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  • A Classical Education

  • The Stuff You Wish You'd been Taught at School
  • By: Caroline Taggart
  • Narrated by: Bill Wallis
  • Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,276 ratings)
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A Classical Education cover art

A Classical Education

By: Caroline Taggart
Narrated by: Bill Wallis
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Editor reviews

The complete guide to a classical education is heard in A Classical Education: The Stuff You Wish You’d Been Taught at School written by freelance editor Caroline Taggart and narrated in this audiobook by British actor and voice artist Bill Wallis. The scope and depth of research in this book is staggering. It covers innumerable topics of educational and historical significance. Listeners are taken to the roots of ancient civilisations, learning how the first pioneers in these subjects made advancements that paved the way for the world we live in today. Available now from Audible.

Summary

Is the Greek alphabet all Greek to you? Is geometry your Achilles heel and does your knowledge of Homer have more to do with The Simpsons than the Sirens?

From engineering and architecture to drama and democracy, the world around us is founded on the principles and discoveries of the Ancient World, yet our understanding of it is episodic at best.

So if you've ever struggled with Socrates, wished you could formulate a logical argument, or wondered whether the Romans really dined at vomitoria, then carpe diem and listen to this audiobook - it's never too late to learn.

©2009 Michael O'Mara Books Ltd (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about A Classical Education

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Content is great but not as audio

There are some very interesting bits and pieces in this but it is definitely a book that is better as a book. I am not sure if this lends its self to the audio book format due to the complexity of some of the content.

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97 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Light but not insubstantial

An appreciation of the 'Classics' always seemed to be just out of reach. This book provides an instructive and accessible opportunity to dip a toe into this wonderful world.
I do not doubt that more learned scholars may scoff at the delivery but I found it very entertaining. There are so many fantastic stories, surprisingly relevant events and moments of recognition - dare I say enlightenment?
A gem for all ages and sensibilities.

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72 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An amusing run through

A little odd having the obvious female voice of the author read by a man, especially as some of the jokes about the place of women are written in a very personal style, but once you learn to treat Bill Wallis as a woman it's very worthwhile! Worth a listen as a fairly short title. Very enjoyable.

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33 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly good!

What made the experience of listening to A Classical Education the most enjoyable?

The combination of written style and the way of narration made this book beyond perfect, at least for me.

What does Bill Wallis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

His way of narrating exceeded my expectations. If I go back to this book in the future, it will be by a big part due to his performance.

Any additional comments?

It has been ages ago since I have purchased the book and I was delaying listening to it as, for me, it represents only a repetition of something I already know. Well, I did not expect such a vivid style of writing combined with a superb and far from boring narration. This is a topic that could be handled in a formal rather dry manner, however Caroline Taggart managed not only to add a humorous side to it all but also added quite a few facts I was not aware of. I really enjoyed her style. To choose Bill Wallis as an interpret was an excellent idea. I believe that some might not appreciate his way of speech, but for me he added even biger value to already well written book. I intend to purchase other books by the author and the narator, alas, they have not combined them in more audiobooks and they go separately since now on.

I would recommend this not only to people interested in the given period but also to students whose curriculum includes parts of classical education. Good way to start digging deeper in the topic.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating fun

A great book that I've read twice before and now listened to. By far the strangest decision is having a man read this - he does a fine job, but the author's voice is very clearly female and it's jarring at times.

A great book to ease oneself into the classics with, nice and accessible. Now onto the Iliad...

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hooked!

I knew I would like the subject as ancient history fascinates me, but I was worried that it would be one of those books that need to be read rather than listened too. But the narrator kept me totally engaged and the author added wit alongside her abundant intriguing facts. Well worth a listen.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent narrator to an enjoyable book

An excellent short introduction to the subjects comprising the classics including Philosophy, Language, Science and the Arts. This was made all the more enjoyable by the impeccable narrator Bill Wallis

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

I should just have read the book

Couldn't go further than 20 minutes. The book seems to be nice, but the narrator sometimes drops his volume and breaths loudly. And also he doesn't use a neutral inflection, it appears to be his everyday voice...
I think that most people would like to forget that someone is narrating, but I just cannot do this.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful book, beautiful read

I very much enjoyed this book. I was rather hoping it would be read by the author. However, the narrator was perfect and caught the style and the author’s huge wit marvellously.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun and educational

Loved the content and the narration. Learnt a lot and has piqued my interest in further reading more about classical history

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7 people found this helpful