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Histories

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Histories

By: Herodotus
Narrated by: David Timson
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About this listen

In this, the first prose history in European civilization, Herodotus describes the growth of the Persian Empire with force, authority, and style. Perhaps most famously, the book tells the heroic tale of the Greeks' resistance to the vast invading force assembled by Xerxes, king of Persia. Here are not only the great battles - Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis - but also penetrating human insight and a powerful sense of epic destiny at work.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2016 Naxos AudioBooks Ancient Civilization Europe Greece Military World Ancient History Ancient Greece Mythology Inspiring Greek Mythology
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The irony of how patterns repeat throughout history. What is essentially an Ancient Greek History Textbook, is eloquently delivered so as not to bore the audience with a wooden pitch that might so readily be associated with the reading aloud in a classroom.

Masterpiece

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listened to this several times. Recommend it to anyone with a love of ancient history.

great listen

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What did you like most about Histories?

The scope, it covers a broad span of time and topics.

What does David Timson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He just gets it right. I can almost imagine his voice is that of Herodotus reading his own work, albeit in English.

Any additional comments?

Lion cubs destroy the womb as they are born? Hmm Mr Herodotus, you may have wanted to fact check some of those stories you heard!

Beautifully narrated

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When reviewing an audio book version of an ancient classic it is hard to decide what you are assessing: the classic itself, the translation or the performance.

The Histories stands on its own; if you are contemplating listening to this then you know why you have chosen to do so and have a good idea what it is about. Suffice it to say that if you have the slightest interest in the ancient world you then you owe it to yourself to read or listen to it.

Being unable to translate the Greek I am in no position to comment on the quality of the translation. The translator is not specified. As well as listening I also read Tom Holland's translation; the version here seemed no better (or worse).

I can, however, comment on the performance of the reader, which really is quite excellent.

Great reading

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This version of the classic is very well read and easy on the ear. Recommended.

Brilliant book

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