History 2
Talking Books
The titles in this booklist are just a selection of the titles available for loan from the RNIB National Library Talking Book Service.
Don’t forget you are allowed to have up to 6 books on loan. When you return a title, you will then receive another one.
If you would like to read any of these titles then please contact the Customer Services Team on 0303 123 9999 or email
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WORLD HISTORY - ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL
Attenborough, David
The first Eden: the Mediterranean world and man. 1987. Read by Duncan Carse, 5 hours 37 minutes. TB 6956.
A history of the Mediterranean world from the dramatic creation of the sea when the Atlantic flooded across the barrier of land connecting Morocco and Gibraltar and plunged over a cliff 50 times the height of Niagara. The transformation of man in this rich region from hunter-gatherer to a settled form of existence was the beginning of civilisation and so began the process that was to transform the whole area. TB 6956.
Barnes, Michael
Secrets of lost empires: reconstructing the glories of ages past. 1996. Read by various narrators, 6 hours 59 minutes. TB 11230.
Throughout the world lie the ruins of great civilizations. How were such structures accomplished without the aid of modern technology? In this book, experts from a range of disciplines work together to re-create past glories using the tools of their time. The team built a trilithon from Stonehenge; a miniature replica of a pyramid; a covering for a Roman amphitheatre; Inca stonework and a grass suspension bridge over a canyon. TB 11230.
Berlitz, Charles
The lost ship of Noah: in search of the ark at Ararat. 1988. Read by Garard Green, 5 hours 25 minutes. TB 7309.
High on a mountain in eastern Turkey and visible seasonally as the snow melts lies a man-made object that resembles a ship. It is older than recorded history - carbon-dated to prehistoric times - and perched where no ship should be. Could it be Noah's Ark? Religious and archaeological expeditions to Ararat have increasingly focused world attention on this mysterious object and the author is convinced that definite proof now exists of the Flood. TB 7309.
Clayton, Peter A
The seven wonders of the ancient world. 1988. Read by Simon Vance, 4 hours 55 minutes. TB 7134.
Each "Wonder" is set in context and the arguments for and against its existence are examined against the established facts and the opinions at the time the list began to come into general use. Archaeology and location are considered together with the stories about the Wonders, finishing with some Wonders never listed. TB 7134.
Delaney, Frank
A walk in the dark ages. 1988. Read by Alan Barry, 7 hours 39 minutes. TB 7509.
Travelling back 13 centuries as well as crossing Europe, the author evokes the world - as it was known - in the closing years of the seventh century. The Roman Empire had been swept away forever and Pope Sergius I reigned over Christendom in a crumbling Rome. The darkness lifted only in Ireland where the old Celtic Christianity survived and produced a flowering of artistic, intellectual and missionary effort that was recognised all over Europe. TB 7509.
Dickinson, Goldsworthy Lowes
The Greek view of life. 1957. Read by John Richmond, 8 hours 25 minutes. TB 292.
A study of Ancient Greece, and its attitude to religion, the individual, and the arts. TB 292.
Glover, Terrot Reaveley
The ancient world: a beginning. 1953. Read by David Geary, 11 hours. TB 95.
The birth of civilisation in the lands around the Mediterranean; Greek legend, the Persian wars, Alexander, Rome, and the rise of Christianity. TB 95.
Holland, Tom
Persian fire: the first world empire, battle for the West. 2005. Read by David Thorpe, 15 hours 44 minutes. TB 15072.
The text dramatises the conflict 2500 years ago between the global superpower Persia, and the two 'terrorist' Greek states Athens and Sparta. The book also examines the whole extraordinary panorama of East and West. From the temple priests of Babylon to the Spartan secret police; from the Persian love of ducks and gardens to the Athenian relish for prostitutes; from Darius, murderer, usurper and the supreme political genius in the history of the Middle East, to Themistocles, the man who saved the West. TB 15072.
Magnusson, Magnus
BC: the archaeology of the Bible lands. 1977. Read by Derek Chandler, 9 hours 55 minutes. TB 4426.
The author describes the latest archaeological discoveries in the Near East. These illustrate the development of civilisation in the area and add fresh understanding to events described in the New Testament. TB 4426.
Morton, Henry Vollam
Through lands of the Bible. 1938. Read by Alvar Lidell, 16 hours 38 minutes. TB 2018.
An account of the life, customs, and religions of ancient Babylon, Cairo, Baghdad and Rome. TB 2018.
Pardoe, Rosemary Anne
The female pope: the mystery of Pope Joan: the first complete documentation of the facts behind the legend. 1988. Read by Ian Craig, 4 hours 25 minutes. TB 7193.
Using a mixture of detective work and historical narrative, the authors trace the development of the myth of a female Pope over the centuries, examine the proofs - the avoidance by later Popes of the street in Rome where she is said to have given birth, the pierced papal seat and the statue of a female Pope with her child, also in Rome. The value of Pope Joan to the Protestant polemicists of the 16th century and the feminists of the 20th century are reviewed. TB 7193.
Perowne, Stewart
Roman mythology. 1969. Read by Elizabeth de Silva, 5 hours 5 minutes. TB 5911.
Rome grew from a small latin settlement on the Tiber into a great civilisation dominating most of the known world. As the Empire expanded so it came into contact with many exotic religions and philosophies. The author follows the various cults and creeds through centuries and the growth of primitive to state religion shows how Stoicism, Mithraism and the cult of Isis struggled for ascendancy until finally giving way to the new import from the East - Christianity. TB 5911.
Pinset, John
Greek mythology. 1982. Read by Rosalind Shanks, 5 hours 34 minutes. TB 6135.
Myths and legends are found across the centuries in every country. The purpose appears to stem from the need of mankind to explain the world in which he found himself and to account for the good and evil that befell him. The Greek myths are the best known of any in the world, yet even some of their origins are diverse and unexpected. TB 6135.
Rice, E E
Alexander the Great. 1999. Read by Martyn Read, 2 hours 20 minutes. TB 12913.
Alexander the Great was one of the greatest military commanders and has been a mythical figure since his own time. This text provides an up-to-date account of Alexander's life: the Macedonian background and Alexander's early years; his campaigns in Thrace and Ilyria and the destruction of Thebes; the invasion of the Persian Empire; his expeditions to India; and his death at Babylon. TB 12913.
Rice, E E
Cleopatra. 1999. Read by Anita Wright, 2 hours 20 minutes. TB 13053.
This biography about Cleopatra reveals the troubled times, political upheaval and the charismatic personality of the ruler of Ancient Egypt. Famously romantically involved with two Roman leaders, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, Cleopatra's story has long passed into legend. Her personal life led to war between two great countries, and finally to her own death. Fleeing Egypt in 31BC, pursued by Romans, Antony and Cleopatra both committed suicide and together became one of the world's most enduring love stories. TB 13053.
Suetonius
The twelve Caesars. 1979. Read by Michael Tudor Barnes, 13 hours 3 minutes. TB 15045.
This text chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero, and the recovery that came with his successors. TB 15045.
Tacitus, Cornelius
On Britain and Germany. 1948. Read by Robin Holmes, 4 hours. TB 36.
Translation by H Mattingly of the Agricola and Germania. Study of the character, customs and geography of the two countries. TB 36.
Wheeler, Margaret
Walls of Jericho. 1956. Read by Dwight Whylie, 4 hours 45 minutes. TB 78.
Excavations at Jericho, the earliest known town in the world, where the unravelling of history and the life of the archaeologists and modern Jerichoans are entertainingly described. TB 78.
Wood, Michael
In search of the Trojan War. 1985. Read by Gordon Dulieu, 11 hours 28 minutes. TB 6559.
The tale of the siege of Troy is perhaps the greatest non-religious story ever told. It has haunted the western imagination for nearly 3000 years, and the story of the modern quest for the reality behind Homer's epic has its own excitement: was there ever an actual siege of Troy? Did Helen, Agamemnon, Paris and all the other larger-than-life characters really exist? This is the story of the men who were determined to find out. TB 6559.
BRITISH HISTORY – ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL
Julian: woman of our day. 1985. Read by Gwen Cherrell, 6 hours 32 minutes. TB 7741.
A series of essays examining various aspects of the mystical and devotional writings of Julian of Norwich. Little is known of Julian. She lived in the 14th century. Although it is unlikely that she was a nun, she may have been taught by them. Her writings have certainly aroused the interests of theologians particularly Thomas Merton. TB 7741.
Barnes, Margaret Campbell
Isabel the fair. 1957. Read by Colin Doran, 15 hours 15 minutes. TB 324.
The lovely French Princess who became the bride of Edward II, was so changed by her life in England that she became known as the she-wolf of France. TB 324.
Bryant, Arthur
The medieval foundation. 1966. Read by Colin Doran, 11 hours 30 minutes. TB 224.
A history of the changing social life, habits, and beliefs in England up to the 15th century. TB 224.
Lacey, Robert
The year 1000: what life was like at the turn of the first millennium: an Englishman's world. 1999. Read by Peter Wickham, 4 hours 54 minutes. TB 11774.
The text provides a portrait of life in England a thousand years ago, examining the world of kings and revellers, saints and slave-labourers, lingering paganism and profound Christian faith. The text concludes by examining the human and social ingredients that were to make for success and achievement in the next thousand years. TB 11774.
Longmate, Norman
Defending the island: Caesar to the Armada. 1989. Read by Noel Johnson, 25 hours 50 minutes. TB 8506.
Drawing on extensive historical data the author describes the battle to keep Britain as an island, from the Celtic tribes through to the Spanish Armada, with an emphasis on military and naval history. The result is an invaluable source-book for the specialist and an enthralling narrative for the general reader. TB 8506.
Phillips, Graham
Robin Hood: man behind the myth. 1995. Read by Garard Green, 5 hours 40 minutes. TB 10619.
The authors have discovered new evidence that Robin Hood did exist historically, but in a different place and at a different time. The true story originated not in Nottinghamshire but in Yorkshire. Robin was not the disinherited Earl of Huntingdon but a peasant revolutionary from Wakefield. The original story was set not in the 1190's but in the 1320's. This new evidence allows the authors to reveal Robin Hood's true identity and his role in British history. TB 10619.
BRITISH HISTORY – TUDORS & STUARTS
Andrews, Allen
The royal whore: Barbara Villiers, Countess of Castlemaine. 1971. Read by John Graham, 8 hours 18 minutes. TB 1710.
The extraordinary story of Barbara Castlemaine, mistress of Charles II. TB 1710.
Bowle, John
Henry VIII: a biography. 1964. Read by Andrew Gemmill, 15 hours. TB 1187.
The popular king is depicted here as a complex personality who though conservative in outlook carried his country through a time of revolution. TB 1187.
Bryant, Arthur
King Charles II. 1931. Read by David Broomfield, 12 hours 30 minutes. TB 1336.
A sympathetic assessment against the politically difficult Restoration period of a king often maligned as a playboy. TB 1336.
Chapman, Hester W
Lady Jane Grey, October 1537 - February 1554. 1962. Read by John Richmond, 8 hours 20 minutes. TB 1940.
The life and times of the girl who was Queen of England for nine days, executed in 1554 at the age of sixteen. TB 1940.
Du Maurier, Daphne
Golden lads: a study of Anthony Bacon, Francis and their friends. 1977. Read by John Richmond, 12 hours 45 minutes. TB 3004.
The story of the mysterious Anthony Bacon, his brilliant younger brother Francis, and their friend the Earl of Essex. TB 3004.
Evelyn, John
The diary of John Evelyn. 1983. Read by John Richmond, 24 hours 16 minutes. TB 4847.
A selection from the diaries of a man who was a traveller, a writer and a connoisseur of the arts as well as being a pioneer in forestry and gardening. He was a friend of Samuel Pepys for forty years, a close adviser to Charles II. Eleven days after the Great Fire, John Evelyn produced a plan for a new city. He was a member of the Royal Society; where he met Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton. In all, he lived through six monarchies and one republic and watched England grow from a minor country on the verge of empire to one of the great powers of Europe. TB 4847.