A well done academic intro done in audio

This book was well written and performed. I'm a very slow reader and I'm a much more audio oriented person anyway as opposed to visual.

But, unfortunately, there aren't a ton of widely available academic audio books in the way of history, or that many academic texts in general in an audio format anyway.

So, when I find books like this that are available as an audiobook I'm always really excited!

This book was read and produced well and the author did a very, very good job covering and illustrating his subjects!

The scholarship was solid and open ended and approached the material from several angles. I also appreciated his bent towards leaning towards the populares.

Overall, I'm really glad I read this and that it was available!

19 people found this helpful

Well rounded approach

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

The audiobook covers a large spectrum of topics from the beginning of modern civilization. The book is very thorough, but tangible enough to listen to for hours on end.

What did you like best about this story?

I appreciated the author's approach during his chapters on Greece and early Rome.

Have you listened to any of Jim Meskimen’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to this reader before, but he did quite well. His pronunciation of specific greek words was often amiss, but I was able to catch on through out the entire book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Thorough history of ancient world, slanted religious take.

Any additional comments?

I felt the latter Roman history became too rushed and convoluted with author's religious take on history. The author's bias against movements of faith seems evident through the whole book, which is unfortunate. This begins with the first Ancient Near-East settlements and goes through the end of the Byzantine Empire. It is difficult to understand the ancient history approach to their own beliefs due to this overarching theme.

3 people found this helpful

Fact After Fact After Fact

Any additional comments?

This is a high quality recording of a textbook being read aloud. There were no ums, ahs or annoying & distracting noises, but neither was there any enthusiasm from a monotonous narrator. Both the data and presentation style are traditionally objective and the tone seems slightly removed from the subject matter. Facts about people and events are mentioned in passing without any indication from the author that they are links in a chain to future things. I felt it was organized as things just happen, one after another. It is 32 hours of who, what, where and how, but rarely any why. There was no indication that the author felt that any fact was more important than or related to any other, so it was difficult for me to place the facts into a comprehensive historical narrative. There wasn’t enough thematic structure for me and all the information ran together to become an unappealing and overwhelming fact blob.

If you want to learn more about Egypt, Greece and Rome, I recommend that you use your credits to purchase 32 hours of the many other excellent ancient history books or courses available on audible. Audible has so many better choices!

17 people found this helpful

Great story, mediocre reading

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The panoramic subject is treated monumentally and was all I could wish.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite characters are those whose names we will never know but who did all the work of the societies that provide the book's subject matter.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jim Meskimen?

Several from the Library of Congress talking book program. Robert Blumenfeld, who has done some work for Audible, comes to mind. Meskimen would be better if he would pronounce foreign proper names, in which this book abounds, with greater consistency, i.e., any consistency at all. Audible needs to adopt and enforce more specific pronunciation guidelines, such as the Library of Congress program has.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

How fiction-skewed these questions are! If this were a movie, it would have to be longer than the longest boring school film you ever sat through.

Any additional comments?

Audible should devise separate questionnaires for its fiction and nonfiction offerings.

4 people found this helpful

Reading from a book is not a lecture

This gives a good overview of these civilizations. The author reading references was a distraction.

1 person found this helpful

great experience

The bigger picture, so much information had to listen twice. well done easy to follow. I have suggested this book to my friends as a great educational read.

1 person found this helpful

An Engaging Historical Experience

Freeman is a gifted writer and accomplished scholar. As an instructor of Ancient History this text will now be serving as the core text of my curriculum. Note: this audible book is not the latest edition of this text, but still an excellent historical source for those whom rely upon audio recordings to supplement their readings.

1 person found this helpful

Nice reading, except for the pronunciation

What did you love best about Egypt, Greece, and Rome?

A nice synoptic overview. It is read in a thoughtful and unpretentious manner, too.

What didn’t you like about Jim Meskimen’s performance?

While I like his reading style, the pronunciation is pretty abysmal.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

That's an idiotic idea.

Any additional comments?

This review form is silly

5 people found this helpful

Excellent update on an old subject

It brings archaeological evidence to bear on traditional accounts of the ancient world; very informative

Great Overview

Very good synopsis, but the focus is clearly on the pre-classical. The slim mention of the conflict of the classes, as well as Marian and Sullan Rome are glaring omissions to an otherwise succinct volume.