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Foundation
- The History of England from Its Earliest Beginnings to the Tudors: The History of England, Book 1
- Narrated by: Clive Chafer
- Length: 18 hrs and 21 mins
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Great first listens
Publisher's summary
In this massive best seller in England, one of Britain's most popular and esteemed historians tells the epic story of the birth of the country.
Peter Ackroyd, whose work has always been underpinned by a profound interest in and understanding of England's history, now tells the epic story of England itself.
In Foundation the chronicler of London and of its river, the Thames, takes us from the primeval forests of England's prehistory to the death of the first Tudor king, Henry VII, in 1509. He guides us from the building of Stonehenge to the founding of the two great glories of medieval England: common law and the cathedrals. He shows us glimpses of the country's most distant past - a Neolithic stirrup found in a grave, a Roman fort, a Saxon tomb, a medieval manor house - and describes in rich prose the successive waves of invaders who made England English despite being themselves Roman, Viking, Saxon, or Norman French.
With his extraordinary skill for evoking time and place and his acute eye for the telling detail, Ackroyd recounts the story of warring kings, civil strife, and foreign wars. But he also gives us a vivid sense of how England's early people lived: the homes they built, the clothes they wore, the food they ate, even the jokes they told. All are brought vividly to life through the narrative mastery of one of Britain's finest writers.
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- By: Mary Wellesley
- Narrated by: Mary Wellesley
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Medieval manuscripts can tell us much about power and art, knowledge and beauty. Many have survived because of an author’s status - part of the reason we have so much of Chaucer’s writing, for example, is because he was a London-based government official first and a poet second.
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Not suited for audio
- By Secutor on 05-27-22
By: Mary Wellesley
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The House of Beaufort
- The Bastard Line That Captured the Crown
- By: Nathen Amin
- Narrated by: Graham Mack
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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The Wars of the Roses were a tumultuous period in English history, with family fighting family over the greatest prize in the kingdom—the throne of England. But what gave the eventual victor of these brutal and complex wars, Henry Tudor, the right to claim the crown? What made his Beaufort mother the great heiress of medieval England, and how exactly did an illegitimate line come to challenge the English monarchy? This book uncovers the rise of the Beauforts and tracks their fall during the 1460s and 1470s.
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Too many "ashumptions" for me...
- By Vicki Patterson on 12-11-23
By: Nathen Amin
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The Reputation and Legacy of Henry IV
- Ian Mortimer Keynote Speeches
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: Ian Mortimer
- Length: 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Henry IV is not famous except for the plays that bear his name: He is not even a "much-maligned" king. He is normally overshadowed by his far more famous son, Henry V, despite his many achievements. Shakespeare is partly to blame for Henry's diminution and his son's exaggerated stature but not completely; we just don't know what to make of a man who took the throne from the rightful king.
By: Ian Mortimer
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The White Ship
- Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I’s Dream
- By: Charles Spencer
- Narrated by: Richard Trinder
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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By 1120, Henry was perhaps the most formidable ruler in Europe, with an enviable record on the battlefield, immense lands and wealth and unprecedented authority in his kingdoms. Everything he had worked so hard for was finally achieved, and he was ready to hand it on to his beloved son and heir, William Ætheling. Henry I and his retinue set out first. The White Ship - considered the fastest afloat - would follow, carrying the young prince. Spoilt and arrogant, William had plied his comrades and crew with drink from the minute he stepped aboard....
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Brilliant and concise
- By Kindle Customer on 11-28-20
By: Charles Spencer
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The Norman Conquest
- The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
- By: Marc Morris
- Narrated by: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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An upstart French duke who sets out to conquer the most powerful and unified kingdom in Christendom. An invasion force on a scale not seen since the days of the Romans. One of the bloodiest and most decisive battles ever fought.
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A Balanced, Entertaining, and Informative History
- By Jefferson on 06-01-14
By: Marc Morris
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The Isles
- A History
- By: Norman Davies
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Abridged
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Here is the best-selling and controversial history of the British Isles, including Ireland, from the author of Europe: A History. Emphasizing long-standing European connections and positing a possible break-up of the United Kingdom, this agenda-setting work is destined to become a classic.
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Good if you know what you're getting
- By David on 09-12-10
By: Norman Davies
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The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England
- A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Imagine you could travel back to the 14th century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? And what are you going to eat? Ian Mortimer shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. He sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you to the Middle Ages. The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: evolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail.
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Detailed, Interesting and Entertaining
- By Marc-Andr? on 05-13-10
By: Ian Mortimer
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Henry V
- The Warrior King of 1415
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 25 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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This insightful look at the life of Henry V and the Battle of Agincourt casts new light on a period in history often held up as legend. A great English hero, Henry V was lionized by Shakespeare and revered by his countrymen for his religious commitment, his sense of justice, and his military victories. Here, noted historian and biographer Ian Mortimer takes a look at the man behind the legend and offers a clear, historically accurate, and realistic representation of a ruler who was all too human.
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Accessible, grounded, enjoyable
- By Justa Guy on 04-10-18
By: Ian Mortimer
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Queer City
- Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day
- By: Peter Ackroyd
- Narrated by: Will Watt
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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In Queer City, the acclaimed Peter Ackroyd looks at London in a whole new way - through the complete history and experiences of its gay and lesbian population. In Roman Londinium, the city was dotted with lupanaria (“wolf dens” or public pleasure houses), fornices (brothels), and thermiae (hot baths). Then came the Emperor Constantine, with his bishops, monks, and missionaries. And so began an endless loop of alternating permissiveness and censure.
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Be Gay, Do Crimes: A History
- By Franklin on 10-13-18
By: Peter Ackroyd
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The Conquering Family
- By: Thomas B. Costain
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Thomas B. Costain's four-volume history of the Plantagenets begins with The Conquering Family and the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066, closing with the reign of John in 1216. The troubled period after the Norman Conquest, when the foundations of government were hammered out between monarch and people, comes to life through Costain's storytelling skill and historical imagination.
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An Entrancing History of the Early Plantegenets
- By Peter on 01-20-09
What listeners say about Foundation
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Lora M.
- 07-18-23
interesting history, terrible narration
i really liked the history, but it was hard to listed to due to the terrible narration. the narrator's voice was quite monotone with an extremely annoying inflection or intonation (not sure how to describe it) at the end of each sentence. I'm not sure if i will be able to listen to the whole thing, solely because of the narrator.
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1 person found this helpful
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- susan
- 03-23-16
Good Overview
Good and interesting early pre-history and history of England for the anglophile neophite. Sometimes the narrative gets bogged down but this in English history for crying out loud. Just being able to follow along and understand without shaking your head is a major accomplishment. Good book......
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-11-16
Narration is too bad
Very interesting subject, but I can't finish the book due to the narration. It almost sounds like each sentence was recorded separately. There's no flow between sentences.
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- Kico M
- 07-05-20
Good
It is a good book with several new info about the rich history of England. Until the first 1/3 of the book, I was rating as 5 stars. However, from this point to the end, the author becomes very descriptive and loose the big picture of the events.
Anyhow, I recommend this book for those who want to know more about history of a country of such a great influence worldwide.
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- Serena Galloway
- 01-18-16
Not bad
I noted a couple of things that do not appear to be factual. it is my understand that the grain product called corn did not arrive until into the 1500's but it is mentioned many times as a crop prior to that date. also the mention that Richard III bones were disinterred and then scattered is obviously false as well since his body was discovered a few years ago. all other history books simple state that his body was lost to history.
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3 people found this helpful
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- M. Smolen
- 08-18-18
Foundation
The subject matter is very good except it needs to be updated to include the recent findings concerning Richard III. The narrator is a little too monotone for my taste.
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- R. Han
- 03-07-16
Great History!
Where does Foundation rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I studied a lot of British history in college and really enjoyed this audiobook. I'd highly encourage anyone interested in history to check this out. There's so much that happened, during this time period that had a significant impact on our modern world's theology, economy, and political structures.
What did you like best about this story?
Good thorough review of the time period without getting too bogged down in details.
Which character – as performed by Clive Chafer – was your favorite?
NA
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No...this was pretty long and I listen while I work from home so I like to listen to my audiobooks repeatedly.
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- Mark
- 03-11-17
Long...but worth the listen
A struggle to finish, a value for the price, none the less, it's a great history lesson
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- history buff
- 03-10-18
Good history. Reader drones.
Enjoyed the story but i love English history in any form. The reader has a distinctive drone that I find quite irritating and almost painful. I will not listen to anything he reads in the future.
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- pm444
- 10-24-15
A fix for the narration
Would you listen to Foundation again? Why?
I enjoyed it but I have it in hardcover so if I want to refer to it, I'll use the physical book.
What did you like best about this story?
The author keeps things moving while still covering a lot of history.
What does Clive Chafer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
When I first started listening, the narration was very annoying because it is so slow. I finally set the speed to 1.5 and that solved the problem for me. It was enough to sound normal and didn't distort the voice. I plan to do the same thing for the other books in the series.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No extreme reaction, but it definitely motivated me to read the other books.
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22 people found this helpful