-
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived
- The Life and Times of Jacob Fugger
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 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 $24.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Wizard
- The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla: Biography of a Genius
- By: Marc J. Seifer
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 22 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), credited as the inspiration for radio, robots, and even radar, has been called the patron saint of modern electricity. Based on original material and previously unavailable documents, this acclaimed book is the definitive biography of the man considered by many to be the founding father of modern electrical technology.
-
-
Tesla was a hundred years ahead of his time
- By Jean on 01-28-12
By: Marc J. Seifer
-
Heretics and Heroes
- How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Thomas Cahill
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the inimitable bestselling author Thomas Cahill, another popular history - this one focusing on how the innovations of the Renaissance and the Reformation changed the Western world. A truly revolutionary audiobook. In Volume VI of his acclaimed Hinges of History series, Thomas Cahill guides us through the thrilling period of the Renaissance and the Reformation (the late fourteenth to the early seventeenth century), so full of innovation and cultural change that the Western world would not experience its like again until the twentieth century.
-
-
Great story, bad decision to narrate your own book
- By Christopher on 10-21-14
By: Thomas Cahill
-
The Clockwork Universe
- Isaac Newton, The Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World
- By: Edward Dolnick
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Clockwork Universe is the story of a band of men who lived in a world of dirt and disease but pictured a universe that ran like a perfect machine. A meld of history and science, this book is a group portrait of some of the greatest minds who ever lived as they wrestled with natures most sweeping mysteries. The answers they uncovered still hold the key to how we understand the world.
-
-
A Concise Explainer
- By Jean on 09-19-16
By: Edward Dolnick
-
Eleanor Roosevelt
- Volume I, 1884-1933
- By: Blanche Wiesen Cook
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 22 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleanor Roosevelt was born into the privileges and prejudices of American aristocracy and into a family ravaged by alcoholism. She overcame debilitating roots: in her public life, fighting against racism and injustice and advancing the rights of women; and in her private life, forming lasting intimate friendships with some of the great men and women of her time.
-
-
One of the Great Americans I knew too little about
- By Amazon Customer on 07-19-20
-
The Philosophy Book
- Big Ideas Simply Explained
- By: DK
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An essential introduction to the history, concepts, and thinking behind philosophy that demystifies what can often be daunting subject matter, laid out in DK's signature style.
-
-
Excellent starting point for learning philosophy
- By J OLIVEIRA-FILHO on 10-08-19
By: DK
-
The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
- By: Francis Fukuyama
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.
-
-
Best Summary of Political History I've Read
- By blah on 05-12-13
By: Francis Fukuyama
-
Wizard
- The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla: Biography of a Genius
- By: Marc J. Seifer
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 22 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), credited as the inspiration for radio, robots, and even radar, has been called the patron saint of modern electricity. Based on original material and previously unavailable documents, this acclaimed book is the definitive biography of the man considered by many to be the founding father of modern electrical technology.
-
-
Tesla was a hundred years ahead of his time
- By Jean on 01-28-12
By: Marc J. Seifer
-
Heretics and Heroes
- How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Thomas Cahill
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the inimitable bestselling author Thomas Cahill, another popular history - this one focusing on how the innovations of the Renaissance and the Reformation changed the Western world. A truly revolutionary audiobook. In Volume VI of his acclaimed Hinges of History series, Thomas Cahill guides us through the thrilling period of the Renaissance and the Reformation (the late fourteenth to the early seventeenth century), so full of innovation and cultural change that the Western world would not experience its like again until the twentieth century.
-
-
Great story, bad decision to narrate your own book
- By Christopher on 10-21-14
By: Thomas Cahill
-
The Clockwork Universe
- Isaac Newton, The Royal Society, and the Birth of the Modern World
- By: Edward Dolnick
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Clockwork Universe is the story of a band of men who lived in a world of dirt and disease but pictured a universe that ran like a perfect machine. A meld of history and science, this book is a group portrait of some of the greatest minds who ever lived as they wrestled with natures most sweeping mysteries. The answers they uncovered still hold the key to how we understand the world.
-
-
A Concise Explainer
- By Jean on 09-19-16
By: Edward Dolnick
-
Eleanor Roosevelt
- Volume I, 1884-1933
- By: Blanche Wiesen Cook
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 22 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eleanor Roosevelt was born into the privileges and prejudices of American aristocracy and into a family ravaged by alcoholism. She overcame debilitating roots: in her public life, fighting against racism and injustice and advancing the rights of women; and in her private life, forming lasting intimate friendships with some of the great men and women of her time.
-
-
One of the Great Americans I knew too little about
- By Amazon Customer on 07-19-20
-
The Philosophy Book
- Big Ideas Simply Explained
- By: DK
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 16 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An essential introduction to the history, concepts, and thinking behind philosophy that demystifies what can often be daunting subject matter, laid out in DK's signature style.
-
-
Excellent starting point for learning philosophy
- By J OLIVEIRA-FILHO on 10-08-19
By: DK
-
The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution
- By: Francis Fukuyama
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world.
-
-
Best Summary of Political History I've Read
- By blah on 05-12-13
By: Francis Fukuyama
-
Bunker Hill
- A City, a Siege, a Revolution
- By: Nathaniel Philbrick
- Narrated by: Chris Sorensen
- Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the opening volume of his acclaimed American Revolution series, Nathaniel Philbrick turns his keen eye to pre-Revolutionary Boston and the spark that ignited the American Revolution. In the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party and the violence at Lexington and Concord, the conflict escalated and skirmishes gave way to outright war in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was the bloodiest conflict of the revolutionary war, and the point of no return for the rebellious colonists.
-
-
Liberté, piété, prostituées!
- By Darwin8u on 10-13-18
-
Oracle Bones
- A Journey Through Time in China
- By: Peter Hessler
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 18 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A century ago, outsiders saw China as a place where nothing ever changes. Today, the country has become one of the most dynamic regions on earth. In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful of ordinary people.
-
-
Another Excellent Work
- By Michael Moore on 12-01-11
By: Peter Hessler
-
The Case Against Education
- Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money
- By: Bryan Caplan
- Narrated by: Allan Robertson
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Despite being immensely popular - and immensely lucrative - education is grossly overrated. In this explosive book, Bryan Caplan argues that the primary function of education is not to enhance students' skill but to certify their intelligence, work ethic, and conformity - in other words, to signal the qualities of a good employee.
-
-
Longwinded, possibly worth skimming
- By Steve Iacobbo on 02-28-20
By: Bryan Caplan
-
A Time for Trumpets
- The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge
- By: Charles B. MacDonald
- Narrated by: Traber Burns
- Length: 28 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On December 16, 1944, the vanguard of three German armies, totaling half a million men, attacked US forces in the Ardennes region of Belgium and Luxembourg, achieving what had been considered impossible - total surprise. In the most abysmal failure of battlefield intelligence in the history of the US Army, 600,000 American soldiers found themselves facing Hitler's last desperate effort of the war. The brutal confrontation that ensued became known as the Battle of the Bulge, the greatest battle ever fought by the US Army - a triumph of American ingenuity and dedication.
-
-
Outstanding history
- By J. Norman Reid on 11-22-16
-
The Plantagenets
- The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England
- By: Dan Jones
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire that stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones vividly resurrects this fierce and seductive royal dynasty and its mythic world. We meet the captivating Eleanor of Aquitaine, twice queen and the most famous woman in Christendom; her son, Richard the Lionheart, who fought Saladin in the Third Crusade; and King John, a tyrant who was forced to sign Magna Carta, which formed the basis of our own Bill of Rights.
-
-
Excellent Narrative History
- By Troy on 08-07-13
By: Dan Jones
-
How I Built This
- The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World's Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs
- By: Guy Raz
- Narrated by: Guy Raz
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Great ideas often come from a simple spark: A soccer player on the New Zealand national team notices all the unused wool his country produces and figures out a way to turn them into shoes (Allbirds). A former Buddhist monk decides the very best way to spread his mindfulness teachings is by launching an app (Headspace). A sandwich cart vendor finds a way to reuse leftover pita bread and turns it into a multimillion-dollar business (Stacy’s Pita Chips).
-
-
GET THIS BOOK!
- By Mattye LaSuer on 01-16-21
By: Guy Raz
-
Nothing to Envy
- Ordinary Lives in North Korea
- By: Barbara Demick
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years - a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung and the unchallenged rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population. Taking us into a landscape never before seen, Demick brings to life what it means to be an average Korean citizen, living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today.
-
-
An excellent listen!
- By Laura on 06-05-10
By: Barbara Demick
-
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.
-
-
An Intriguing Lens on the Renaissance
- By Matt Turner on 04-17-16
By: Paul Strathern
-
The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: Mike Grady
- Length: 17 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Organized as a travel guide for the time-hopping tourist, The Time-Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England is an entertaining popular history with a twist. Historian Ian Mortimer reveals in delightful (and occasionally disturbing) detail how the streets and homes of 16th century looked, sounded, and smelled for both peasants and for royals; what people wore and ate; how they were punished for crimes and treated for diseases; and the complex and contradictory Elizabethan attitudes toward violence, class, sex, and religion.
-
-
Elizabethan England... As Never Presented Before
- By Troy on 06-27-13
By: Ian Mortimer
-
Augustus
- First Emperor of Rome
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 18 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Caesar Augustus's story, one of the most riveting in western history, is filled with drama and contradiction, risky gambles and unexpected success. He began as a teenage warlord, whose only claim to power was as the heir of the murdered Julius Caesar. Mark Antony dubbed him "a boy who owes everything to a name," but in the years to come the youth outmaneuvered all the older and more experienced politicians and was the last man standing in 30 BC.
-
-
Excellent book about Rome's first Emperor
- By Ryan on 03-03-15
-
A Game of Thrones
- A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1
- By: George R.R. Martin
- Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
- Length: 33 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King's Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert's name. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse - unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season. Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances....
-
-
Everybody is apparently a chain smoking old man.
- By Althea on 11-04-13
-
Emperor
- A New Life of Charles V
- By: Geoffrey Parker
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 26 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The life of Emperor Charles V (1500-1558), ruler of Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and much of Italy and Central and South America, has long intrigued biographers. But the elusive nature of the man (despite an abundance of documentation), his relentless travel and the control of his own image, together with the complexity of governing the world's first transatlantic empire, complicate the task.
-
-
Amazing.
- By bigdjunta on 10-21-19
By: Geoffrey Parker
Publisher's Summary
Jacob Fugger lived in Germany at the turn of the 16th century, the grandson of a peasant. By the time he died, his fortune amounted to nearly 2 percent of European GDP. Not even John D. Rockefeller had that kind of wealth.
Most people become rich by spotting opportunities, pioneering new technologies, or besting opponents in negotiations. Fugger did all that, but he had an extra quality that allowed him to rise even higher: nerve. In an era when kings had unlimited power, Fugger had the nerve to stare down heads of state and ask them to pay back their loans - with interest. It was this coolness and self-assurance, along with his inexhaustible ambition, that made him not only the richest man ever but a force of history as well. Fugger helped trigger the Reformation and likely funded Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe.
The ultimate untold story, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived is more than a tale about the richest and most influential businessman of all time. It is a story about palace intrigue, knights in battle, family tragedy and triumph, and a violent clash between the 1 percent and everybody else.
More from the same
Author
What listeners say about The Richest Man Who Ever Lived
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Corinne
- 01-12-19
The First Book About Finance For Anyone
This book is a classic for good reasons. The story is told like an old grandfather teaching his kin about finance. It's told as a story and not a lesson on finance. This book is interesting and easy to understand. A great first finance book for anyone at any
age.
I read this book over 20 years ago and I never forgot it's lessons.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carolina
- 04-16-17
History you never knew...
I was surprised to learn that the historical events that led defined whether my forefathers were Catholic or Protestant hinged in large part on loans made by a banker. A compelling and fascinating read that kept my interest on the level with Gone with the Wind.
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J.F.
- 10-02-16
Professor style narration
Fascinating book on business history. The narrator was not overly dry. It's not the most crisp or dramatic narration but more College professor or documentary style narration. I did get lost on occasion but that is more due to the factually dense prose. Great and fascinating book.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dustin L
- 05-18-16
Not sure why the narrator hate
I can see someone finding this narrator a bit monotonous. But I enjoy his deadpan sarcastic tone. He was great in A Connecticut Yankee and I found he added to this narrative as well. The book gave an interesting perspective on European history and social political happenings.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- J. Feye-Stukas
- 01-12-16
Narrator the worst I ever heard
Is there anything you would change about this book?
Engage a different reader. Norman Dietz was terrible. No life in his narration. Great book but very hard to listen to the narrator who never changed his tone. I have listened to 100s of books, and this was by far, the worst narrator that I have ever heard.
What other book might you compare The Richest Man Who Ever Lived to and why?
Not really - that's why this story was so interesting.
Would you be willing to try another one of Norman Dietz’s performances?
Never, never, never!
What else would you have wanted to know about Greg Steinmetz’s life?
Nothing about the author, but would be very interested in more about the subject of his book who was Jacob Fugger.
Any additional comments?
Never use that narrator again.
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cathryn J. Walker
- 04-07-16
Good overall
I enjoyed this book. If you like history, especially regarding Europe in the 16th century, you will like this book. If you like business, businessmen, or stories involving getting money; you will like this book. The narrator was quite good, if a bit monotonous every once in a while. I would certainly recommend buying this audiobook.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- STEVEN K.
- 02-05-18
Great subject, descent writing, mediocre reading
Great subject, descent writing, mediocre reading. It is interesting and worth the time, but I would have died if I had listened at normal speed.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Wes
- 07-23-18
Amazing
This is an amazing and extremely important story that reveals and teaches to a large extent how the world works even till this day. So much is projected out of this single story into today's dealings. Forget Game of Thrones and any series out there. This should be story to occupy such status in the motion screen. Plenty of material to make it a thriller while teaching history. But for the impact in and of Science and external unmeasurable phenomena; this story shows how all other measurable aspects influenced our present and still much of the future.
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dennis
- 12-03-15
Alot of history in an interesting time
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I was unaware of the politics of the 1500"s and this explained alot of the behind the scenes actions of its leaders
Who was your favorite character and why?
All of the cast in history played a role and each had a part to build on the other
What does Norman Dietz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I enjoyed the story and it was interesting with the reader doing a great job keeping it going
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Near the end when things got alittle out of control for the family
Any additional comments?
If you want an account of history and the powers in early Europe which affected us today you need to read the book
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Matthew Morris McCormick
- 11-28-15
Narration is Boring
Is there anything you would change about this book?
The narrator
Would you be willing to try another one of Norman Dietz’s performances?
I would give him a second, or even third chance, but if his narrations are as dry, monotonal, and unemotional as this one, No.
4 people found this helpful