Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Tamed

  • Ten Species That Changed Our World
  • By: Alice Roberts
  • Narrated by: Alice Roberts
  • Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (483 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.
Tamed cover art

Tamed

By: Alice Roberts
Narrated by: Alice Roberts
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 £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

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 Incredible Unlikeliness of Being cover art
Ask a Historian cover art
Once and Future Giants cover art
Buried cover art
Ancestors cover art
The Little Book of Humanism cover art
First Peoples in a New World cover art
Life as We Made It cover art
Wolf Road cover art
The Dawn of Language cover art
Big Ratchet cover art
The Origin of Feces cover art
Kindred cover art
In Search of the Dark Ages cover art
The Anglo-Saxon World cover art
The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places cover art

Summary

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Tamed, written and read by Alice Roberts. 

The extraordinary story of the species that became our allies. 

For hundreds of thousands of years, our ancestors depended on wild plants and animals for survival. They were hunter-gatherers, consummate foraging experts, taking the world as they found it. Then a revolution occurred - our ancestors' interaction with other species changed. They began to tame them. The human population boomed; civilisation began. 

In Tamed, Alice Roberts uncovers the deep history of 10 familiar species with incredible wild pasts: dogs, apples and wheat; cattle, potatoes and chickens; rice, maize and horses - and, finally, humans. 

She reveals how becoming part of our world changed these animals and plants and shows how they became our allies, essential to the survival and success of our own species. 

Enlightening, wide-ranging and endlessly fascinating, Tamed encompasses thousands of years of history and archaeology alongside cutting-edge genetics and anthropology. Yet it is also a deeply personal journey that changes how we see ourselves and the species on which we have left our mark. 

An Economist and Mail on Sunday Book of the Year 2017. 

©2018 Alice Roberts (P)2018 Random House Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"A masterpiece of evocative scientific storytelling." (Brian Cox)
"The best popular book on broad-sweep history since Guns, Germs and Steel." (Peter Forbes)

More from the same

What listeners say about Tamed

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    366
  • 4 Stars
    94
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    362
  • 4 Stars
    53
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    307
  • 4 Stars
    86
  • 3 Stars
    23
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

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

Social history & science, some interesting tidbits

Would you listen to Tamed again? Why?

Possibly I would return to particular chapters that I specifically found most interesting (more the animal chapters).

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

Enthusiasm in her delivery, I would say. Though don't most readers?!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, too much to take in, I wanted to pause between each chapter and species.

Any additional comments?

Ten chapters of social history and science - interesting tidbits in there

3.5 stars

This came out last year, but I hadn't heard of it until I saw the Audible version advertised. It sounded like the sort of easy listen that I would enjoy and hopefully learn from, having enjoyed Roberts' television programmes.

It turned out to be a mixed bag. Absolutely fascinating on one hand, but rather long-winded on the other as a listen. The dates and delving do feel quite cumbersome when you are listening, it's hard to hold all the facts in your head as new ones constantly bombard you. But that would be easier on paper, I feel.

I did learn various interesting facts, and just considering how our species has tamed and cleverly used these animals and plants was mind-expanding. From potatoes and rice to dogs and chickens, I found it one of those non-fiction titles that I would quite have liked to see televised.

Alice Roberts herself narrates, which is no bad thing. I knew from her voice and style on TV that she'd be a narrator I would have no trouble listening to, and she was both personable and kept her clear voice light and full of enthusiasm for her subject.

Personally, I think this would be easier to follow and refer back to on paper/as an e-book, but I still picked up a lot of information from the audio version.

With thanks to Nudge Books for the sample Audible copy, provided for an honest review.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

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

Fascinating, detailed, credible

Brilliantky and engagingly read by Prof, Roberts, this book is a significantb step forward in our understanding of the animals that homo sapiens have tamed for our own use and pleasure.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

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

superb

Fantastically researched and written piece of work.
Wonderfully constructed and engaging narrative.
*biased review because I am ever so slightly besotted with Alice Robert's.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

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

Great book, charming performance

I find that this book was very dense with information, in the best way possible! While it took a few rounds of listening to absorb all the new data contained within, the performance was very nice and soothing. Definitely well researched and written otherwise. Warmly recommend!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

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

Fascinating and well read.

An amazing detailed story narrated by the author. Alice Roberts has a easy to listen to voice and the content is extensive, well researched and fascinating. This was a compelling series of stories that I have not only learnt from but thoroughly enjoyed.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

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

fascinating

A quick romp through history and the subtle nature of our relationship with the world around us as well as our fellow humans. Well thought out and presented, this tells of the good and bad that comes to all species that chance their arm at living with humans.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

love Alice Roberts

really interesting and thought provoking book, finished it too soon. I love watching Alice Roberts on TV, she's always interesting and enthusiastic about the subject and this audio book is no different.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

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

Fascinating, I really enjoyed it.

The hard science is explained well making it easy to understand. Without being condescending as some science books can be.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Lc
  • 30-06-21

Amazing historian and author

I have listened to this book 5 times or more and have loved and learned every minute

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

Brilliant thanks

Just the best way to learn about them and us, how it all evolved into 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