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A History of Britain, Volume 1
- At the Edge of the World, 3000 BC - AD 1603
- Narrated by: Timothy West
- Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
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A History of Britain, Volume 1
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Summary
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 hugely successful BBC2 series has shown him to be one of the most original and exciting historians. Timothy West's abridged reading of the book bears further testimony to Schama's extraordinary gift for story-telling.
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What listeners say about A History of Britain, Volume 1
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- AMC
- 04-08-22
Dull performance
The narrator sounds like he is doing voice-over work for a 1940s educational video. i don't ever find myself zoning out while listening but I did this time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Harry H Harris
- 05-02-23
Well written and easy listen excellently narrated
It's a really enjoyable listen, well narrated, and is riveting in the most part.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tammy
- 22-04-24
history
great historian read but a world class actor, highly recommend, and have parts 2 & 3 too
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Philip
- 07-05-10
England, his England!
A previous reviewer made the point that this is a history of England rather that Britain, and that is spot on.
Don't get me wrong, Scotland and Wales get a look in (as does Ireland, but as Ireland isn't Britain why should it?) but only as supporting characters - they play Clancy Wiggum and Ned Flanders to England's Homer.
But get your head round that and this is brilliant. Mr Schama is a wonderful writer and Timothy West is magnificent - but I did have one problem, and it is my problem - Mr West's voice just sounds comic and this sounds like a wonderfully erudite yarn in a pub. And for that I thank all involved, its brilliant.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John Clough
- 08-04-23
“A summary of Medieval kings and queens”
There, I’ve fixed the title for you,
It was an interesting listen but concentrated on a narrow period of 1,000 years, and only covered the monarchy. There was very little mention of life for the occupants of the time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ivy H.
- 16-10-23
A Historic Performance
Beautifully written and eloquently narrated, this worthy snapshot of British history should be a part of every Brit’s cultural portmanteau.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Jeg Andereson
- 24-04-15
Brilliant history
The author brings history to life, quotes various figures and doesn't just list occurrences but tells the stories of the people. Lots of new stuff I hadn't heard before. Very well read.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-01-23
Good book but a bit too analytic
I really enjoyed this book and learnt a lot about the history of the UK. However, there are some parts that were a bit too detailed for me, ex. the ones about all the kingdoms in the UK and all the kings. But I supposed that's to be expected from a long history book series. The book is written in a way easy to understand and entertaining.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 26-12-23
Clear and striking walk through of British History
A very good deep voice very fitting to the content. He gives good clarity to the stories told in this great history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Keith Cooke
- 18-01-24
What a shocker!!
A cracking book - read beautifully by Timothy West A real eye opener to our past which blew away some of the myths!! A must have read
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