A History of Britain, Volume 1 cover art

A History of Britain, Volume 1

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

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A History of Britain, Volume 1

By: Simon Schama
Narrated by: Timothy West
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About this listen

 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.

©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Great Britain England Middle ages Thought-Provoking Royalty Tudor

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All stars
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The narrator sounds like he is doing voice-over work for a 1940s educational video. i don't ever find myself zoning out while listening but I did this time.

Dull performance

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It's a really enjoyable listen, well narrated, and is riveting in the most part.

Well written and easy listen excellently narrated

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great historian read but a world class actor, highly recommend, and have parts 2 & 3 too

history

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It would have been a joy to read Schama's exultant prose and to follow him between apocrypha on the one hand and ivory Tower excursions on the other, if not for the persistent subtext that all of history is a black joke. He seems to see it as a sparkling clash between the gaumless, puckering twits and the high-hearted resistors.

Excellent and soulless

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Brilliantly read by Timothy West. A succinct and fast paced masterpiece. Compulsory reading for any student of English history.

Brilliant.

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Not as good as his Jewish history books but still very good
A little sparse up to 11th century, then more substantial ending in style with the Tudor dramas of 16th century
Tom Hollands Athelstan fills in more colour and details on the Anglo Saxons

Great overview

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I though I knew a bit about history but this really opened it up for me a brought it aiive.

Excellent

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Hugely enjoyed the text, the story, the reading and the performance. A super learning experience.

very enjoyable journey.

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A previous reviewer made the point that this is a history of England rather that Britain, and that is spot on.

Don't get me wrong, Scotland and Wales get a look in (as does Ireland, but as Ireland isn't Britain why should it?) but only as supporting characters - they play Clancy Wiggum and Ned Flanders to England's Homer.

But get your head round that and this is brilliant. Mr Schama is a wonderful writer and Timothy West is magnificent - but I did have one problem, and it is my problem - Mr West's voice just sounds comic and this sounds like a wonderfully erudite yarn in a pub. And for that I thank all involved, its brilliant.

England, his England!

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There, I’ve fixed the title for you,

It was an interesting listen but concentrated on a narrow period of 1,000 years, and only covered the monarchy. There was very little mention of life for the occupants of the time.

“A summary of Medieval kings and queens”

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