Experience our world: as it was, as it is, as it might become with these audiobooks about history, the arts, culture, education, and politics. Don't miss Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel, or Fresh Air with Terry Gross: Writers, or Gwen Ifill's The Breakthrough.
The shadowy story of a nineteenth-century English gentleman who went to India and dramatically cut all ties to home, forming a relationship with a local Muslim man. Learn More
The Empire Must Die portrays the vivid drama of Russia's brief and exotic experiment with civil society before it was swept away by the despotism of the Communist Revolution. Learn More
The epic story of the rise and fall of the empire of cotton, its centrality in the world economy, and its making and remaking of global capitalism. Learn More
A rollicking story of greed, financial corruption, dirty politics, over-the-top and under-the-radar deceit, illicit sex, and a brilliant and wildly charming con man who kept a Ponzi scheme alive perhaps for longer than anyone else in history. Learn More
Western civilization is generally regarded as the child of Athens, Jerusalem, and Rome. However, Western society has other forefathers as well: we would be unwise to give the Byzantine Empire short shrift. The ways in which it has influenced our world for the good, and indeed, created the parameters of our society at its healthiest and strongest, are insufficiently appreciated today. Learn More
An extraordinary re-creation of the terrible beauty of Antarctica, the awful destruction of the ship The Endurance, and Shackleton’s crew’s heroic daily struggle for survival. A thrilling account of one of the last great adventures in the brave age of exploration. Learn More
As few books regarding American history have achieved, Jim Stempel's The Enemy Harassed brings a previously neglected period of the American Revolution to life. Learn More
Enlightenment studies are currently in a state of flux, with unresolved arguments among its adherents about its dates, its locations, and the contents of the 'movement'. This book cuts the Gordian knot. Learn More
John C. Bogle; read by Alan Sklar with introduction and afterword read by the author
Bogle offers his unparalleled insights on money, on the values we should emulate in our business and professional callings, and on what we should consider as the true treasures in our lives. By explaining what "enough" truly is, he demonstrates how close everyone can be to having it. Learn More
In Enslavement: Past and Present, historical sociologist Orlando Patterson examines the social, political, and economic complexities of slavery across different eras and societies. Learn More
by Paul Warde, Libby Robin, & Sverker Sörlin; read by Henrietta Meire
In this fascinating book, Paul Warde, Libby Robin, and Sverker Sörlin trace the emergence of the concept of the environment following World War II. Learn More
Robin Attfield introduces environmental ethics, exploring the values involved in issues such as pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. Considering the different groups involved in environmental ethics, and the attitudes of the world's religions to environmental stewardship, he calls for action from us all to manage our environment ethically. Learn More
