A History of Britain, Volume 1 Audiobook By Simon Schama cover art

A History of Britain, Volume 1

At the Edge of the World, 3000 BC - AD 1603

Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime
Try for $0.00
More purchase options
Buy for $18.18

Buy for $18.18

To look back at the past is to understand the present. In this vivid account of over 4,000 years of British history, Simon Schama takes us on an epic journey which encompasses the very beginnings of the nation's identity, when the first settlers landed on Orkney.

From the successes and failures of the monarchy to the daily life of a Roman soldier stationed on Hadrian's Wall, Schama gives a vivid, fascinating account of the many different stories and struggles that lie behind the growth of our island nation.

Simon Schama's hugely successful BBC2 series has shown him to be one of the most original and exciting historians. Timothy West's abridged reading of the book bears further testimony to Schama's extraordinary gift for story-telling.

This is Volume 1 of A History of Britain. Don't miss Volume 2 and Volume 3.©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Great Britain England Europe
All stars
Most relevant
Superb. Don't let the intro throw you...the book is absolutely great. It made my garden chores fly by !

rule britannia

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

Any additional comments?

This series is one of my favourite audio series in my library. I regularly rotate audio books out of my iPod Touch library to make room for other audiobooks, but this series always stays. The narrator's tone aligns wonderfully with the author's writing style. This series meets my expectations perfectly - there's a lot of history to cover so of course the author had to be choosy regarding what to emphasize. If one of his intentions was to spark the reader/listener's interest and use this series as a jumping-off point for our own explorations into specific periods of history, then the author was successful. I have absolutely no regrets at all about purchasing this audio series. Both the narrator and the author are excellent story-tellers.

A favourite entry in my audio library

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

British history is vast and it's rare to find a book like this. It covers the main events in enough detail to see into the factors at play behind the events. Example: The author presents the idea that the plague was in part the cause of the Reformation. During the plague, priests became so rare, that the church allowed anyone (even women) to give last rites. This planted the notion that priests were perhaps optional; maybe one could even read the Bible oneself!

Good brief history of Britain

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

Outstanding! I learnt more listening to this book that I had learnt in years of history lessons at all level's! Not just for history buff's but for anyone English, Scottish, Welsh or Irish!

Excellent!

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

A little hard going in the car, but a very good listen. You may have to back it up with the book, but its abridged.

Great

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

See more reviews