The Secret History of the World

By: Jonathan Black

Narrated by: Robert Powell

Length: 7 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

Here, for the first time, is a complete history of the world based on the beliefs and writings of secret societies, researched with the help of an initiate of more than one secret society.

From the occult roots of science to the esoteric motives behind American foreign policy, this fascinating history shows that the basic facts of human existence on this planet can be viewed from many very different angles. And once our viewpoint has been altered, we will see that secret philosophies are encoded everywhere around us - in great art and literature, in the arrangement of the pips in an apple, in the names of the days of the week, even in the very stories we tell our children.

©2007 Quercus Publishing (P)2007 Quercus Publishing

Not for beginners

Any additional comments?

There is a large amount of information in this book, but its not for beginners. You already need to have done some study of esoteric subjects before this book will make any sense whatsoever.The author throws a lot of terms around such as say, alchemy, so unless you want to stop and look up each subject as you go, its best to learn some basics first.I really like the audio version of the book, but I am left also now wanting a written reference with footnotes.This does, as the title advertises, give a "secret history of the world", as outlined in esoteric teachings.

Excellent!!!

What made the experience of listening to The Secret History of the World the most enjoyable?

After listening to the audio version, I went out and bought the book
Great information

What did you like best about this story?

Easy to listen to, very informative

What about Robert Powell’s performance did you like?

Easy to listen to him

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

n?a

Any additional comments?

Excellent--will listen to it again and again

Believable

This story makes so much since to me. I appreciate the author and the reader of this piece.

This has become my all time favorite.

...it's an audiobook that I will be listening to many times over. Great for referencing, and rabbit hole diving.

For $10 it's ok.

it's ok. I didn't agree with everything in the book, but when you look at it as "this is what the secret society believes, not necessarily what is true" than its a little easier to stomach.

Fascinating

I'm reading the book right now in Spanish, so I'm buying the audio version to have it in English and share... probably way easier to get it through reading than listening but I'm totally loving it. Unites and makes sense of the major phylosophies and spiritualities out there

Missing Audio

Although I enjoyed the book, there are moments in the audio where it seems that the reader's voice is cut off...then continued leaving gaps in the audio. Without a hard copy to follow along, there's no way to know if I've indeed heard the entire book.

Other than that the book (what I did hear) is quite good and resonates with me.

exceptional wisdom and ideas

There are no words for the awakening which continues to unfold, accelerated by this work. Thank you.

Not What I Expected

I was expecting a little more history and a little less mythology. I am going to read this book at least one more time, I am sure with mythology comes truth and seeing the patterns in different eras is pretty fascinating.

Wildly interesting ideas by the best narrator ever

I don’t know if any thing in this book is actually true, but having Robert Powell (actor who portrayed Jesus in “Jesus of Nazareth”) narrate it makes it all sound very plausible. This has become a “go-to” audible book as it’s somehow very calming, yet highly interesting.

Needs a forbearing heart

it is easy to say that this is a pile of crap yet if this crap is believed by some the it is worth knowing.

Yet another

It's entertaining to listen to this book but its promise of revealing the hidden truths behind religions and secret organisations of the world is certainly not delivered.
Many of these 'shocking truths' are recycled from previous accounts of esoteric religions and many of the connections between Chritianity and initiation cults are already cited.
I found the descriptions of the suppossed early world to be imaginative and absorbing but as it progressed into more recent history this book tried to find connections between almost every significant event and character in history as if they all stemmed from the same source.
You definately know you are in hack territory when the author starts to compare themes in the book to The Matrix films (perhaps a certain ex-football commentator is the real author of this book), and the way in which the author tries to explain away the changes in society and culture from ancient times to modern day as some grand scheme that is foretold in the mystery schools is like a third rate episode of the x-files.
The book is full of ridiculous statements delivered as truths.
At one point the author, when talking about Dante, says that Dante was the first person to fall in love at first sight, and, this ushered in a whole new way of thinking to that time. The first absurdity of this statement is that for any concept, such as falling in love, to be understood by the reader it needs to already exist in the world. The idea that because Dante was an initaite of a secret religious order he was able to invent a new emotion in the human mind is absurd.
Also, when the author talks of The Antrum of Initiation, Baia, Italy he sites Robert Temple as the discoverer of this ancient maze of tunnels, neglecting to give credit to R. F. Paget who actually discovered them in the 60s. It is these types of selective journalism and fuzzy logic that make this book third rare. I don't know how Robert Powell kept a straight face reading it.

Phenomenal book

One of the best books I’ve listened too. Very interesting to say the least. In depth detail

Mind Blown

Thought provoking, however there is little if no mention of Mohammed and he's part in the cosmic chess game