Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • First Man In

  • Leading from the Front
  • By: Ant Middleton
  • Narrated by: Ant Middleton
  • Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (19,552 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
First Man In cover art

First Man In

By: Ant Middleton
Narrated by: Ant Middleton
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Fear Bubble cover art
Zero Negativity cover art
Mental Fitness cover art
The Wall cover art
Break Point cover art
Bravo Two Zero - 20th Anniversary Edition cover art
Can't Hurt Me cover art
Endure cover art
Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter cover art
Soldier cover art
East of Innocence cover art
Tribe of Millionaires: What If One Choice Could Change Everything? cover art
Swim! cover art
Split Decision cover art
By Any Means Necessary cover art
Atlas cover art

Summary

Number one Sunday Times best seller.

No one is born a leader. But through sheer determination and by confronting life’s challenges, Ant Middleton has come to know the meaning of true leadership. In First Man In, he shares the core lessons he’s learned over the course of his fascinating, exhilarating life.

Special forces training is no walk in the park. The rules are strict, and they make sure you learn the hard way, pushing you beyond the limits of what is physically possible. There is no mercy. Even when you are bleeding and broken, to admit defeat is failure.

To survive the gruelling selection process to become a member of the elite, you need toughness, aggression, meticulous attention to detail and unrelenting self-discipline - all traits that make for the best leaders.

After 13 years' service in the military, with four years as a Special Boat Service (SBS) sniper, Ant Middleton is the epitome of what it takes to excel. He served in the SBS, the naval wing of the special forces, the Royal Marines and 9 Parachute Squadron Royal, achieving what is known as the ‘holy trinity’ of the UK’s elite forces. As a point man in the SBS, Ant was always the first man through the door, the first man into the dark and the first man in harm’s way.

In this fascinating, exhilarating and revealing book, Ant speaks about the highs and gut-wrenching lows of his life - from the thrill of passing Special Forces Selection to dealing with the early death of his father and ending up in prison on leaving the military - and draws valuable lessons that we can all use in our daily lives.

©2018 Ant Middleton (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"The best book of the year. First Man In will supercharge your life. Incredible." (Tom Marcus, author of best seller Soldier Spy)

"[A] thumping best seller...searingly honest." (Sunday Times

"Superb, fist-biting fun." (GQ

What listeners say about First Man In

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    15,810
  • 4 Stars
    2,788
  • 3 Stars
    677
  • 2 Stars
    153
  • 1 Stars
    124
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    14,217
  • 4 Stars
    2,350
  • 3 Stars
    607
  • 2 Stars
    119
  • 1 Stars
    101
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13,848
  • 4 Stars
    2,521
  • 3 Stars
    672
  • 2 Stars
    181
  • 1 Stars
    117

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Inspiring

This autobiography doesn’t just let you an insight into someone else’s life, it gives you the mental tools to learn and better yourself and your life. After listening to this book I now have a completely new view on life and how I am going to live mine. The change it has had on me mentally is nothing but positive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has hit a rough patch in life or even to anyone who wants to prepare for the future, that is what this book has done for me it has helped mentally prepare for future life and get what I can out of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

13 people found this helpful

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

OMG! This is amazing!!

Ant I would class this as one of your many achievements. This book is absolutely amazing, you have made me rethink my life and change it for the better. Its so nice hearing some of your personal story's. I will see you on SAS Who dare wins!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Fantastic *****

This was exceptional .. a story of a man who didn't allow his struggles or his demons to overtake and dictate his life but instead chose to let them fuel and drive him. I am starting this all over again right now!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

Great book

fantastic book, well worth a read.
Read this you can achieve anything like this man.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Awesome read.

Loved it. great story. well told. wish he could say more about his SBS days

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Amazing

Amazing book, love his story. Would love for him to release a book with more details of his time in the British military

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Not quite what I was expecting...

Not the tales of adventures in the SF I was expecting but an interesting insight into the author never the less.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

worth a listen

enjoyed the book, interesting how challenging ants life has been. book just enough in length.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

thoroughly enjoyed this book

An inspiring story. I was hooked early, a fascinating insight into an immensely strong-minded individual finding his way through a confusing world using both brain and Braun. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who admires grit, determination and a complete inability to fail at whatever life serves up. This book holds life-changing advice which has the potential to help anyone evaluate "the man in the mirror" and reconsider how they approach, and deal with situations faced throughout a lifetime.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

extremely inspiring

can't even give one special moment as it all is an epic story of self improvement and leadership. A must!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!