-
The Compleat Gentleman
- The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $20.97
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jon Meacham
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
-
-
A Superficial Read
- By Gordon Shumway on 10-06-16
By: Jon Meacham
-
Animal Farm
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture, quoted so often that we tend to forget who wrote the original words! This must-read is also a must-listen!
-
-
If you hate spoilers, save the intro for last.
- By Dusty on 02-18-11
By: George Orwell
-
The Fountainhead
- By: Ayn Rand
- Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
- Length: 32 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the 20th century's most challenging novels of ideas, The Fountainhead champions the cause of individualism through the story of a gifted young architect who defies the tyranny of conventional public opinion. The struggle for personal integrity in a world that values conformity above creativity is powerfully illustrated through three characters: Howard Roarke, a genius; Gail Wynand, a newspaper mogul and self-made millionaire; and Dominique Francon, a devastating beauty.
-
-
Powerful
- By Eric Pietz on 07-25-09
By: Ayn Rand
-
Alan Turing: The Enigma
- By: Andrew Hodges
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.
-
-
Very technical but informative and well performed
- By Pieter Reyneke on 04-24-15
By: Andrew Hodges
-
12 Rules for Life
- An Antidote to Chaos
- By: Jordan B. Peterson, Norman Doidge MD - foreword
- Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research. Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.
-
-
Fairly religious view toward the "Rules for Life"
- By Amazon Customer on 02-09-20
By: Jordan B. Peterson, and others
-
Cosmos
- A Personal Voyage
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: LeVar Burton, Seth MacFarlane, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cosmos is one of the bestselling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space.
-
-
Great except for the narration
- By Deb JOHNSON on 10-03-17
By: Carl Sagan
-
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
- By: Jon Meacham
- Narrated by: Edward Herrmann, Jon Meacham
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this magnificent biography, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of American Lion and Franklin and Winston brings vividly to life an extraordinary man and his remarkable times. Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power gives us Jefferson the politician and president, a great and complex human being forever engaged in the wars of his era. Philosophers think; politicians maneuver. Jefferson’s genius was that he was both and could do both, often simultaneously. Such is the art of power.
-
-
A Superficial Read
- By Gordon Shumway on 10-06-16
By: Jon Meacham
-
Animal Farm
- By: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
George Orwell's classic satire of the Russian Revolution is an intimate part of our contemporary culture, quoted so often that we tend to forget who wrote the original words! This must-read is also a must-listen!
-
-
If you hate spoilers, save the intro for last.
- By Dusty on 02-18-11
By: George Orwell
-
The Fountainhead
- By: Ayn Rand
- Narrated by: Christopher Hurt
- Length: 32 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the 20th century's most challenging novels of ideas, The Fountainhead champions the cause of individualism through the story of a gifted young architect who defies the tyranny of conventional public opinion. The struggle for personal integrity in a world that values conformity above creativity is powerfully illustrated through three characters: Howard Roarke, a genius; Gail Wynand, a newspaper mogul and self-made millionaire; and Dominique Francon, a devastating beauty.
-
-
Powerful
- By Eric Pietz on 07-25-09
By: Ayn Rand
-
Alan Turing: The Enigma
- By: Andrew Hodges
- Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 30 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This classic biography of the founder of computer science, reissued on the centenary of his birth with a substantial new preface by the author, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.
-
-
Very technical but informative and well performed
- By Pieter Reyneke on 04-24-15
By: Andrew Hodges
-
12 Rules for Life
- An Antidote to Chaos
- By: Jordan B. Peterson, Norman Doidge MD - foreword
- Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
- Length: 15 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
What does everyone in the modern world need to know? Renowned psychologist Jordan B. Peterson's answer to this most difficult of questions uniquely combines the hard-won truths of ancient tradition with the stunning revelations of cutting-edge scientific research. Humorous, surprising, and informative, Dr. Peterson tells us why skateboarding boys and girls must be left alone, what terrible fate awaits those who criticize too easily, and why you should always pet a cat when you meet one on the street.
-
-
Fairly religious view toward the "Rules for Life"
- By Amazon Customer on 02-09-20
By: Jordan B. Peterson, and others
-
Cosmos
- A Personal Voyage
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: LeVar Burton, Seth MacFarlane, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and others
- Length: 14 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cosmos is one of the bestselling science books of all time. In clear-eyed prose, Sagan reveals a jewel-like blue world inhabited by a life form that is just beginning to discover its own identity and to venture into the vast ocean of space.
-
-
Great except for the narration
- By Deb JOHNSON on 10-03-17
By: Carl Sagan
-
Resilience
- Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life
- By: Eric Greitens
- Narrated by: Eric Greitens
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You cannot bounce back from hardship. You can only move through it. There is a path through pain to wisdom, through suffering to strength, and through fear to courage if we have the virtue of resilience. In 2012, Eric Greitens unexpectedly heard from a former SEAL comrade, a brother-in-arms he hadn’t seen in a decade. Zach Walker had been one of the toughest of the tough. But ever since he returned home from war to his young family in a small logging town, he’d been struggling. Without a sense of purpose, plagued by PTSD, and masking his pain with heavy drinking, he needed help. Zach and Eric started writing and talking nearly every day, as Eric set down his thoughts on what it takes to build resilience in our lives.
-
-
Nice Story, but a lot of Repetition in all 3 books
- By Robert on 06-01-17
By: Eric Greitens
-
Tribe
- On Homecoming and Belonging
- By: Sebastian Junger
- Narrated by: Sebastian Junger
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Decades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians - but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life.
-
-
The most profound book on the subject
- By joseph on 05-26-16
By: Sebastian Junger
-
Maps of Meaning
- By: Jordan B. Peterson
- Narrated by: Jordan B. Peterson
- Length: 30 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the author of 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos comes a provocative hypothesis that explores the connection between what modern neuropsychology tells us about the brain and what rituals, myths, and religious stories have long narrated. A cutting-edge work that brings together neuropsychology, cognitive science, and Freudian and Jungian approaches to mythology and narrative, Maps of Meaning presents a rich theory that makes the wisdom and meaning of myth accessible to the critical modern mind.
-
-
The lectures are many times better
- By Katarina on 04-13-19
-
Guns, Germs and Steel
- The Fate of Human Societies
- By: Jared Diamond
- Narrated by: Doug Ordunio
- Length: 16 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Having done field work in New Guinea for more than 30 years, Jared Diamond presents the geographical and ecological factors that have shaped the modern world. From the viewpoint of an evolutionary biologist, he highlights the broadest movements both literal and conceptual on every continent since the Ice Age, and examines societal advances such as writing, religion, government, and technology.
-
-
Great book, poor narration
- By Nick M. on 03-27-16
By: Jared Diamond
-
Atlas Shrugged
- By: Ayn Rand
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 62 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts? In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, one man sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike.
-
-
Good with some caveats
- By Mike M on 09-09-12
By: Ayn Rand
-
Brave New World
- By: Aldous Huxley
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity.
Cloning, feel-good drugs, anti-aging programs, and total social control through politics, programming, and media: has Aldous Huxley accurately predicted our future? With a storyteller's genius, he weaves these ethical controversies in a compelling narrative that dawns in the year 632 A.F. (After Ford, the deity). When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity.
-
-
Michael York should stick to the stage and leave narration to the pros.
- By SD on 08-21-19
By: Aldous Huxley
-
How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life
- An Unexpected Guide to Human Nature and Happiness
- By: Russ Roberts
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life, Roberts examines Smith’s forgotten masterpiece, and finds a treasure trove of timeless, practical wisdom. Smith’s insights into human nature are just as relevant today as they were 300 years ago. What does it take to be truly happy? Should we pursue fame and fortune or the respect of our friends and family? How can we make the world a better place?
-
-
Hard to distinguish Roberts from Smith in reading
- By Amazing Customer on 03-31-15
By: Russ Roberts
-
The Consolations of Philosophy
- By: Alain de Botton
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alain de Botton has performed a stunning feat: He has transformed arcane philosophy into something accessible and entertaining, useful and kind. Drawing on the work of six of the world's most brilliant thinkers, de Botton has arranged a panoply of wisdom to guide us through our most common problems.
-
-
Cheering, empathic, helpful
- By Austin on 11-11-09
By: Alain de Botton
-
Modern Man in Search of a Soul
- By: Carl Jung
- Narrated by: Christopher Prince
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Modern Man in Search of a Soul is the classic introduction to the thought of Carl Jung. Along with Freud and Adler, Jung was one of the chief founders of modern psychiatry. In this book, Jung examines some of the most contested and crucial areas in the field of analytical psychology: dream analysis, the primitive unconscious, and the relationship between psychology and religion.
-
-
WOW ... why wasn't I exposed to Jung much earlier?
- By PNW Prime on 12-17-15
By: Carl Jung
-
On the Shortness of Life
- By: Lucius Seneca
- Narrated by: Clint Arthur
- Length: 1 hr and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The majority of mortals, Paulinus, complain bitterly of the spitefulness of Nature, because we are born for a brief span of life, because even this space that has been granted to us rushes by so speedily and so swiftly that all save a very few find life at an end just when they are getting ready to live. Nor is it merely the common herd and the unthinking crowd that bemoan what is, as men deem it, an universal ill; the same feeling has called forth complaint also from men who were famous.
-
-
Excellent short read on the shortness of life!
- By Amazon Customer on 11-19-15
By: Lucius Seneca
-
The Demon-Haunted World
- Science as a Candle in the Dark
- By: Carl Sagan
- Narrated by: Cary Elwes, Seth MacFarlane
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How can we make intelligent decisions about our increasingly technology-driven lives if we don’t understand the difference between the myths of pseudoscience and the testable hypotheses of science? Pulitzer Prize-winning author and distinguished astronomer Carl Sagan argues that scientific thinking is critical not only to the pursuit of truth but to the very well-being of our democratic institutions.
-
-
Absolutely, one of my favorite books to date!
- By CuddyWifter on 01-27-19
By: Carl Sagan
-
The Prince
- By: Niccolo Machiavelli
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From his perspective in Renaissance Italy, Machiavelli's aim in this classic work was to resolve conflict with the ruling prince, Lorenzo de Medici. Machiavelli based his insights on the way people really are rather than an ideal of how they should be. This is the world's most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince, a king, or a president.
-
-
The problem with Machiavelli is that he is right.
- By Michael on 11-17-16
Publisher's Summary
Despite our confusion, real manhood is not complicated. It is an ancient ideal based on service to one's God, country, family, and friends, a simple but arduous ideal worthy of a lifetime of struggle.
Miner's gentleman stands out for his dignity, restraint, and discernment. He rejects the notion that one way of behaving is as good as another. He belongs to an aristocracy of virtue, not of wealth or birth. Proposing neither a club nor a movement, Miner describes a lofty code of manly conduct, which, far from threatening democracy, is necessary for its survival.
Miner traces the concept of manliness from the jousting fields of the 12th century to the decks of the Titanic. The three masculine archetypes that emerge, the warrior, the lover, and the monk, combine in the character of the "compleat gentleman". This modern knight cultivates a martial spirit in defense of the true and the beautiful. He treats the opposite sex with the passionate respect required by courtly love. And he values learning in the pursuit of truth, all with the discretion, decorum, and nonchalance that the Renaissance called sprezzatura.
The Compleat Gentleman is filled with examples from the past and the present of the man our increasingly uncivilized age demands.
Critic Reviews
"What can the word 'gentleman' have to do with 21st-century America? A lot....Miner writes with wit and charm." (Wall Street Journal)
"In erudite and witty prose, Miner explores these three facets of his concept of the gentleman through an engaging survey of knighthood, warfare and courtship....Miner's theories are consistently entertaining." (Publishers Weekly)
More from the same
What listeners say about The Compleat Gentleman
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Eric
- 06-29-05
Good argument (with a single near-fatal flaw)
This book is a joy to read for anyone longing to escape the confines of our decadent culture. The history of gentlemanliness, chivalry, courtship, and honor that comprises the first portion of the book is sound and thorough enough, but the point of this text comes toward the end, where Miner explains what it is to be a gentleman in today?s society. He shows how it is possible and gives examples of modern day gentlemen (largely centered around the military and the heroes of 9/11).
The argument for chivalry stumbles when the author tries to make a case for martial combat. Simply, our age cannot condone martial combat because technology has eliminated the possibility of honorable combat. School shootings and the prospect of nuclear war are proof that we should find a better outlet for physical prowess. Sport is the closest thing I can think of, but it is not mentioned in the book.
The big problem with Miner?s examination is his exaltation of coolness. The way he puts it, cool (sprezzatura) is the ultimate aim of the gentleman. And while a solid case can be made for sprezzatura, coolness means nonchalance and insouciance, and those things do not always lead to refinement and excellence. Indeed, coolness is the primary aim of our culture these days and it leads directly to all the problems that Miner is trying to correct with the compleat gentleman.
It is a fine collection of refreshing ideas and is well worth the read despite its near-fatal flaw. The author is diligent in locating the source of words and ideas and it is worth the read just to know where the word ?romance? came from. Ultimately, the book will probably add some energy to the growing movement toward a more civilized society.
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Troy
- 01-30-13
A Quality Study for the Morally-Minded
In stark contrast to The Knight's Code by Robert Noland (which I also reviewed), this book is exactly what I hoped it would be. Without any religious agenda, the author extrapolates the finer points behind the concept of chivalry, traces how it evolved through the ages, and gives the reader a means by which to apply such things to life in the modern politically-correct world. As one who tries to live by a chivalric code, I found that a great many ideas here resonated with what I already understood, and many more ideas helped to build upon gaps in my understanding and appreciation. The history is interesting and accurate to the best of my knowledge, serving to facilitate the evolution of the gentlemanly mindset without alienating the reader or scaring him away. I learned plenty along the way to supplement my previous knowledge, so that's always a plus. As with any book of this nature, the information is only a curiosity unless applied, and if the reader is willing to apply the ideas within, this book could be a transformative experience... but only the reader can determine the fullness of that claim for himself.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 05-30-05
Being a gentleman is living a tradition
This book is far more than a manners guide. It speaks deeply to the largely Western traditions of honor, valor, consideration for others, and yes, manners and the special care for women. These things are skipped over in schools today, to our diminishment. The world would be a better place if men strove more towards becoming gentlemen.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Peter
- 04-12-05
Not what I expected, either
This is a book that all liberals need to read. It provides an infusion of strength and purpose. The author is certainly not a hippie, but neither is he neo-conservative. He doesn't glorify violence, but he does preach conviction and dedication, and he acknowledges that as long as there are things worth fighting for, you'd better be prepared to fight. There's a big difference between standing up for what's right and just waxing philosophic about "the way things ought to be", and we liberals have largely forgotten that. This book is a much-needed wakeup call.
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- gordon berry
- 07-10-21
I am simply completely underwhelmed & bored
Mr. Miner,
There was no reason to write this book. Period
Mind numbing boring, redundant, pintless and irrelevant to the subject.
No , I have know why this book is useful. If one cannot find a Xanax, a valium or sleeping pills...just listen to the drone of the narrator with the contents of the text. you will be OUT like a light.
I detest the time I wasted on this ridiculous novel..
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- G. Rodriguez
- 05-26-21
Couldn’t make it past chapter 3
Brad miner attempts to use Robert Greene’s style of history and story. It is a week attempt. The book flows more like a history lesson than a gentleman handbook.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brian Welliver
- 03-24-21
Seems too short because it's so good!
I am not a gentleman yet, though growing up I had a respect for classical characters in fiction that were gentlemanly, but I am going to be one after this book. It makes you think about how you live your life, and brought to mind many mistakes I've made, and made sense to me just where I went wrong. I am thirty-six years old and it is never too late to strive to be a gentleman. Sometimes I think the author doesn't explain well enough why someone he disagrees with is wrong. I think he misses some chances to make a point more thought provoking. But on the whole, I am greatly moved by the book. Eleanor of Aquitaine was a surprisingly fresh find for me in it. I was moved by her life, and only mention it now to showcase how the historical matter is worthwhile just for itself in this book. Good job, Mr. Miner!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alex White
- 10-25-20
The more men read this, the better our future
In a fast changing world dominated by liberal ideas, and a great deal of man hating, it is fantastic to be reminded of what a gentleman really is and had been.
The writing is excellent and narration perfect for the content.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- daniel van niekerk
- 02-08-17
a need for every man to read/listen
i loved it and it gave me new insight in the role of the man in the society.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- dustin
- 09-30-16
History and definition of the gentleman.
If you could sum up The Compleat Gentleman in three words, what would they be?
History. Definition. Guide.
Any additional comments?
The book is a great history and definition of the gentleman for men who are constantly aspiring to grow and improve. My wife and I listened this book and enjoyed and learned from it.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Cd6
- 02-07-14
Pure manliness information
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
The narrator and the author are perfect, I believe this is a far better read as an audio book
Any additional comments?
A book about being a real man, no rules of how to make other people feel happy , full of useful insights into how all men should carry them selves in the world. Love it
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nic Bevan
- 11-11-20
Rewrite
Lots of material from other books. Nothing original no real depth or breadth , I was disappointed
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Haidyn
- 01-12-20
Brilliant
This book can only be bought by those of whom it is given to do so