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A History of the World cover art

A History of the World

By: Andrew Marr
Narrated by: Andrew Marr,David Timson
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Editor reviews

In a feat of historical writing, author Andrew Marr's A History of the World is wholly informative and entirely entertaining. Now adapted into a major BBC One TV series, this historical audiobook has been narrated by BBC radio broadcaster and English actor David Timson, with an introduction by the author. The scope of Marr's research is extraordinary. Listeners are taken on an adventure through the ancient and less well-known civilisations as well as the influential figures who contributed significantly to life as it's known today. Available now from Audible.

Summary

From the earliest civilizations to the 21st century: a global journey through human history, published alongside a landmark BBC One television series.

Our understanding of world history is changing, as new discoveries are made on all the continents and old prejudices are being challenged. In this truly global journey, Andrew Marr revisits some of the traditional epic stories, from classical Greece and Rome to the rise of Napoleon, but surrounds them with less familiar material, from Peru to the Ukraine, China to the Caribbean. He looks at cultures that have failed and vanished, as well as the origins of today’s superpowers, and finds surprising echoes and parallels across vast distances and epochs. This is a book about the great change-makers of history and their times, people such as Cleopatra, Genghis Khan, Galileo, and Mao, but it is also a book about us. For 'The better we understand how rulers lose touch with reality, or why revolutions produce dictators more often than they produce happiness, or why some parts of the world are richer than others, the easier it is to understand our own times.'

Fresh, exciting and vividly listenable, this is popular history at its very best.

©2012 Andrew Marr (P)2012 Macmillan Digital Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about A History of the World

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    5 out of 5 stars

Awsome, educational and epic work

I embarked on listening to this epic and well-researched book on the history of civilisation with some trepidation. There are after all, a total of 92 Chapters (26.5 hours) to work through and this is a formidable listening marathon by any stretch of the imagination. However, I found them all totally worth the effort. I am pleased Andrew Marr opened the narration by lending his voice to the introduction. This is a very expansive work as Mr. Marr draws references to a research base of some 2,000 or so books. In addittion, David Timson's highly expressive narration that followed is clear, assertive and a joy to listen to as it is consistenly intonated throughout without ever being condescending. You don't have to be a professional historian to appreciate the amount of effort that has gone into producing this book and the (at times) rather violent TV series to which this is a perfect accompaniment. The passion for the subject, dedication and commitment shine through at all times and for me, this is a notable quality of the book. Overall, a highly recommended purchase indeed which takes pride of place on my Audible bookshelf!

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97 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A very enjoyable and educational listen

I enjoyed listening to this very well read book, I listen to my audio books as I drive my heavy goods vehicle so I get through quit a lot of books, I like history and I particularly enjoyed this book, there is a lot of information to take in so I will listen to it again very soon, if only history has been this enjoyable when I was at school.

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35 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Better than the TV series

Not of the same quality as Andrew Marr's British history but an enjoyable romp through world history with a few 'well I never knew that' moments. His interest in modern politics means the book gets more involved towards the end. Thoroughly enjoyable, and the narrator does a fine job.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A very detailed look at the world history

This is a very detailed and well written book about the world history. The book starts with the first evidence of mankind on Earth and takes it to the present. It is a fun to listen to the interesting anectodes and lesser-researched areas of the history. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect and the approach is clear and well documented. Recent research findings are also mentioned which makes the listening experience even more interesting. The narration is very clear and a pleasure to listen to.

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25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Informative and interesting

Honestly I expected it to be slightly boring as most history books and also had some reservations towards listening to such a book rather than reading. But from the very start it has been very interesting and entertaining. The book provides comprehensive explanation of major historical events and their interconnection which has led the world to such as it is now. This is worth book to purchase for either just refreshing historical ones historical knowledge or broaden ones view on the history and how it has made us the way we are and assist understanding some of today's events.

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An engaging sweep of history

You might think listening to over 26 hours of history would be heavy-going: not so. Well-written text that lends itself to being read, and read with verve, kept me listening and eager to continue. Inevitably superficial over detail, owing to the sheer scale of the undertaking, it emphasizes the chronological progression of history and the points up the parallel events in different part of the world.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Mesmerising!

This audio book is an epic and enchanting journey through the history of our world. Andrew Marr has done a fantastic job of turning events and dramas of the past in to a story easily accessible to all. It really is all encompassing, with all parts of the world given appropriate airtime and the interconnected nature of the whole human race really comes through. I particularly like the impartial nature of the narrative, which isn't afraid of debunking commonly held historical myths. I can't get enough of this audio book, it can be listened to over and over, each time you pick up on a snippet you may have previously missed. Perpetually fascinating. Thank you Andrew Marr!

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting and informative

A great book that packs in enough detail to keep you interested, but not so much that you lose interest.



The narrator was superb.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Simply perfect. Far better than the TV series!

Very well read, thoroughly engaging, well paced, totally fascinating and entertaining without dumbing down. I would recommend this to absolutely anyone. It is the best audio book I have tried so far. The narrator pitched it perfectly. I couldn't wait to listen to it. The only downside is that sometimes it's a bit hard to remember facts etc without being able to turn back a page and check back, so occasionally I missed bits. But aside from that it was great.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A History of the World

Beautifully written. And beautifully read. I highly recommend this book. Fabulous and not at all heavy going. Some really interesting takes on the events that made history. A wonderful listen. Thank you.

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14 people found this helpful