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  • A History of Britain: Volume 1

  • By: Simon Schama
  • Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
  • Length: 15 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,733 ratings)
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A History of Britain: Volume 1 cover art

A History of Britain: Volume 1

By: Simon Schama
Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
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Summary

The story of Britain from the earliest settlements in 3000 BC to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history, Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation's identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney.

From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian's Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation. Simon Schama's major BBC2 series has shown him to be one of our most original and exciting historians.

©2012 Simon Schama (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about A History of Britain: Volume 1

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

Well written but hard to manage as an audiobook

Would you listen to A History of Britain: Volume 1 again? Why?

I may return to parts of this if I have a particular interest in a particular period and want to refresh my understanding.

Any additional comments?

This is to some degree a reference book and the lack of a table of contents and index and an inability to flick back and forth through the pages made it a less than perfect experience.

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41 people found this helpful

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

NOT a history of Britain

This is not the comprehensive history of Britain I was hoping for, it is a narrow history of the English monarchy, there is hardly any substantial reference to big driving influences in the country, the first few thousand years are glanced over, and 90% of the book is just the personal life of monarchs and those around them, a very old fashioned view of history, and biased towards the authors interests. About 20 minutes on pre-roman history and 3 hours + on the Tudors!

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35 people found this helpful

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

Comprehensive, Informative, and Entertaining

Where does A History of Britain: Volume 1 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Loved the whole of this book and can't wait to listen to Volume 2, as this book stands up against my favourites, which are usually within the Sci-Fi genre. It is informative, in the level of information it gives, whilst being entertaining in itself, history in every bloody detail.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A History of Britain: Volume 1?

Roman history is one of my favourites and the way it is brought to life with individuals lives of the conscripts from across the Empire.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

this book made me think in terms of what I knew of this countries history, which it turns out was poor, and how the four countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were inextricably joined throughout the ages. makes me want to look at British history more.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Fun and educational

I have to start by saying that I love history but I am very much an amateur and so I can't vouch for how accurate this history is. I trust the author as he is often on TV, I remember him on the BBC so I think he is reliable.



This is an easy listen. It is history as story. Schama uses the characters, Kings and others to make the history come alive. I mostly listen my audio books while driving and I had no difficulty following the narrative, something with can be a problem with non fiction books.



I was a bit disappointed that Simon Schama did not narrate the book himself as I know his voice from TV. Having said that Stephen Thorne does a very good job and is easy to listen and to follow.



This is a good book, well read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Good Overview of Early British Kings

The book "A History of Britain: Volume 1" covers British dynastic rulers from the time of the end of the Roman Empire until the end of the life of Elisabeth I.



As such, for the lay public, such as I, this is a perfectly-sized overview of all the British kings that one has heard about but that one will probably never read a biography of (with the exception of Henry VIII and Elisabeth I).



The only negative to this otherwise excellent book, is that the author begins with a pondering and philosophical introduction that rambles on for 26 minutes and almost made me stop listening. But I did not, and I am glad as the rest of the book is clear and unpretentious, even very humourous at times.

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26 people found this helpful

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

A history of England.

Scotland, Wales and Ireland are only mentioned when they rub up against the English story.

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20 people found this helpful

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

A History of Britain? No.

This was a history of England not Britain - there were even times when the pretence slipped and one was confused with the other.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • MR
  • 13-04-13

great listen

this is a well read book. i have enjoyed it allot and often go back to it. i was never particularly alert at school and history class mostly went in one ear and out the other. So i decided that i would like to get a better grasp of the events that preceded me and this was great way to start. it is easy going and has just the right level of depth never tacking you to far down a rabbit hole as to make you confused when you reemerge.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable

If you can get past the introduction, which does the book no favours with it's pompous, overly indulgent style, you'll be rewarded with plenty of absorbing tales from the history of our great land. Not an educational text as much as a personal cherry-picking of some of the more notable events. Nonetheless the subject is dusted down and made far more accessible than it was at school. Overall a job well done that stands up to repeated listening.

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15 people found this helpful

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

Captivating

Newbie to this Audible experience but loved every minute of it. Made walking to work informative, intriguing and curious. Mr Thorne was excellent, his diction first class

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9 people found this helpful