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Shakespeare
- The Biography, Aspiring Spirit: From Stratford to London, Volume I
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs
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Shakespeare
- The Biography, The Upstart Crow: Ambitious Actor and Poet, Volume II
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life.
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Shakespeare
- The Biography, A Muse of Fire: Successful Playwright and Businessman, Volume III
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life.
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Shakespeare
- The Biography, The Onlie Begetter: Literary Stardom and Royal Patronage, Volume IV
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life.
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London
- The Biography, Street Life and the People
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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Why is this so short?
- By E. Walker on 05-10-19
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London
- The Biography, Foundations
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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Get under the skin of a city
- By Nigel on 03-05-06
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London
- The Biography, Districts and Suburbs
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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London
- By c gardiner on 14-04-18
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Shakespeare
- The Biography, The Upstart Crow: Ambitious Actor and Poet, Volume II
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life.
-
Shakespeare
- The Biography, A Muse of Fire: Successful Playwright and Businessman, Volume III
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life.
-
Shakespeare
- The Biography, The Onlie Begetter: Literary Stardom and Royal Patronage, Volume IV
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Peter Ackroyd's insightful new biography positions Shakespeare in the close context of his world. In this way, Ackroyd not only richly conjures up the texture of Shakespeare's life, but also imparts an amazing amount of vivid, interesting material about place, period and background. Walk with Ackroyd through sixteenth century London and Stratford as he uncovers the intimate circumstances of Shakespeare's life.
-
London
- The Biography, Street Life and the People
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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Why is this so short?
- By E. Walker on 05-10-19
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London
- The Biography, Foundations
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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Get under the skin of a city
- By Nigel on 03-05-06
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London
- The Biography, Districts and Suburbs
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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London
- By c gardiner on 14-04-18
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London
- The Biography, Trade and Enterprise
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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London
- The Biography, Fire and Pestilence
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs
- Abridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ackroyd portrays London from the time of the druids to the beginning of the twenty-first century, noting magnificence in both epochs, but this is not a simple chronological record. It is a comprehensive account, animated by Ackroyd's concern for the close relationship between the present and the past as well as by what he describes as the peculiar "echoic" quality of London whereby its texture and history actively affect the lives and personalities of its citizens.
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Sweet but short titles should be combined.
- By Abbas on 05-07-20
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This Is Shakespeare
- A Pelican Book
- By: Emma Smith
- Narrated by: Emma Smith
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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This electrifying new audiobook thrives on revealing, not resolving, the ambiguities of Shakespeare's plays and their changing topicality. It introduces an intellectually, theatrically and ethically exciting writer who engages with intersectionality as much as with Ovid, with economics as much as poetry: who writes in strikingly modern ways about individual agency, privacy, politics, celebrity and sex.
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The best.
- By Mr. M. J. Cawley on 30-04-20
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Charles Dickens
- A Life
- By: Claire Tomalin
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of Charles Dickens: A Life, the major new biography from the highly acclaimed Claire Tomalin, published for the 200th anniversary of his birth. Read by the actor Alex Jennings.
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As lively a story as a good novel
- By Kirstine on 27-01-12
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Shakespeare
- The World as a Stage
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Shakespeare's life, despite the scrutiny of generations of biographers and scholars, is still a thicket of myths and traditions, some preposterous, some conflicting, arranged around the few scant facts known about the Bard: from his birth in Stratford to the bequest of his second best bed to his wife when he died.
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cuts through the rubbish
- By Emily on 12-10-07
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The Mystery of Charles Dickens
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 1 hr and 46 mins
- Original Recording
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In this BBC Radio adaptation of Peter Ackroyd's spectacular one-man show, Simon Callow portrays both Charles Dickens and many of his best-loved characters, from Mr. Micawber and Bill Sikes to Oliver Twist and Nancy. Readings from his novels interweave with the author's own words and an incisive, compassionate narrative. Dickens' idyllic childhood in Chatham was swapped for his family's penurious existence in London.
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Charles Dickens
- By Anonymous User on 31-01-18
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Thames
- Sacred River, Volume 1: The Mirror of History
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Abridged
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The Thames has been a highway, a frontier, and an attack route; it has been a playground and a sewer, a source of water and a source of power. Every stretch has its own character, atmosphere and stories. Thames: Sacred River explores the river from source to sea. Peter Ackroyd, best-selling author of London: The Biography, tells the story of the river and the people who have lived on and by it over the centuries.
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An ent
- By Edgar Livingstone on 21-03-17
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The Canterbury Tales
- By: Geoffrey Chaucer
- Narrated by: Philip Madoc, Edward de Souza
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
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Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society and values. The stories range from the romantic, courtly idealism of "The Knight's Tale" to the joyous bawdy of the Miller's; all are told with a freshness and vigor in this modern verse translation that make them a delight to hear.
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Fantastic
- By J. Sharpe on 25-09-19
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First You Write a Sentence.
- The Elements of Reading, Writing...and Life.
- By: Joe Moran
- Narrated by: Roy McMillan
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
The sentence is the common ground where every writer walks. A poet writes in sentences, but so does the unsung author who came up with Items trapped in doors cause delays. A good sentence can be written (and read) by anyone if we simply give it the gift of our time, and it is as close as most of us will get to making something truly beautiful. Enter acclaimed author Professor Joe Moran. Using minimal technical terms, First You Write a Sentence is his unpedantic but authoritative explanation of how the most ordinary words can be turned into verbal constellations of extraordinary grace.
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Brilliant
- By marija maher on 25-12-18
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The Tempest
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrated by: Sir Ian McKellen, Emilia Fox, Scott Handy, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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Sir Ian McKellen, fresh from his performance as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, is Prospero, and heads a strong cast in Shakespeare’s last great play. The wronged duke raises a tempest to shipwreck his old opponents on his island so that he can ensure justice is done. With Emilia Fox as Miranda, Scott Handy in the pivotal role of the sprite Ariel, and Ben Owukwe as Caliban.
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Tempestuous Performance
- By Mr on 24-07-15
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Henry VIII: King and Court
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Phyllida Nash
- Length: 25 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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This magnificent biography of Henry VIII is set against the cultural, social and political background of his court - the most spectacular court ever seen in England - and the splendour of his many sumptuous palaces. An entertaining narrative packed with colourful description and a wealth of anecdotal evidence, but also a comprehensive analytical study of the development of both monarch and court during a crucial period in English history.
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“England’s Nero”
- By Mary Carnegie on 10-09-18
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Hamnet
- By: Maggie O'Farrell
- Narrated by: Daisy Donovan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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On a summer's day in 1596, a young girl in Stratford-upon-Avon takes to her bed with a fever. Her twin brother, Hamnet, searches everywhere for help. Why is nobody at home? Their mother, Agnes, is over a mile away, in the garden where she grows medicinal herbs. Their father is working in London. Neither parent knows that one of the children will not survive the week.
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Narrator fights writing and wins (sadly)
- By Leaf Green on 20-07-20
Summary
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What listeners say about Shakespeare
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Overall
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- Soranus
- 20-07-15
Masterly Written and Performed
What made the experience of listening to Shakespeare the most enjoyable?
This book is by three masters: the playwright (Shakespeare), the author (Peter Ackroyd) and the narrator (Simon Callow).
Shakespeare himself is something of an enigma. Whilst we know very little about him Ackroyd has managed to get three volumes out of the life story. Inevitably some of the things he has to say is supposition but is dealt with authoritatively.
The story does not always flow and there is some repetition. Nevertheless I found this an intriguing book.
One of the strengths of this production is that the narrator is Simon Callow, one of the great Shakespearian actors of the modern stage. This adds to the reading of the well written text of Peter Ackroyd.
It is disappointing that all three volumes were not included in one volume since all three are required for this to be a true biography and none of the volumes are useful as stand alone texts.
Having said all of this, I did thoroughly enjoy all three volumes.
What other book might you compare Shakespeare to, and why?
The only other audiobook on Shakespeare I have listened to is the Bill Bryson book "Shakespeare". The Ackroyd book comes across as much more authoritative and the narration no where near as effective as that of Simon Callow.
What does Simon Callow bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
There is no doubt that listening to Simon Callow at any time is a treat. He, in his own right, is an authority on Shakespeare and he make the excellent text of Ackroyd all the more believable and worth listening to. He manages to present the nuances of Shakespeare and Ackroyd in a way that I would have missed if I had only read the book.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall
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- Dan Buell
- 15-02-15
It was okay
This book is just... Boring. I really wish it was more entertaining, but sadly it is not the most captivating of tales.