The Magna Charta

By: James Daugherty

Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the rich turbulence of English history, one day stands magnificently apart: June 15, 1215, the day of the signing of the Magna Charta. On this day, the first blow for English freedom was struck and forever affected the Western world.

Here is the story of three true men, Stephen Langton, Williams Marshall, and Hubert de Burgh, whose heroic deeds are set against those of the ever deceitful and crafty King John.

James Daugherty's narrative is divided into four parts, the first three describing the intriguing development of the Magna Charta itself. The fourth part is titled "Children of the Magna Charta" and subtitled "Milestones that have marked the long road from Magna Charta". In it he describes the rise of other movements that harkened back to the Magna Charta in their claims for freedom and self rule, including the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, the covenant of the League of Nations, the Atlantic Charter, the Charter of the Organization of the American States, and the United Nations Charter.

Newbery Award-winning author James Daugherty gives us the dramatic and sweeping account of this pageantry of history through his inimitable style. This audio edition is sure to thrill and enlighten a new generation of readers.

©1956 James Daugherty (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

A Morality Tale

Not my cup of tea. More of a dramatically narrated propaganda piece, with excessive use of charged words, such as 'Evil' and 'Cowardly' than a thoughtful historical account. Not to fault the narrator for reflecting the tone of the author.

Historically entertaining.

What made the experience of listening to The Magna Charta the most enjoyable?

Well written. It gave me a whole new perspective of how far reaching the Magna Charta actually was as a forunner of the UN charter. Geoffrey Howard's narration made listening quite enjoyable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Magna Charta?

King John's intigues in wanting to hold onto power.

What about Geoffrey Howard’s performance did you like?

Geoffrey Howard's performance made the story come alive. I've always enjoyed hearing him read.

If you could rename The Magna Charta, what would you call it?

Would you rename the Mona Lisa? Thjis book may not be on the same level but why change a title that works? I certainly won't.

Any additional comments?

Audible certainly makes listening to books more enjoyable, especially on long drives.

Narration makes a dull book duller

What would have made The Magna Charta better?

The facts were stated in a clearly biased manner

What could James Daugherty have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Tell the facts as they were without bias toward the church and a lecture in morality.

What didn’t you like about Geoffrey Howard’s performance?

Absolutely painful to listen to. Singsong, emotionless delivery. He sounds like Leslie Howard in Gone with the wind, passionless and condescending to the reader.

What character would you cut from The Magna Charta?

There was no characterization but he could have given more credit to William Marshal's story and less to the manipulative Bishop

Any additional comments?

Horrible. I wish I had my money back.

Two books in one - first great, second poor..

The story of the Magna Charta itself is engrossing and well done. That is the first part of the book and it is great. The latter part, in which the author attempts to show additional steps of the same type as a continuation of the trend begun by the Magna Charta, is a confused and ill-informed failure: a serious disappointment to any student of political history. The narration was excellent throughout.

GREAT listen! Funny, but informative.

This was a really great book. I enjoyed listening to the excellent narration, and the author treated a subject that could have been dull with some good (sometimes sarcastic) humor. Very informative.

Wish he had written more books about history!

History and Legacy at Wiki Speed

The narrator's a bit formal and stilted, but otherwise this is the hard and fast history -- and legacy -- of the Magna Carta (or Charta as they spell it) that needed to be. I listened to this one in honor of the upcoming 800th anniversary of its signing. This one's narrative is written almost like it's an adventure story, which I suppose in a way it is. It's all perspective. For something that packs so much history into a small package, this is a remarkably thorough telling of the story and its players. As with anything, I'd always recommend reading up more on the characters and their larger stories, but considering the focus here, this little audiobook did a remarkable job.

Good until Part 4

The early part of the book was interesting and generally accurate with little bias. We were really enjoying it. I love William Marshall and was excited that he was talked about in the book. Then we got to Part 4 and the American history. It had so much bias and was such a bunch of crap it was painful to listen to.

Dull and Boring

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Maybe a pedantic scholar somewhere will enjoy it.

Would you be willing to try another book from James Daugherty? Why or why not?

Very unlikely. I listen to audiobooks in the car on my commute and this one kept putting me to sleep. It almost killed me.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He sounds like he's reading it to a 4 year old.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I'm just glad it was a short introduction. I can hardly imagine what the author would do in a detailed account. Excruciating minutiae abounds in this introduction...

Any additional comments?

As an armchair archaeologist, I expected an at least an interesting story. Instead it sounded like one dull scholar writing for others of the same ilk. I'm not looking for Indiana Jones adventures but this certainly pegged the opposite end of the scale.

An awesome story book

I really in joyed the narrator and the setting of the book and I love the characters and I like the whole story of the Magna Carta with king John

History is loved

Loved it. Great book to follow and get time line. Has an amazing time line conical order.

Nationalistic fairytales by children's author

Audible stuck this in the history section, but it is written by an author/illustrator of children's books. It is also very dated, decades old (1954).

Keeping that in mind: This is a feel good history book for English kids. If you want a nationalistic slant and a patriotic tale about how wonderful the country and its people were, listen. It is very simplistic and once you realize it is a children's book it makes much more sense.

It's not real history however. The facts could be easily gleaned from Wikipedia, the rest is a fictional novel. It is the author projecting and interpreting without any academic backup. I am not surprised some reviews just love that 'feel good gosh we were great' sentiment. For anyone else I recommend you read some books written by actual historians. Or authors that have at least researched some more.

A word of advice for the reviewer who thought this was a great novel that accurately portrays this time period and connected it to 'our freedoms are taken awayyyyy right now toooo!" and how 'history in school has been worped' (spelling his not mine): Next time just google the author before you commit to the book, and you will be able to discern between a children's author and someone who has actually studied the time period. As an extra hint: The 'Newebery award' that the author won is for children's literature.

As a children's book it is fine, I think. Just treat it as such.

Must read

Must read for this day and age where freedoms are being taken away from under our noses in the form of safety. Also explains alot of how school and instutionalised education have worped history.

Listened to this a few years ago.

Can't believe I didn't review it back then. Really good. I often think about it. Really want to listen to it again and have my kids listen to it. Well recommended.

21/02/2019 Listened to it again. Really good. Now to get the kids to listen to it.

uneasy mix of fact and fantasy

Okay, at first... but then we have a rambling section on Robin Hood told as fact. Fantasy and facts are muddled, and all those real facts are the basics that can be found on Wikipedia with no attempt at analysis, interpretation or intellectual addition by the author. The author frequently strays into novella, describing, for example, how King John's eyes flashed green as he clasped his long fingers... these imaginative flights of fancy are utterly pointless, useless and weird. The best thing about this book is the clear narrator - pity he's reading such bad material.
Altogether, if it was an A-Level history essay, I'd give it a C.