Great Artists: Part 1

Great Artists: Part 2

• Abridged/Unabridged (4 hrs and 50 mins)
• By Phil Grabsky, Tim Marlow, Philip Rance
• Narrated By Janet Lawrence

A perfect introduction for anyone interested in the rich history of Western art. Great Artists takes its readers on a comprehensive journey through the history of art. This book, part two, provides a dedicated chapter on each of the following artists: El Greco, Rubens, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Turner. These major painters of Western art are considered, placed in their social contexts, and discussed in terms of the most recent scholarship.

The Italians before Italy: Conflict and Competition in the Mediterranean

• ORIGINAL (12 hrs and 8 mins)
• By The Great Courses
• Narrated By Professor Kenneth R. Bartlett

Take a riveting tour of the Italian peninsula, from the glittering canals of Venice to the lavish papal apartments and ancient ruins of Rome. In these 24 lectures, Professor Bartlett traces the development of the Italian city-states of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, showing how the modern nation of Italy was forged out of the rivalries, allegiances, and traditions of a vibrant and diverse people.

The History of Western Art

• UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 14 mins)
• By Peter Whitfield
• Narrated By Sebastian Comberti
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age: religious, political and aesthetic. From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind.

What Are You Looking At?: 150 Years of Modern Art in the Blink of an Eye

• UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 16 mins)
• By Will Gompertz
• Narrated By Roy McMillan
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of What Are You Looking At? by Will Gompertz, read by Roy McMilllan. What is modern art? Why do we either love it or loathe it? And why is it worth so much damn money? Join Will Gompertz on a dazzling tour that will change the way you look at modern art forever. From Monet's water lilies to Van Gogh's sunflowers, from Warhol's soup cans to Hirst's pickled shark, hear the stories behind the masterpieces, meet the artists as they really were, and discover the real point of modern art.

A History of Britain in 21 Women

• UNABRIDGED (8 hrs and 28 mins)
• By Jenni Murray
• Narrated By Jenni Murray
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

Britain has been defined by its conflicts, its conquests, its men and its monarchs. To say that it's high time it was defined by its women is a severe understatement. Jenni Murray draws together the lives of 21 women to shed light upon a variety of social, political, religious and cultural aspects of British history. In lively prose Murray reinvigorates the stories behind the names we all know and reveals the fascinating tales behind those less familiar.

Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion

• ORIGINAL (5 hrs and 59 mins)
• By The Great Courses
• Narrated By Professor Bill Messenger

Jazz is a uniquely American art form, one of America's great contributions to not only musical culture, but world culture, with each generation of musicians applying new levels of creativity that take the music in unexpected directions that defy definition, category, and stagnation.

Now you can learn the basics and history of this intoxicating genre in an eight-lecture series that is as free-flowing and original as the art form itself.

Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1

• UNABRIDGED (50 hrs and 16 mins)
• By Will Durant
• Narrated By Robin Field

The first volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize-winning series, Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume I chronicles the early history of Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia.

Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O'Keeffe

• UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 42 mins)
• By Laurie Lisle
• Narrated By Grace Conlin

Georgia O'Keeffe, one of the most original painters America has ever produced, left behind a remarkable legacy when she died at the age of 98. Her vivid visual vocabulary, sensuous flowers, bleached bones against red sky and earth, had a stunning, profound, and lasting influence on American art in this century.

Art History: A Very Short Introduction

• UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 55 mins)
• By Dana Arnold
• Narrated By Julia Whelan
• Whispersync for Voice-ready

This clear and concise new introduction examines all the major debates and issues using a wide range of well-known examples. It discusses the challenge of using verbal and written language to analyze a visual form. Dana Arnold also examines the many different ways of writing about art, and the changing boundaries of the subject of art history. Topics covered include the canon of Art History, the role of the gallery, 'blockbuster' exhibitions, and the emergence of social histories of art.

Renaissance Art: Bolinda Beginner Guides

• UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 55 mins)
• By Tom Nichols
• Narrated By Paul English

The 15th century saw the evolution of a distinct and powerfully influential European artistic culture. But what does the familiar phrase "Renaissance Art" actually refer to? Through engaging discussion of timeless works by artists such as Jan van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, Tom Nichols offers a masterpiece of his own as he explores the truly original and diverse character of the art of the Renaissance.

The Face of Britain: The Nation Through Its Portraits

• UNABRIDGED (14 hrs and 21 mins)
• By Simon Schama
• Narrated By Simon Schama, Roy McMillan

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Face of Britain by Simon Schama, read by Simon Schama and Roy McMillian. Churchill and his painter locked in a struggle of stares and glares; Gainsborough watching his daughters run after a butterfly; a naked John Lennon five hours before his death. Simon Schama has written a tour de force about British portraits over the centuries.

The Iliad of Homer

• ORIGINAL (6 hrs and 4 mins)
• By The Great Courses
• Narrated By Professor Elizabeth Vandiver

For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people.Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.