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A History of Britain: Volume 1

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A History of Britain: Volume 1

By: Simon Schama
Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
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About this listen

The story of Britain from the earliest settlements in 3000 BC to the death of Elizabeth I in 1603. 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 major BBC2 series has shown him to be one of our most original and exciting historians.

©2012 Simon Schama (P)2014 Audible, Inc. Europe Great Britain England Middle Ages Thought-Provoking Suspenseful Royalty Tudor
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Would you listen to A History of Britain: Volume 1 again? Why?

I may return to parts of this if I have a particular interest in a particular period and want to refresh my understanding.

Any additional comments?

This is to some degree a reference book and the lack of a table of contents and index and an inability to flick back and forth through the pages made it a less than perfect experience.

Well written but hard to manage as an audiobook

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Newbie to this Audible experience but loved every minute of it. Made walking to work informative, intriguing and curious. Mr Thorne was excellent, his diction first class

Captivating

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Narrator charges through often complex content so that you have to pause or even rewind if you want to get the most out of this. enjoyed it all the same.

Rushed narration almost spoils a great experience

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narrator was great. easy to listen to. take Scottish name pronunciation with a pinch of salt.

Really enjoyable

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Masterly overview of British history (and a lot of archaeology).

Covering the period from 3,000BC to 1,603AD would be tough to do in any less time than this! It's pretty comprehensive stuff, which does have a (perfectly acceptable) tendency to dwell upon what are probably Schama's favourite bits, plus the lack of written evidence & material culture from certain times & parts make weaving a consistently dense narrative all the more difficult.

Still, this is only the first volume... The next 400 years are covered in two more.

A worthwhile if marathon listen

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