-10-23
-
Children of Ash and Elm
- A History of the Vikings
- By: Neil Price
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,301
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,116
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,111
The Viking Age - from 750 to 1050 saw an unprecedented expansion of the Scandinavian peoples into the wider world. As traders and raiders, explorers and colonists, they ranged from eastern North America to the Asian steppe. But for centuries, the Vikings have been seen through the eyes of others, distorted to suit the tastes of medieval clerics and Elizabethan playwrights, Victorian imperialists, Nazis, and more. None of these appropriations capture the real Vikings, or the richness and sophistication of their culture.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Outstanding
- By Than on 10-06-20
By: Neil Price
-
Bacteria
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Sebastian Amyes
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4
Bacteria form a fundamental branch of life. They are the oldest forms of life and the most prolific of all living organisms, inhabiting every part of the Earth's surface, its ocean depths, and even such inhospitable places as boiling hot springs. In this Very Short Introduction, bacteriologist Sebastian Amyes explores the nature of bacteria, their origin and evolution, bacteria in the environment, and bacteria and disease.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
well done
- By Kim on 08-31-22
By: Sebastian Amyes
-
The History of Political Thought
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Richard Whatmore
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2
Thinking about politics has tended to be historical in nature because of the comparisons and contrasts that can be drawn between past and present. Different periods in politics have used the past differently. At times, political thought can be said to have been drawn directly from the study of history; at others, perhaps including our own time, the relationship is more indirect.
By: Richard Whatmore
-
The Ghost Map
- By: Steven Johnson
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 8 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,361
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 976
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 971
This is a thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
It was okay until the end
- By Matthew Groom on 12-04-08
By: Steven Johnson
-
The Bible
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: John Riches
- Narrated by: Jennifer Van Dyck
- Length: 4 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 1
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1
This Very Short Introduction looks at the importance accorded to the bible by different communities and cultures and attempts to explain why it has generated such a rich variety of uses and interpretations. It explores how the Bible was written, the development of the canon, the role of biblical criticism, the appropriation of the bible in high and popular culture, and its use for political ends.
By: John Riches
-
Linguistics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: P.H. Matthews
- Narrated by: James Conlan
- Length: 3 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11
Linguistics falls in the gap between arts and science, on the edges of which the most fascinating discoveries and the most important problems are found. Rather than following the conventional organization of many contemporary introductions to the subject, the author of this stimulating guide begins his discussion with the oldest, "arts" end of the subject and moves chronologically through to the newest research - the "science" aspects.
By: P.H. Matthews
-
Time
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Jennan Ismael
- Narrated by: Kate Zane
- Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
What is time? What does it mean for time to pass? Is it possible to travel in time? What is the difference between the past and future? Until the work of Newton, these questions were purely topics of philosophical speculation. Since then we've learned a great deal about time, and its study has moved from a subject of philosophical reflection to instead became part of the subject matter of physics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Sergey on 01-08-23
By: Jennan Ismael
-
Viruses
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Dorothy H. Crawford
- Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4
Viruses are big news. From pandemics such as HIV, swine flu, and SARS, we are constantly being bombarded with information about new lethal infections. In this Very Short Introduction, Dorothy Crawford demonstrates how clever these entities really are. From their discovery and the unravelling of their intricate structures, Crawford demonstrates how these tiny parasites are by far the most abundant life forms on the planet.
-
Quantum Theory
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: John Polkinghorne
- Narrated by: Dennis Holland
- Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Quantum theory is the most revolutionary discovery in physics since Newton. This book gives a lucid, exciting, and accessible account of the surprising and counterintuitive ideas that shape our understanding of the sub-atomic world. It does not disguise the problems of interpretation that still remain unsettled 75 years after the initial discoveries. Uncertainty, probabilistic physics, complementarity, the problematic character of measurement, and decoherence are among the many topics discussed.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Must Listen
- By D on 08-14-23
-
The Laws of Thermodynamics
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Peter Atkins
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
The laws of thermodynamics drive everything that happens in the universe. From the sudden expansion of a cloud of gas to the cooling of hot metal - everything is moved or restrained by four simple laws. This powerful and compact introduction explains what these four laws are and how they work, using accessible language and virtually no mathematics.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Basics but too Much Verbal Math
- By Dennis M Danzik on 01-13-23
By: Peter Atkins
-
Logic
- A Very Short Introduction, 2nd Edition
- By: Graham Priest
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 4 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Logic is often perceived as having little to do with the rest of philosophy, and even less to do with real life. In this lively and accessible introduction, Graham Priest shows how wrong this conception is. He explores the philosophical roots of the subject, explaining how modern formal logic deals with issues ranging from the existence of God and the reality of time to paradoxes of probability and decision theory. Along the way, the basics of formal logic are explained in simple, non-technical terms, showing that logic is a powerful and exciting part of modern philosophy.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A bit disappointing.
- By MarshallP1991 on 12-16-21
By: Graham Priest
-
The Dawn of Everything
- A New History of Humanity
- By: David Graeber, David Wengrow
- Narrated by: Mark Williams
- Length: 24 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,764
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,319
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,308
A trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state", political violence, and social inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
exactly what I've been looking for
- By DankTurtle on 11-10-21
By: David Graeber, and others
-
The Great Warming
- Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations
- By: Brian Fagan
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 103
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
The history of the Great Warming of a half millennium ago suggests that we may yet be underestimating the power of climate change to disrupt our lives todayand our vulnerability to drought, writes Fagan, is the silent elephant in the room.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Good book but unpracticed, disjointed narration.
- By Paul on 09-12-10
By: Brian Fagan
-
Political Philosophy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: David Miller
- Narrated by: Luci Bell
- Length: 4 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 8
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
This Very Short Introduction introduces listeners to the key concepts of political philosophy: authority, democracy, freedom and its limits, justice, feminism, multiculturalism, and nationality. Accessible and assuming no previous knowledge of the subject, it encourages the listener to think clearly and critically about the leading political questions of our time. Miller first investigates how political philosophy tackles basic ethical questions such as "how should we live together in society?"
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
starts great, well written, very informative but
- By Jonas S. de Almeida on 03-30-22
By: David Miller
-
Psychopathy
- A Very Short Introduction
- By: Essi Viding
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Length: 3 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 14
Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has long captured the public imagination. Newspaper column inches have been devoted to murderers with psychopathic features, and we also encounter psychopaths in films and books. Individuals with psychopathy are characterized in particular by lack of empathy and guilt, manipulation of other people and, in the case of criminal psychopathy, premeditated violent behavior. They are dangerous and can incur immeasurable emotional, psychological, physical, and financial costs to their victims and their families.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Very informative but extremely redundant
- By Xander Cruz on 06-27-22
By: Essi Viding
-
Middle Ages
- A Captivating Guide to the Dark Ages and Black Death
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
Following the fall of Rome in 476 CE, the entire dynamic of Europe underwent a complete shift in power and culture. The Dark Ages was an interesting period of about six centuries. During it, Europe was still trying to figure out what it was and how it would survive the chaos that followed the fall of Rome.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Black Death
- By manuel jimenez on 07-28-21
Publisher's summary
Throughout history plague has been the cause of many major catastrophes. It was responsible for the "Plague of Justinian" in 542, the Black Death of 1348, and the Great Plague of London in 1665, as well as for devastating epidemics in China and India between the 1890s and 1920s. In the 21st century, coronavirus pandemics have served as a powerful reminder that we have not escaped the global impact of epidemic diseases.
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Paul Slack takes a global approach to explore the historical and social impact of plague over the centuries, looking at the ways in which it has been interpreted and the powerful images it has left behind in art and literature. Examining what plague meant for those who suffered from it and how governments began to fight against it, he demonstrates the impact plague has had on modern notions of public health and how it has shaped our history. This new edition also includes evidence on the nature of plague taken from recent discoveries in ancient DNA as well as new research on plague in the Middle East.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
The Black Death: A History from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Jimmy Kieffer
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Sweeping across the known world with unchecked devastation, the Black Death claimed between 75 million and 200 million lives in four short years. In this engaging and well-researched audiobook, the trajectory of the plague’s march west across Eurasia and the cause of the great pandemic is thoroughly explored. Fascinating insights into the medieval mind’s perception of the disease and examinations of contemporary accounts give a complete picture of what the world’s most effective killer meant to medieval society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fine history of a pandemic
- By Fr. S. on 03-25-23
By: Hourly History
-
The Spanish Flu 1918 History of the Deadliest
- Lessons to Learn and Global Consequences. Comparison with the Pandemic of 2020 and How to Prevent New Ones in the Future
- By: Mariah Khan
- Narrated by: Peter Seymour
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story2.5 out of 5 stars 5
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide - about one-third of the planet’s population - and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims, including some 675,000 Americans. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the United States and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. It is dangerous to draw too many parallels between Coronavirus and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, that killed at least 50 million people around the world.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
informative, repetitive, echo
- By F. Scott Humphrey on 09-13-20
By: Mariah Khan
-
In the Wake of the Plague
- The Black Death and the World It Made
- By: Norman F. Cantor
- Narrated by: Bill Wallace
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 361
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Much of what we know about the greatest medical disaster ever, the Black Plague of the fourteenth century, is wrong. The details of the Plague etched in the minds of terrified schoolchildren the hideous black welts, the high fever, and the final, awful end by respiratory failure are more or less accurate. But what the Plague really was, and how it made history, remain shrouded in a haze of myths.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Don't waste time or money
- By Anne on 01-22-09
By: Norman F. Cantor
-
The Nutmeg's Curse
- Parables for a Planet in Crisis
- By: Amitav Ghosh
- Narrated by: Sam Dastor
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
A powerful work of history, essay, testimony, and polemic, The Nutmeg’s Curse argues that the dynamics of climate change today are rooted in a centuries-old geopolitical order constructed by Western colonialism. At the center of Ghosh’s narrative is the now-ubiquitous spice nutmeg. The history of the nutmeg is one of conquest and exploitation—of both human life and the natural environment. In Ghosh’s hands, the story of the nutmeg becomes a parable for our environmental crisis.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
performance....
- By Bonnie on 11-15-22
By: Amitav Ghosh
-
Pale Rider
- The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World
- By: Laura Spinney
- Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 768
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 657
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 654
In this gripping narrative history, Laura Spinney traces the overlooked pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind's vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. As socially significant as both world wars, the Spanish flu dramatically disrupted - and often permanently altered - global politics, race relations, and family structures while spurring innovation in medicine, religion, and the arts.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Predilection for Those in the Prime of Life
- By Cynthia on 02-12-18
By: Laura Spinney
-
The Black Death: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Pandemic in Medieval Europe and Human History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 36
The Black Death was the first recorded pandemic in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. All across the continent, people learned just how gruesome and horrific disease could be as the plague crossed the boundaries of countries and the lines established by society, killing everyone equally. It showed that no one - not even archbishops and kings - was immune from its grasp.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating and Comprehensive
- By Rick House on 05-11-20
-
The Black Death: A History from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Jimmy Kieffer
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
Sweeping across the known world with unchecked devastation, the Black Death claimed between 75 million and 200 million lives in four short years. In this engaging and well-researched audiobook, the trajectory of the plague’s march west across Eurasia and the cause of the great pandemic is thoroughly explored. Fascinating insights into the medieval mind’s perception of the disease and examinations of contemporary accounts give a complete picture of what the world’s most effective killer meant to medieval society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fine history of a pandemic
- By Fr. S. on 03-25-23
By: Hourly History
-
The Spanish Flu 1918 History of the Deadliest
- Lessons to Learn and Global Consequences. Comparison with the Pandemic of 2020 and How to Prevent New Ones in the Future
- By: Mariah Khan
- Narrated by: Peter Seymour
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars 4
-
Story2.5 out of 5 stars 5
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, the deadliest in history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide - about one-third of the planet’s population - and killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million victims, including some 675,000 Americans. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the United States and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. It is dangerous to draw too many parallels between Coronavirus and the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, that killed at least 50 million people around the world.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
informative, repetitive, echo
- By F. Scott Humphrey on 09-13-20
By: Mariah Khan
-
In the Wake of the Plague
- The Black Death and the World It Made
- By: Norman F. Cantor
- Narrated by: Bill Wallace
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 361
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 162
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 165
Much of what we know about the greatest medical disaster ever, the Black Plague of the fourteenth century, is wrong. The details of the Plague etched in the minds of terrified schoolchildren the hideous black welts, the high fever, and the final, awful end by respiratory failure are more or less accurate. But what the Plague really was, and how it made history, remain shrouded in a haze of myths.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Don't waste time or money
- By Anne on 01-22-09
By: Norman F. Cantor
-
The Nutmeg's Curse
- Parables for a Planet in Crisis
- By: Amitav Ghosh
- Narrated by: Sam Dastor
- Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 50
A powerful work of history, essay, testimony, and polemic, The Nutmeg’s Curse argues that the dynamics of climate change today are rooted in a centuries-old geopolitical order constructed by Western colonialism. At the center of Ghosh’s narrative is the now-ubiquitous spice nutmeg. The history of the nutmeg is one of conquest and exploitation—of both human life and the natural environment. In Ghosh’s hands, the story of the nutmeg becomes a parable for our environmental crisis.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
performance....
- By Bonnie on 11-15-22
By: Amitav Ghosh
-
Pale Rider
- The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World
- By: Laura Spinney
- Narrated by: Paul Hodgson
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 768
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 657
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 654
In this gripping narrative history, Laura Spinney traces the overlooked pandemic to reveal how the virus travelled across the globe, exposing mankind's vulnerability and putting our ingenuity to the test. As socially significant as both world wars, the Spanish flu dramatically disrupted - and often permanently altered - global politics, race relations, and family structures while spurring innovation in medicine, religion, and the arts.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Predilection for Those in the Prime of Life
- By Cynthia on 02-12-18
By: Laura Spinney
-
The Black Death: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Pandemic in Medieval Europe and Human History
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow
- Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 36
The Black Death was the first recorded pandemic in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. All across the continent, people learned just how gruesome and horrific disease could be as the plague crossed the boundaries of countries and the lines established by society, killing everyone equally. It showed that no one - not even archbishops and kings - was immune from its grasp.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Captivating and Comprehensive
- By Rick House on 05-11-20
-
The Dawn of Everything
- A New History of Humanity
- By: David Graeber, David Wengrow
- Narrated by: Mark Williams
- Length: 24 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,764
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,319
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,308
A trailblazing account of human history, challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of "the state", political violence, and social inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
exactly what I've been looking for
- By DankTurtle on 11-10-21
By: David Graeber, and others
-
A Brief History of Life in the Middle Ages
- Brief Histories
- By: Martyn Whittock
- Narrated by: John Telfer
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 91
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 78
A fascinating new portrait of Medieval Britain that brings together the everyday and the extraordinary. Using wide-ranging evidence, Martyn Whittock shines a light on Britain in the Middle Ages, bringing it vividly to life. Thus we glimpse 11th century rural society through a conversation between a ploughman and his master. The life of Dick Whittington illuminates the rise of the urban elite.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Really good book
- By Claire on 11-11-18
By: Martyn Whittock
-
Middle Ages
- A Captivating Guide to the Dark Ages and Black Death
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Randy Whitlow
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
Following the fall of Rome in 476 CE, the entire dynamic of Europe underwent a complete shift in power and culture. The Dark Ages was an interesting period of about six centuries. During it, Europe was still trying to figure out what it was and how it would survive the chaos that followed the fall of Rome.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Black Death
- By manuel jimenez on 07-28-21
-
The Fate of Rome
- Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire
- By: Kyle Harper
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 392
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 326
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 324
Interweaving a grand historical narrative with cutting-edge climate science and genetic discoveries, Kyle Harper traces how the fate of Rome was decided not just by emperors, soldiers, and barbarians but also by volcanic eruptions, solar cycles, climate instability, and devastating viruses and bacteria. He takes listeners from Rome's pinnacle in the second century, when the empire seemed an invincible superpower, to its unraveling by the seventh century, when Rome was politically fragmented and materially depleted.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting and worthwhile
- By B. Coleman on 06-15-19
By: Kyle Harper
-
The Fall of Rome
- And the End of Civilization
- By: Bryan Ward-Perkins
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 83
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 66
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 66
In The Fall of Rome, eminent historian Bryan Ward-Perkins argues that the "peaceful" theory of Rome's "transformation" is badly in error. Indeed, he sees the fall of Rome as a time of horror and dislocation that destroyed a great civilization, throwing the inhabitants of the West back to a standard of living typical of prehistoric times. Attacking contemporary theories with relish and making use of modern archaeological evidence, he looks at both the wider explanations for the disintegration of the Roman world and also the consequences for the lives of everyday Romans.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
best book ever on Fall of Rome
- By james m. on 01-30-22
-
How the West Really Lost God
- A New Theory of Secularization
- By: Mary Eberstadt
- Narrated by: Nan McNamara
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 26
In this magisterial work, leading cultural critic Mary Eberstadt delivers a powerful new theory about the decline of religion in the Western world. The conventional wisdom is that the West first experienced religious decline, followed by the decline of the family. Eberstadt turns this standard account on its head. Marshalling an impressive array of research, Eberstadt shows that the reverse has also been true: the undermining of the family has further undermined Christianity itself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Compelling theory
- By Chris Trummer on 04-11-23
By: Mary Eberstadt
-
Millennium
- From Religion to Revolution: How Civilization Has Changed over a Thousand Years
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 15 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 81
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 77
In Millennium, best-selling historian Ian Mortimer takes the listener on a whirlwind tour of the last 10 centuries of Western history. It is a journey into a past vividly brought to life and bursting with ideas, that pits one century against another in his quest to measure which century saw the greatest change. We journey from a time when there was a fair chance of your village being burned to the ground by invaders - and dried human dung was a recommended cure for cancer - to a world in which explorers sailed into the unknown and civilizations came into conflict.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Bad ending - literally
- By John Gordon on 12-14-16
By: Ian Mortimer
-
A Short History of Humanity
- A New History of Old Europe
- By: Johannes Krause, Thomas Trappe, Caroline Waight - translator
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 155
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 125
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 126
Johannes Krause is the director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and a brilliant pioneer in the field of archaeogenetics - archaeology augmented by DNA sequencing technology - which has allowed scientists to reconstruct human history reaching back hundreds of thousands of years before recorded time. In this surprising account, Krause and journalist Thomas Trappe rewrite a fascinating chapter of this history, the peopling of Europe, that takes us from the Neanderthals and Denisovans to the present.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not a short history of humanity
- By Brent on 05-02-21
By: Johannes Krause, and others
-
The Human Tide
- How Population Shaped the Modern World
- By: Paul Morland
- Narrated by: Zeb Soanes
- Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
The rise and fall of the British Empire; the emergence of America as a superpower; the ebb and flow of global challenges from Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Soviet Russia. These are the headlines of history, but they cannot be properly grasped without understanding the role that population has played. The Human Tide shows how periods of rapid population transition - a phenomenon that first emerged in the British Isles but gradually spread across the globe - shaped the course of world history.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
dry
- By Ralph C. on 05-02-19
By: Paul Morland
-
Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds
- Ebola and the Ravages of History
- By: Paul Farmer
- Narrated by: Pete Cross
- Length: 22 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 100
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 77
In 2014, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea suffered the worst epidemic of Ebola in history. The brutal virus spread rapidly through a clinical desert, where basic health-care facilities were few and far between. Causing severe loss of life and economic disruption, the Ebola crisis was a major tragedy of modern medicine. But why did it happen, and what can we learn from it?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
CRITICAL LISTENING for 2020!
- By Vin on 11-17-20
By: Paul Farmer
-
Between Hope and Fear
- A History of Vaccines and Human Immunity
- By: Michael Kinch
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 15 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Between Hope and Fear tells the remarkable story of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases and their social and political implications. While detailing the history of vaccine invention, Michael Kinch reveals the ominous reality that our victories against vaccine-preventable diseases are not permanent - and could easily be undone. Between Hope and Fear relates the remarkable intersection of science, technology, and disease that has helped eradicate many of the deadliest plagues known to man.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Enjoyed
- By Minsi Zhang on 05-03-20
By: Michael Kinch
-
Germany
- A Nation in Its Time: Before, During, and After Nationalism, 1500-2000
- By: Helmut Walser Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 20 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 36
For nearly a century, historians have depicted Germany as a rabidly nationalist land, born in a sea of aggression. Not so, says Helmut Walser Smith, who, in this groundbreaking 500-year history, challenges traditional perceptions of Germany's conflicted past, revealing a nation far more thematically complicated than 20th-century historians have imagined.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
review response
- By Matthew and Tracy Johnson on 10-30-21