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The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between
- Volume II
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 4 hrs and 51 mins
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The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between
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Publisher's summary
From the person behind the popular YouTube channel NameExplain comes the second volume of his best-selling book The Origin of Names, Words and Everything in Between. This new book is a fun, interesting, and educational journey through the world of etymology. It covers a huge array of names from a variety of topic areas and includes a bunch of random facts behind the names. From first names, to bodies of water - there's no name big or small, important or obscure that won't be explained.
Find fun facts. Presented in a light and entertaining manner, The Origin of Names compels you to learn a ton of things you didn't know you wanted to know. Unlike a dictionary, everything in this book is easy to understand and can be listened to from start to finish, or in short bursts. It's also a lot more fun - Patrick explains each name with jokes and quips you're bound to enjoy. Be the know-it-all you always wanted to be.
In The Origin of Names you'll:
- Learn fascinating word origins and bizarre name meanings
- Be able to entertain yourself and friends with random facts
- Gain honor and renown for your unrivaled knowledge of etymology
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-
Great for casual linguists
- By Bertie on 01-11-10
By: John McWhorter
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Ask a Historian
- 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know
- By: Greg Jenner
- Narrated by: Dan Schreiber, Greg Jenner, Janina Ramirez, and others
- Length: 11 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 46
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 44
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
Responding to fifty genuine questions from the public, Greg Jenner takes you on an entertaining tour through history from the Stone Age to the Swinging Sixties, revealing the best and most surprising stories, facts and historical characters from the past. From ancient joke books, African empires and the invention of meringues, to mummies, mirrors and menstrual pads—Ask A Historian is a deliciously amusing and informative smorgasbord of historical curiosities.
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5 out of 5 stars
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best bonus content ever!
- By Matthew K Wendelken on 03-24-22
By: Greg Jenner
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The Mother Tongue
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Stephen McLaughlin
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,261
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,094
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,088
With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson - the acclaimed author of The Lost Continent - brilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience, and sheer fun of the English language. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can't) to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of an inadequate, second-rate tongue of peasants that developed into one of the world's largest growth industries.
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3 out of 5 stars
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More satire than history
- By Barbara Kindle Customer on 12-18-15
By: Bill Bryson
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A Little History of the World
- By: E. H. Gombrich
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 9 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,944
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,303
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,289
E. H. Gombrich's world history, an international best seller now available in English for the first time, is a text dominated not by dates and facts but by the sweep of experience across the centuries, a guide to humanity's achievements, and an acute witness to its frailties.
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5 out of 5 stars
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an enlightening book; very well read
- By A.B.Oxford on 06-03-06
By: E. H. Gombrich
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You Say Potato: A Book About Accents
- By: Ben Crystal, David Crystal
- Narrated by: David Crystal, Ben Crystal, Jane Savage, and others
- Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 70
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 69
Some people say 'sconn' while others say 'schown'. He says 'bath' while she says 'bahth'. You say 'potayto'. I say 'potahto'. And - wait a second, no one says 'potahto'. No one's ever said 'potahto'. Have they? From reconstructing Shakespeare's accent to the rise and fall of received pronunciation, actor Ben Crystal and his linguist father, David, travel the world in search of the stories of spoken English.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Wish there were more native recordings.
- By Matt Dobler on 07-01-16
By: Ben Crystal, and others
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F*ck You, I'm Irish
- Why We Irish Are Awesome
- By: Rasher Tierney
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong
- Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 31
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
From battling oppression and famine in Ireland to overcoming poverty and discrimination in America, we Irish gained our fightin' moniker by standing up for our rights and earning the respect we deserve. Now, the amazing feats, astounding people and incredible facts in this fascinating book of Irish trivia will make you proudly say, “F*ck you, I'm Irish”.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good Short Listen
- By YtowntoCleveland on 03-23-24
By: Rasher Tierney
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Words on the Move
- Why English Won't - and Can't - Sit Still (Like, Literally)
- By: John McWhorter
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,401
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,264
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,256
Words on the Move opens our eyes to the surprising backstories to the words and expressions we use every day. Did you know that silly once meant "blessed"? Or that ought was the original past tense of owe? Or that the suffix -ly in adverbs is actually a remnant of the word like? And have you ever wondered why some people from New Orleans sound as if they come from Brooklyn?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Review By a Fan
- By Margaret on 09-25-16
By: John McWhorter
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The Book of Yokai
- Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore
- By: Michael Dylan Foster
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 254
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 215
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 215
Drawing on years of research in Japan, Michael Dylan Foster unpacks the history and cultural context of yokai, tracing their roots, interpreting their meanings, and introducing people who have hunted them through the ages. In this delightful and accessible narrative, listeners will explore the roles played by these mysterious beings within Japanese culture and will also learn of their abundance and variety through detailed entries on more than 50 individual creatures.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Pt 2 was delightful (+no cringey pronunciations!!)
- By Julieanne on 06-04-19
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Origins of The Wheel of Time
- The Legends and Mythologies That Inspired Robert Jordan
- By: Michael Livingston, Harriet McDougal - contributor, Robert Jordan
- Narrated by: Harriet McDougal, Kate Reading, Michael Kramer, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 146
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 129
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 129
Take a deep dive into the real-world history and mythology that inspired the world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time®. This companion to the internationally bestselling series will delve into the creation of Jordan’s masterpiece, drawing from interviews and an unprecedented examination of his unpublished notes. Michael Livingston tells the behind-the-scenes story of who Jordan was, how he worked, and why he holds such an important place in modern literature. Origins of The Wheel of Time will provide exciting knowledge and insights to both new and longtime fans.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Agenda driven ideological bend.
- By Maxwell on 06-19-23
By: Michael Livingston, and others
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The Science of Discworld
- A Novel
- By: Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen
- Narrated by: Michael Fenton Stevens, Stephen Briggs
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 717
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 636
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 636
Not just another science audiobook and not just another Discworld novella, The Science of Discworld is a creative, mind-bending mash-up of fiction and fact, that offers a wizard’s-eye view of our world that will forever change how you look at the universe.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Not the best Pratchett, but gets there in the end
- By Rachel on 07-30-14
By: Terry Pratchett, and others
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The Elements of Eloquence
- Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase
- By: Mark Forsyth
- Narrated by: Don Hagen
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,719
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,543
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,515
In his inimitably entertaining and wonderfully witty style, he takes apart famous phrases and shows how you too can write like Shakespeare or quip like Oscar Wilde. Whether you’re aiming to achieve literary immortality or just hoping to deliver the perfect one-liner, The Elements of Eloquence proves that you don’t need to have anything important to say - you simply need to say it well.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Who knew rhetoric could be so much fun?
- By Philo on 10-30-14
By: Mark Forsyth
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Terraform
- Building a Better World
- By: Propaganda
- Narrated by: Propaganda
- Length: 5 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 89
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 80
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
In this deep, challenging, and thoughtful book, Propaganda looks at the ways in which our world is broken. Using the metaphor of terraforming - creating a livable world out of an inhospitable one - he shows how we can begin to reshape our homes, friendships, communities, and politics.
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5 out of 5 stars
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My favorite audio book!
- By RobsRecs on 06-20-21
By: Propaganda
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The Writing of the Gods
- The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone
- By: Edward Dolnick
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 168
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 137
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 136
The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous objects in the world, attracting millions of visitors to the British museum every year, and yet most people don’t really know what it is. Discovered in a pile of rubble in 1799, this slab of stone proved to be the key to unlocking a lost language that baffled scholars for centuries.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Hieroglyphs For The People
- By Spike on 01-15-22
By: Edward Dolnick
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Secrets & Mysteries of the World
- By: Sylvia Browne
- Narrated by: Sylvia Browne
- Length: 2 hrs and 38 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 159
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 83
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 81
For those of us who have always been fascinated by the unexplained, or inadequately explained, secrets and mysteries of this world, psychic Sylvia Browne now comes to our rescue. From the Great Pyramid to Stonehenge, Sylvia reveals amazing facts behind some of the world's most mysterious sites.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Utter, utter crap
- By Sebastiaan on 02-28-05
By: Sylvia Browne
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Mythology
- African Mythology, Gods, Goddesses, and Creatures
- By: Kelly Mass
- Narrated by: Miriam Webster
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 98
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 98
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Story5 out of 5 stars 98
This book is committed to checking out the gods and goddesses that the people on the African continent worshiped.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This Kelly Mass is smart
- By Juan on 12-03-19
By: Kelly Mass
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Norse Paganism
- A Comprehensive Guide to Viking History and Culture - Gods, Rituals, Runes & Magic, Afterlife, and the Nine Realms of Norse Mythology
- By: Erik Hansen
- Narrated by: Aries Studio
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 70
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 70
Committed to a life of learning and teaching, author Erik Hansen shares his knowledge and passion in this book. As a recognized expert in Norse history and mythology, his interest in this fascinating culture was sparked by his Norwegian ancestry. If you share that passion for ancient history and religion, this book is for you.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A great introduction to Norse Paganism
- By L.B. on 12-04-22
By: Erik Hansen