-
The Map Thief
- The Gripping Story of an Esteemed Rare-Map Dealer Who Made Millions Stealing Priceless Maps
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- 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 $24.35
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Confident Women
- Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion
- By: Tori Telfer
- Narrated by: Jaime Lamchick
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Elizabeth Holmes and Anna Delvey to Frank Abagnale and Charles Ponzi, audacious scams and charismatic scammers continue to intrigue us as a culture. As Tori Telfer reveals in Confident Women, the art of the con has a long and venerable tradition, and its female practitioners are some of the best - or worst.
-
-
Fun stories of bad girls
- By Clive Hazell on 04-26-21
By: Tori Telfer
-
North by Shakespeare
- A Rogue Scholar's Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard's Work
- By: Michael Blanding
- Narrated by: Will Collyer
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A work of gripping nonfiction, North by Shakespeare presents the twinning narratives of rogue scholar Dennis McCarthy, called "the Steve Jobs of the Shakespeare community", and Sir Thomas North, an Elizabethan courtier whom McCarthy believes to be the undiscovered source for Shakespeare's plays.
-
-
An exciting investigative adventure
- By Derek Hunter on 10-29-21
By: Michael Blanding
-
The Medici
- Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning, Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence as well as the Italian Renaissance, which they did so much to sponsor and encourage. Interwoven into the narrative are the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola.
-
-
Fun Story Bad History
- By Elizabeth Barrett on 05-09-16
By: Paul Strathern
-
The Accursed Tower
- The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: Matt Kugler
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.Â
-
-
Another great book by Roger Crowley
- By tp on 03-13-20
By: Roger Crowley
-
Money
- The True Story of a Made-Up Thing
- By: Jacob Goldstein
- Narrated by: Jacob Goldstein
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The cohost of the popular NPR podcast Planet Money provides a well-researched, entertaining, somewhat irreverent look at how money is a made-up thing that has evolved over time to suit humanity's changing needs. Â
-
-
Borrow and print your way into prosperity.
- By Pete on 04-16-21
By: Jacob Goldstein
-
Stampede
- Gold Fever and Disaster in the Klondike
- By: Brian Castner
- Narrated by: Brian Castner
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gripping and wholly original account of the epic human tragedy that was the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. One hundred thousand men and women rushed heedlessly north to make their fortunes; very few did, but many thousands of them died in the attempt. The unvarnished tale of this mass migration is always striking, revealing the amazing truth of what people will do for a chance to be rich.
-
-
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes Still Don't Work
- By Renee Quistorf on 10-29-21
By: Brian Castner
-
Confident Women
- Swindlers, Grifters, and Shapeshifters of the Feminine Persuasion
- By: Tori Telfer
- Narrated by: Jaime Lamchick
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From Elizabeth Holmes and Anna Delvey to Frank Abagnale and Charles Ponzi, audacious scams and charismatic scammers continue to intrigue us as a culture. As Tori Telfer reveals in Confident Women, the art of the con has a long and venerable tradition, and its female practitioners are some of the best - or worst.
-
-
Fun stories of bad girls
- By Clive Hazell on 04-26-21
By: Tori Telfer
-
North by Shakespeare
- A Rogue Scholar's Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard's Work
- By: Michael Blanding
- Narrated by: Will Collyer
- Length: 15 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A work of gripping nonfiction, North by Shakespeare presents the twinning narratives of rogue scholar Dennis McCarthy, called "the Steve Jobs of the Shakespeare community", and Sir Thomas North, an Elizabethan courtier whom McCarthy believes to be the undiscovered source for Shakespeare's plays.
-
-
An exciting investigative adventure
- By Derek Hunter on 10-29-21
By: Michael Blanding
-
The Medici
- Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning, Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence as well as the Italian Renaissance, which they did so much to sponsor and encourage. Interwoven into the narrative are the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola.
-
-
Fun Story Bad History
- By Elizabeth Barrett on 05-09-16
By: Paul Strathern
-
The Accursed Tower
- The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: Matt Kugler
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.Â
-
-
Another great book by Roger Crowley
- By tp on 03-13-20
By: Roger Crowley
-
Money
- The True Story of a Made-Up Thing
- By: Jacob Goldstein
- Narrated by: Jacob Goldstein
- Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The cohost of the popular NPR podcast Planet Money provides a well-researched, entertaining, somewhat irreverent look at how money is a made-up thing that has evolved over time to suit humanity's changing needs. Â
-
-
Borrow and print your way into prosperity.
- By Pete on 04-16-21
By: Jacob Goldstein
-
Stampede
- Gold Fever and Disaster in the Klondike
- By: Brian Castner
- Narrated by: Brian Castner
- Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A gripping and wholly original account of the epic human tragedy that was the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98. One hundred thousand men and women rushed heedlessly north to make their fortunes; very few did, but many thousands of them died in the attempt. The unvarnished tale of this mass migration is always striking, revealing the amazing truth of what people will do for a chance to be rich.
-
-
Get-Rich-Quick Schemes Still Don't Work
- By Renee Quistorf on 10-29-21
By: Brian Castner
-
The Animal Dialogues
- Uncommon Encounters in the Wild
- By: Craig Childs
- Narrated by: Craig Childs
- Length: 10 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Animal Dialogues tells of Craig Childs' own chilling experiences among the grizzlies of the Arctic, sharks off the coast of British Columbia and in the turquoise waters of Central America, jaguars in the bush of northern Mexico, mountain lions, elk, Bighorn Sheep, and others. More than chilling, however, these stories are lyrical, enchanting, and reach beyond what one commonly assumes an "animal story" is or should be. The Animal Dialogues is a book about another world that exists alongside our own.
-
-
detailed and unusual descriptions of animals
- By Renate on 01-13-22
By: Craig Childs
-
The Modern Scholar: The Lost Warriors of God
- The True History of the Knights Templar
- By: Professor Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Professor Thomas F. Madden
- Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Professor Thomas F. Madden is a widely published author and the director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. In The Lost Warriors of God, Madden examines one of the most fascinating organizations in world history: the Knights Templar, whose members gave up home, family, and worldly possessions to defend the Holy Land and the Christian pilgrims who journeyed there.
-
-
Amazing and TRUE! No more conspiracy theories.
- By LH on 05-18-15
-
The Feather Thief
- Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
- By: Kirk Wallace Johnson
- Narrated by: MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On a cool June evening in 2009, after performing a concert at London's Royal Academy of Music, 20-year-old American flautist Edwin Rist boarded a train for a suburban outpost of the British Museum of Natural History. Home to one of the largest ornithological collections in the world, the Tring museum was full of rare bird specimens whose gorgeous feathers were worth staggering amounts of money to the men who shared Edwin's obsession: the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying. Once inside the museum, the champion fly-tier grabbed hundreds of bird skins - some collected 150 years earlier.
-
-
Unusual and true natural history mystery!
- By Sylvia on 04-28-18
-
The Gardner Heist
- The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft
- By: Ulrich Boser
- Narrated by: Stephen Graybill
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After the death of famed art detective Harold Smith, reporter Ulrich Boser decided to take up the case. Exploring Smith's unfinished leads, Boser travels deep into the art underworld and comes across a remarkable cast of characters, including a brilliant rock 'n' roll thief, a gangster who professes his innocence in rhyming verse, and the enigmatic late Boston heiress Isabella Stewart Gardner herself. Boser becomes increasingly obsessed with the case and eventually uncovers startling new evidence about the identities of the thieves.
-
-
Loved it!
- By Amanda D. on 05-21-19
By: Ulrich Boser
-
The Disappearing Spoon
- And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements
- By: Sam Kean
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Reporter Sam Kean reveals the periodic table as it’s never been seen before. Not only is it one of man's crowning scientific achievements, it's also a treasure trove of stories of passion, adventure, betrayal, and obsession. The infectious tales and astounding details in The Disappearing Spoon follow carbon, neon, silicon, and gold as they play out their parts in human history, finance, mythology, war, the arts, poison, and the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.
-
-
Great Book, Great Narration, But...
- By Henny Button on 09-18-10
By: Sam Kean
-
Provenance
- How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art
- By: Laney Salisbury, Aly Sujo
- Narrated by: Marty Peterson
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is a tautly paced investigation of one the 20th century's most audacious art frauds, which generated hundreds of forgeries - many of them still hanging in prominent museums and private collections today. Provenance is the extraordinary narrative of one of the most far-reaching and elaborate deceptions in art history.
-
-
reads like a thriller
- By Andy on 04-26-10
By: Laney Salisbury, and others
-
Down the Great Unknown
- John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon
- By: Edward Dolnick
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On May 24, 1869 a one-armed Civil War veteran, John Wesley Powell, and a ragtag band of nine mountain men embarked on the last great quest in the American West. The Grand Canyon, not explored before, was as mysterious as Atlantis - and as perilous. The 10 men set out from Green River Station, Wyoming Territory, down the Colorado in four wooden rowboats. Ninety-nine days later, six half-starved wretches came ashore near Callville, Arizona.
-
-
Modern references take away
- By HC-2 NAS Norfolk '92 on 08-17-19
By: Edward Dolnick
-
Priceless
- How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures
- By: Robert K. Wittman, John Shiffman
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rising from humble roots as the son of an antique dealer, Wittman built a 20-year career that was nothing short of extraordinary. He went undercover, usually unarmed, to catch art thieves, scammers, and black market traders in Paris and Philadelphia, Rio and Santa Fe, Miami and Madrid. In this compelling memoir, Wittman fascinates with the stories behind his recoveries of priceless art and antiquities.
-
-
Think carefully before buying
- By John S. on 01-15-11
By: Robert K. Wittman, and others
-
The Last Emperor of Mexico
- The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World
- By: Edward Shawcross
- Narrated by: Gustavo Rex
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and their entourage arrived in a Mexico ruled by terror, where revolutionary fervor was barely suppressed by French troops. When the United States, now clear of its own Civil War, aided the rebels in pushing back Maximilian’s imperial soldiers, the French army withdrew, abandoning the young couple. The regime fell apart.Â
-
-
Excellent
- By Kyle P. Dalton on 03-24-22
By: Edward Shawcross
-
The Boer War
- By: Martin Bossenbroek
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Boer War, winner of the Netherland's 2013 Libris History Prize and shortlisted for the 2013 AKO Literature Prize, the author brings a completely new perspective to this chapter of South African history, critically examining the involvement of the Netherlands in the war. Furthermore, unlike other accounts, Martin Bossenbroek explores the war primarily through the experiences of three men uniquely active during the bloody conflict.
-
-
Interesting and engaging view of the War
- By Douglas on 04-17-18
-
The Last Leonardo
- The Secret Lives of the World's Most Expensive Painting
- By: Ben Lewis
- Narrated by: Peter Noble
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2017, Leonardo da Vinci’s small oil painting the Salvator Mundi was sold at auction. In the words of its discoverer, the image of Christ as savior of the world is “the rarest thing on the planet.” Its $450 million sale price also makes it the world’s most expensive painting. For two centuries, art dealers had searched in vain for the Holy Grail of art history: a portrait of Christ as the Salvator Mundi by Leonardo da Vinci. Many similar paintings of greatly varying quality had been executed by Leonardo’s assistants in the early 16th century.
-
-
Definitely makes you think.
- By John Galt on 04-20-21
By: Ben Lewis
-
A Place for Everything
- The Curious History of Alphabetical Order
- By: Judith Flanders
- Narrated by: Julia Winwood
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From a New York Times best-selling historian comes the story of how the alphabet ordered our world. A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification.
-
-
You have to love library science
- By A. Yoshida on 10-23-21
By: Judith Flanders
Publisher's Summary
Maps have long exerted a special fascination on viewers - both as beautiful works of art and as practical tools to navigate the world. But to those who collect them, the map trade can be a cutthroat business, inhabited by quirky and sometimes disreputable characters in search of a finite number of extremely rare objects.
Once considered a respectable antiquarian map dealer, E. Forbes Smiley spent years doubling as a map thief - until he was finally arrested slipping maps out of books in the Yale University library. The Map Thief delves into the untold history of this fascinating high-stakes criminal and the inside story of the industry that consumed him. Acclaimed reporter Michael Blanding has interviewed all the key players in this stranger-than-fiction story, and shares the fascinating histories of maps that charted the New World, and how they went from being practical instruments to quirky heirlooms to highly coveted objects. Though pieces of the map theft story have been written before, Blanding is the first reporter to explore the story in full - and had the rare privilege of having access to Smiley himself after he'd gone silent in the wake of his crimes. Moreover, although Smiley swears he has admitted to all of the maps he stole, libraries claim he stole hundreds more - and offer intriguing clues to prove it. Now, through a series of exclusive interviews with Smiley and other key individuals, Blanding teases out an astonishing tale of destruction and redemption. The Map Thief interweaves Smiley's escapades with the stories of the explorers and mapmakers he knew better than anyone. Tracking a series of thefts as brazen as the art heists in Provenance and a subculture as obsessive as the oenophiles in The Billionaire's Vinegar, Blanding has pieced together an unforgettable story of high-stakes crime.
Critic Reviews
More from the same
What listeners say about The Map Thief
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carole T.
- 12-10-14
A Study of the Strangeness of People
This is a fascinating listen! You might think map collectors and dealers just couldn't be all that interesting, but you would be wrong.
Anyone who has poured over a map on the fly leaves of a book or noticed the beauty of a colorful map will appreciate the subject matter here. There's a lot of surprisingly enlightening information about the history and artistry of map making around the world. Listening while on road trips, my husband and I found ourselves learning a lot and enjoying the process.
But this is not a book just about maps. It's primarily about people and their odd, odd ways. Forbes Smiley is the map collector, student, dealer, and, finally, thief. He's a complicated man - one who can love maps and the libraries which harbor them while, at the same time, consistently stealing for personal gain from the institutions and people who trust him.
It's also about the incredible lack of records and security in rare book libraries and archives. About the defensiveness of university and public library officials who fear losing prospective donations so much that they fail to report thefts from their collections. About collectors and dealers who eagerly snap up maps which they well know may be stolen. About the distinction between "fine art" and these lovely antique maps and atlases - and the discrepancy between punishments for criminals involved in stealing them.
This book is about a lot. I think just about anyone will like it!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- The Louligan
- 10-19-14
AN OPPORTUNITY WASTED!
GRIPPING?!? I don't think so! This is probably the most boring book I've ever listened to. This was an opportunity wasted by the author. A little-known subject matter which COULD have made a great story. All I got was a greedy privileged man who thought he was above the law. When caught, Edward Smiley got sentenced for a white-collar crime. Yet, he stole valuable antique maps with the "mens rea" of a street thug. Cat burglars, jewel thieves and even map thieves should be charming and charismatic. Smiley had the personality of a box of wood chips! Author Michael Blanding does nothing to raise this subject and this sociopath to the level of any intelligent person's interest.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Andy
- 06-19-14
with a little charm, you can rob almost anyone
Great recap of how Mr. Smiley navigated his way from scholarly research of old maps into stealing them, in an effort to support his lifestyle.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles M. Wyzanski
- 08-19-14
The value of maps--monetarily and otherwise
Would you listen to The Map Thief again? Why?
I won't want to hear the book again but I would like to skim the hard copy, particularly if there are any photographs of the various characters depicted.
What other book might you compare The Map Thief to and why?
Like the excellent "Hanns and Rudolph" book, this is an exploration of evil. Contrary to Hannah Arendt, I would say it is not so much banal as multifaceted.
What about Sean Runnette’s performance did you like?
The narrator has a very pleasant and precise delivery that serves to greatly enhance the pleasure of the book.
Any additional comments?
The book could be somewhat condensed but its pace and the narrator make the book a pleasure nonetheless.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bruce Derflinger
- 12-15-14
Doesn't live up to the hype.
This was sold as an adventure story and it was a dry documentary. I did learn a great deal about early map making and the past and present values (both directionally and monetary) of these works of 15th to 18th century mapmakers. But exciting; only to a student of cartography, topographical history buff, or to someone who had acquired maps from the main character and just found out that they had purchased purloined papers.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Blythe
- 04-29-16
Dry but interesting
The story of map dealer turned map thief Edward Forbes Smiley, intertwined with much general information about the history of maps and the world of map collections. Well told and well researched, though at times a bit dry. If maps interest you at all this is definitely a book for you. If not, your mileage may vary. I found it interesting, but wouldn't reread.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- D. Cadigan
- 04-01-16
Should refund for the narration.
Story was a bit heavy on history of certain maps and lean on the actual "map thief". It was painful to listen to. Could not return the book as bought as a 3 for price of 2 promo. Although the narrator reads well, he has a significant speech impediment which is beyond annoying throughout the book. Most "s" at word ends become "esches". Picture yourself paying to listen to a "schtory" about "bookshs and mapshs" for 7 hours. Audible should refund.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Typical17
- 12-15-14
Map lore, singsong narration
What did you like best about The Map Thief? What did you like least?
As noted by other reviews, the map lore overtook the story, and read in a rather singsong voice, it lead to lack of interest rather than learning.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- TM
- 12-11-14
Got Me All Excited About Maps
Any additional comments?
A juicy inside account of the fall from grace of a world renowned map dealer. Moments of suspense, nuggets of very interesting history of early explorers and map makers.
Well worth a listen. Certainly inspired my own interest in the intricacies and quirks of historic maps.
Well written and well read.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- danny lawrence
- 11-30-14
Only the maps were interesting
Very little value to this story. I did find the background stories of some of the maps he stole to be interesting, but not enough to make this book worthwhile. The thief was a privileged, greedy, destructive individual who put his financial status ahead of the preservation of these maps for all to enjoy. No sympathy for this guy at all. His destruction of these old works of art for his own personal gain is unforgivable. The entire story left a bad taste that I just cant get over.
1 person found this helpful
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Know This
- Today's Most Interesting and Important Scientific Ideas, Discoveries, and Developments
- By: John Brockman
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Dan John Miller
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scientific developments radically alter our understanding of the world. Whether it's technology, climate change, health research, or the latest revelations of neuroscience, physics, or psychology, science has, as Edge editor John Brockman says, "become a big story, if not the big story". In that spirit this new addition to Edge.org's fascinating series asks a powerful and provocative question: What do you consider the most interesting and important recent scientific news?
-
-
Pete and Repeat and Re-repeat
- By Daniel L on 02-25-18
By: John Brockman
-
Human Errors
- A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes
- By: Nathan H. Lents
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We humans like to think of ourselves as highly evolved creatures. But if we are supposedly evolution's greatest creation, why do we have such bad knees? Why do we catch head colds so often - 200 times more often than a dog does? How come our wrists have so many useless bones? And are we really supposed to swallow and breathe through the same narrow tube? Surely there's been some kind of mistake. As professor of biology Nathan H. Lents explains in Human Errors, our evolutionary history is nothing if not a litany of mistakes, each more entertaining and enlightening than the last.
-
-
From Pointless Bones to Broken Genes to...Aliens?
- By Katy.LED on 12-04-18
By: Nathan H. Lents
-
The Inside Game
- Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves
- By: Keith Law
- Narrated by: Rhett Samuel Price
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this groundbreaking book, Keith Law, the ESPN baseball writer and author of the acclaimed Smart Baseball, offers an era-spanning dissection of some of the best and worst decisions in modern baseball, explaining what motivated them, what can be learned from them, and how their legacy has shaped the game....
-
-
Narrator is negative value compared to replacement
- By Daniel W. Franzen on 11-28-20
By: Keith Law
-
The Medici
- Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning, Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence as well as the Italian Renaissance, which they did so much to sponsor and encourage. Interwoven into the narrative are the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola.
-
-
Fun Story Bad History
- By Elizabeth Barrett on 05-09-16
By: Paul Strathern
-
Black Elk
- The Life of an American Visionary
- By: Joe Jackson
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in an era of rising violence, Black Elk killed his first man at Little Big Horn, witnessed the death of his second cousin Crazy Horse, and traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Upon his return, he was swept up in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement and shaken by the massacre at Wounded Knee. But Black Elk was not a warrior, and instead chose the path of a healer and holy man, motivated by a powerful prophetic vision that haunted and inspired him.
-
-
The Evil That Men Do
- By Bryan on 03-23-17
By: Joe Jackson
-
We Few
- US Special Forces in Vietnam
- By: Nick Brokhausen
- Narrated by: George Spelvin
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Green Beret's gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.   Â
-
-
Is there such a thing as funny war genre ??
- By dax on 11-04-18
By: Nick Brokhausen
-
Know This
- Today's Most Interesting and Important Scientific Ideas, Discoveries, and Developments
- By: John Brockman
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Dan John Miller
- Length: 14 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Scientific developments radically alter our understanding of the world. Whether it's technology, climate change, health research, or the latest revelations of neuroscience, physics, or psychology, science has, as Edge editor John Brockman says, "become a big story, if not the big story". In that spirit this new addition to Edge.org's fascinating series asks a powerful and provocative question: What do you consider the most interesting and important recent scientific news?
-
-
Pete and Repeat and Re-repeat
- By Daniel L on 02-25-18
By: John Brockman
-
Human Errors
- A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes
- By: Nathan H. Lents
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We humans like to think of ourselves as highly evolved creatures. But if we are supposedly evolution's greatest creation, why do we have such bad knees? Why do we catch head colds so often - 200 times more often than a dog does? How come our wrists have so many useless bones? And are we really supposed to swallow and breathe through the same narrow tube? Surely there's been some kind of mistake. As professor of biology Nathan H. Lents explains in Human Errors, our evolutionary history is nothing if not a litany of mistakes, each more entertaining and enlightening than the last.
-
-
From Pointless Bones to Broken Genes to...Aliens?
- By Katy.LED on 12-04-18
By: Nathan H. Lents
-
The Inside Game
- Bad Calls, Strange Moves, and What Baseball Behavior Teaches Us About Ourselves
- By: Keith Law
- Narrated by: Rhett Samuel Price
- Length: 8 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this groundbreaking book, Keith Law, the ESPN baseball writer and author of the acclaimed Smart Baseball, offers an era-spanning dissection of some of the best and worst decisions in modern baseball, explaining what motivated them, what can be learned from them, and how their legacy has shaped the game....
-
-
Narrator is negative value compared to replacement
- By Daniel W. Franzen on 11-28-20
By: Keith Law
-
The Medici
- Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning, Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence as well as the Italian Renaissance, which they did so much to sponsor and encourage. Interwoven into the narrative are the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola.
-
-
Fun Story Bad History
- By Elizabeth Barrett on 05-09-16
By: Paul Strathern
-
Black Elk
- The Life of an American Visionary
- By: Joe Jackson
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in an era of rising violence, Black Elk killed his first man at Little Big Horn, witnessed the death of his second cousin Crazy Horse, and traveled to Europe with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Upon his return, he was swept up in the traditionalist Ghost Dance movement and shaken by the massacre at Wounded Knee. But Black Elk was not a warrior, and instead chose the path of a healer and holy man, motivated by a powerful prophetic vision that haunted and inspired him.
-
-
The Evil That Men Do
- By Bryan on 03-23-17
By: Joe Jackson
-
We Few
- US Special Forces in Vietnam
- By: Nick Brokhausen
- Narrated by: George Spelvin
- Length: 14 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Green Beret's gripping memoir of American Special Forces in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.   Â
-
-
Is there such a thing as funny war genre ??
- By dax on 11-04-18
By: Nick Brokhausen
-
Fiend
- The Shocking True Story of America's Youngest Serial Killer
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Kyle Tait
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When 14-year-old Jesse Pomeroy was arrested in 1874, a nightmarish reign of terror over an unsuspecting city came to an end. "The Boston Boy Fiend" was imprisoned at last. But the complex questions sparked by his ghastly crime spree - the hows and whys of vicious juvenile crime - were as relevant in the so-called Age of Innocence as they are today.   Â
-
-
Graphic descriptions of child torture
- By mobius_spider on 11-13-20
By: Harold Schechter
-
Jump
- My Secret Journey from the Streets to the Boardroom
- By: Larry Miller, Laila Lacy
- Narrated by: JD Jackson
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the most successful Black businessmen in the country, who has led Nike’s Jordan Brand from a $200M sneaker company to a $4B global apparel juggernaut, tells the remarkable story of his rise from gangland violence to the pinnacles of international business. Jump tells Larry Miller’s journey from the violent streets of West Philly in the 1960s to the highest echelons of American sports and industry.Â
-
-
Love love this book!
- By Kimbely K Brown on 01-19-22
By: Larry Miller, and others
-
Murder in Little Egypt
- By: Darcy O'Brien
- Narrated by: Perry Daniels
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fusing the narrative power of an award-winning novelist and the detailed research of an experienced investigator, author Darcy O'Brien unfolds the story of Dr. John Dale Cavaness, the southern Illinois physician and surgeon charged with the murder of his son Sean in December 1984. Outraged by the arrest of the skilled medical practitioner who selflessly attended to their needs, the people of Little Egypt, as the natives call their region, rose to his defense. But during the subsequent trial, a radically different, disquieting portrait of Dr. Cavaness would emerge.Â
-
-
Well-Written and well-performed
- By Kelly Smith on 08-09-20
By: Darcy O'Brien
-
The Cottingley Secret
- A Novel
- By: Hazel Gaynor
- Narrated by: Karen Cass, Billie Fulford-Brown
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Olivia Kavanagh finds an old manuscript in her late grandfather's bookshop, she becomes fascinated by the story it tells of two young girls who mystified the world. But it is the discovery of an old photograph that leads her to realize how the fairy girls' lives intertwine with hers, connecting past to present and blurring her understanding of what is real and what is imagined. As she begins to understand why a nation once believed in fairies, can Olivia find a way to believe in herself?
-
-
Heartwarming
- By Dana Rampi-Cruz on 10-22-17
By: Hazel Gaynor
-
Unbreakable
- A Navy SEAL's Way of Life
- By: Thom Shea
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A highly decorated Navy SEAL shares stories of his years of combat experience in Afghanistan, providing leadership insights that will shift your view of yourself and provoke life-altering change. Before leaving for combat in Afghanistan, Navy SEAL Thom Shea promised his wife that he would write to his children in case he didn't make it back. What was initially intended to be a private memoir for his family turned into a powerful set of lessons for anyone striving to perform beyond what they believe possible.
-
-
Don't let detractors deter you from getting it!
- By Oliver Nielsen on 12-25-15
By: Thom Shea
-
The Thing About Jellyfish
- By: Ali Benjamin
- Narrated by: Sarah Franco
- Length: 5 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory - even if it means traveling the globe alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.
-
-
Highly Disappointed
- By Book Girl on 07-13-16
By: Ali Benjamin
-
The King in Yellow
- By: Robert W. Chambers
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There is a book that is shrouded in mystery. Some even say it's a myth. Within its pages is a play - one that brings madness and despair to all who read it. It is the play of the King in Yellow, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days. The King in Yellow is a collection of stories interwoven loosely by the elements of the play, including the central figure himself.