Audiobooks by Charles River Editors

Hollywood’s 10 Greatest Actors Audiobook

In 1999, the American Film Institute released its list of the 50 greatest Hollywood stars of the 20th century, and selecting the 10 best actors out of the bunch was certainly a tall task. The competition was so stacked that men like Gary Cooper and John Wayne were not even among the Top 10. So who were the Top 10 men selected by the AFI? One man has long been considered the greatest male star. From the time he first became a leading man, Humphrey Bogart’s screen image has resonated with viewers more than perhaps any other actor. His persona as a tough guy who manages to maintain his sense of virtue no matter how compromising the situation features in some of the most famous films ever made. Movie stars are revered for their ability to captivate audiences, and perhaps no actor has done it as well as Cary Grant, the epitome of the suave, debonair actor who may have been rivaled only by dancer extraordinaire Fred Astaire. If the list was reconstructed today, it is entirely possible that Jimmy Stewart would rank first. Not only have movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) and Vertigo (1958) continued to gain in popularity even into the 21st century, but Stewart has come to embody an accessible image of American values that is easy for everyone to embrace. Over the course of his long, prolific career, Marlon Brando was considered perhaps the greatest actor of the 20th century as well as one of the most complicated and misunderstood. Uniquely able to be both emotionally charged and technically constrained in the same performance, he single-handedly changed the direction of acting, Best known for his role in Gone with the Wind (1939), Clark Gable had a unique appeal that captivated Depression-era audiences, while portraying tough guys and gangsters in the 1930s that turned James Cagney into a massive Hollywood star.

Charles River Editors (Author), Mary Rossman (Narrator)

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The Mount Rushmore Presidents

In the 1920s, plans were made to carve the figures of America's greatest presidents into Mount Rushmore, the tallest spot in the Black Hills of the Dakotas. By 1939 the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt had been carved into the rock, and one of America's greatest national monuments was born. The four men were certainly worthy of being immortalized in granite. Every American is taught a pristine narrative of the life and legacy of George Washington and can easily recite the highlights and myths of Washington's life. Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in authoring the Declaration of Independence, laying out the ideological groundwork of the notion of states’ rights, leading one of the first political parties, and overseeing the expansion of the United States during his presidency. Schoolchildren can recite the life story of Lincoln, the “Westerner” who educated himself and became a self made man, rising from lawyer to leader of the new Republican Party before becoming the 16th President of the United States and saving the Union. And at the turn of the 20th century, Theodore Roosevelt came to be recognized as the quintessential American, remembered for being a president, explorer, hunter, author, soldier, president, and safari adventurer, all of which combine into one unique reputation. Mount Rushmore poignantly symbolizes the legacies and legends of these men, which often overshadow the actual men themselves. In addition to covering all of the accomplishments and the growing legacies of these 4 presidents,

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

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General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz: The Lives and Careers of America’s Commande

Despite fighting in North Africa and the Atlantic, the United States still had the resources and manpower to fight the Japanese in the Pacific. Though the Japanese had crippled the American fleet at Pearl Harbor, its distance from Japan made an invasion of Pearl Harbor impossible, and Japan had not severely damaged important infrastructure. Thus, the United States was able to quickly rebuild a fleet, still stationed at Pearl Harbor right in the heart of the Pacific. This forward location allowed the United States to immediately push deeply into the Pacific theater. The Americans would eventually push the Japanese back across the Pacific, and one of the most instrumental leaders in the effort was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet and helped coordinate joint operations with the legendary General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander, Southwest Pacific Area. Today, Nimitz’s name doesn’t ring as many bells as his counterpart’s, because of all the military men America produced during the 19th and 20th centuries, it’s hard to find one as important, successful, and controversial as General MacArthur. The son of a Civil War veteran, MacArthur rose to become the most instrumental commander in the Pacific Theater during World War II. His legendary return to the Philippines in 1944 made good on one of the war’s most famous vows, and it was MacArthur who fittingly oversaw the occupation and reconstruction of Japan following the war. Given his long and celebrated career, MacArthur was the obvious choice to lead the newly created United Nations’ troops during the Korean War, but his arguments over war strategy and policy eventually led to his controversial firing by President Harry Truman in 1951. After that, in his own words, he “faded away,” living out his remaining days on the top floor of the Waldorf Hotel until his death in 1964.

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Caufield (Narrator)

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The Empires of Persia: The History and Legacy of the Dynasties that Ruled Persia from Antiquity to T

Lying in the middle of a plain in modern day Iran is a forgotten ancient city: Persepolis. Built two and a half thousand years ago, it was known in its day as the richest city under the sun. Persepolis was the capital of Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest empire the world had ever seen, but after its destruction, it was largely forgotten for nearly 2,000 years, and the lives and achievements of those who built it were almost entirely erased from history. Alexander the Great’s troops razed the city to the ground in a drunken riot to celebrate the conquest of the capital, after which time and sand buried it for centuries. The Parthian people created an empire that lasted almost 500 years, from the mid-3rd century BCE until 224 CE, and it stretched from the Euphrates River in the west to Central Asia and the borders of Bactria in the east. In fact, the expansive empire challenged the Romans on numerous occasions for supremacy in the Near East. During the first half of the 1st millennium CE, an empire arose in Persia that extended its power and influence to Mesopotamia in the east, Arabia in the south, the Caucasus Mountains in the north, and as far east as India. This empire, known alternatively as the Sasanian Empire or Sassanid Empire, was the last of three great dynasties in Persia—the Achaemenid and the Parthian being the first two dynasties—before the rise of Islam. Amid the upheaval in the Islamic world following Muhammad’s death, the Umayyad Caliphate lasted for less than a century, but in that time it managed to become one of the most influential of the major caliphates established following him. The Umayyads would be replaced by the far more intelligent and crafty Abbasids, who managed to wield powerful tools like propaganda to undermine their opponents, but eventually, the Ottomans would consolidate control of the area for nearly 500 years.

Charles River Editors (Author), Victoria Woodson (Narrator)

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A History of Ancient Egypt’s Most Famous Sites

Africa may have given rise to the first humans, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world. For almost four millennia, the Great Pyramids of Ancient Egypt have been widely hailed as the single greatest archeological feat man has ever accomplished. The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world to have survived into the modern age. Unlike so many pieces of the historical record which have been “re-discovered,” relatively recently (in the grand scheme of things,” in their four thousand years of existence, the Great Pyramids have never allowed themselves to be truly forgotten by the human civilization which has never ceased to regard them with wonder and awe. Egypt also impressed its contemporaries. The 5th century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Egypt was “the gift of the Nile” because the river made its soil so fertile and thus helped create one of the first great civilizations. Indeed, the land of Egypt so impressed the Greeks that when Alexander the Great conquered the Nile Valley in the 4th century B.C., he decided that he would build a new city on its soil and name it Alexandria. After Alexander, the city of Alexandria grew and became the most important city in the world for centuries as it watched and played a role in the rise and fall of numerous dynasties. The city also became home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the Lighthouse of Alexandria – and a center of culture and learning, which was exemplified by the Library of Alexandria.

Charles River Editors (Author), Michelle Humphries (Narrator)

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Spain and the American Revolution: The History of the Spanish Empire’s Participation in the Revoluti

The American Revolution is replete with seminal moments that every American learns in school, from the “shot heard ‘round the world” to the Declaration of Independence, but the events that led up to the fighting at Lexington & Concord were borne out of 10 years of division between the British and their American colonies over everything from colonial representation in governments to taxation, the nature of searches, and the quartering of British regulars in private houses. From 1764-1775, a chain of events that included lightning rods like the Townshend Acts led to bloodshed in the form of the Boston Massacre, while the Tea Party became a symbol of nonviolent protest. The political and military nature of the Revolutionary War was just as full of intrigue. While disorganized militias fought the Battles of Lexington & Concord, George Washington would lead the Continental Army in the field while men like Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia and Benjamin Franklin negotiated overseas in France. French forces would play a crucial role at the end of the war, and the Treaty of Paris would conclude the Revolution with one last great surprise. The British surrender at Yorktown marked the end of major operations during the conflict, and many are familiar with the major role the French forces played there, and the extent of France’s participation in general, but few know the extent of other countries’ participation in the American Revolution. Among the other European powers, few had as big an influence in the Americas as Spain, and the Spanish Empire, though declining by the late 18th century, still possessed colonial holdings in the region. In fact, through political intrigue and past military efforts, the Spanish would have a say across much of the future United States during this period, from Florida to New Orleans, and all of it impacted American history over the coming decades after the Revolutionary War ended.

Charles River Editors (Author), Kc Wayman (Narrator)

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Gettysburg and Vicksburg: The Civil War Turning Points of 1863

Without question, the most famous battle of the American Civil War took place outside of the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which happened to be a transportation hub, serving as the center of a wheel with several roads leading out to other Pennsylvanian towns. From July 1-3, Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia tried everything in its power to decisively defeat George Meade’s Union Army of the Potomac, unleashing ferocious assaults that inflicted nearly 50,000 casualties in all. Day 1 of the battle would have been one of the 25 biggest battles of the Civil War itself, and it ended with a tactical Confederate victory. But over the next two days, Lee would try and fail to dislodge the Union army with attacks on both of its flanks during the second day and Pickett’s Charge on the third and final day. Meade’s stout defense held, barely, repulsing each attempted assault, handing the Union a desperately needed victory that ended up being one of the Civil War’s turning points. The Confederates had lost control of several important states throughout 1862, and after New Orleans was taken by the Union, the North controlled almost all of the Mississippi River, which Confederate general James Longstreet called “the lungs of the Confederacy”. By taking control of that vital river, the North would virtually cut the Confederacy in two, putting the South in a dire situation. The only domino left to fall was the stronghold of Vicksburg, and both sides knew it. The Union Army of the Tennessee, led by Ulysses S. Grant, would spend months trying to encircle the army and eventually force John Pemberton’s Confederate army to surrender. Grant eventually succeeded on July 4, 1863, but since it came a day after the climactic finish of the Battle of Gettysburg, Vicksburg was (and still is) frequently overlooked as one of the turning points of the Civil War.

Charles River Editors (Author), Jim Walsh (Narrator)

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Pompey the Great: The Life and Legacy of the Legendary Roman General Who Lost the Civil War to Juliu

Thanks to Caesar’s victory in the civil war, Pompey is mostly remembered not for being one of Rome’s greatest generals, but for being defeated by Caesar and then ignominiously murdered after he fled to Egypt, where the boy pharaoh Ptolemy XIII decapitated Pompey and offered his head to Caesar as a gift. Although Caesar was there chasing Pompey’s men, he quickly became involved in Egypt’s own civil war. As a consequence of Ptolemy’s barbarity, Caesar impulsively decided to side with his sister Cleopatra in her bid for the throne of Egypt, escalating what was rapidly becoming an all-out civil war. Of course, before the civil war, Pompey was one of the most powerful men in Rome. Gnaeus Pompeius was born on September 29, 106 BCE and went on to become regarded as one of the greatest statesmen and generals of the late Roman Republic. He was given the title “the Great” by his troops in Africa in 82 BCE and assumed the cognomen Magnus after 81 BCE. Pompey belonged to the senatorial nobility, the Pompeii, and the family had its first consul in 141 BCE. He loved all things Greek and spoke the language fluently. He gained much of his early military experience working on the staff of his father Pompeius Strabo, and the family base was in Picenum in eastern Italy. Strabo had significantly increased the family’s clients when he was consul in 88 BCE. In time, Pompey played a role in defeating many of Rome’s enemies across the world, from Africa to Spain, and he even helped put down Spartacus’ uprising. He had built his military power and acumen by participating in Rome’s previous civil war between Gaius Marius and Sulla, sharpening both his political and military skills, and he used them to great effect for decades during one of ancient Rome’s most chaotic – and important – periods. Perhaps just as importantly, following his successes in Africa, he demanded a triumph and refused to disband his army.

Charles River Editors (Author), Victoria Woodson (Narrator)

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Cryptography in World War I: The History of the Efforts to Make and Break Secret Codes during the Gr

World War I was the first major conflict in which new electronic means of transmitting and receiving messages became a major factor in political and military operations. The electric telegraph was developed in the first half of the 19th century, and by 1850, there were several telegraph companies around the world providing a service that allowed virtually instantaneous communication over long distances. This was a major breakthrough, but the telegraph depended on the availability of wires to transmit messages between stations, meaning that if these wires were broken or damaged, communications were cut off. Late in the 19th century, there was another new development, the telephone, though this too relied on wires to transmit and receive information. At the same time, there was a new invention that provided instant voice and Morse code communication over long distances that did not require wires. Initially called wireless, radio was quickly adopted by armies around the world as a way of providing rapid communication between military units. By the time World War I began in 1914, all the major nations involved had provided their forces with some form of radio equipment. Of course, this came with a fundamental problem: radio, telephone, and telegraph messages could be intercepted by the enemy, potentially giving them notice of impending operations. To protect these electronic messages from being read by the enemy, armies began to use codes and ciphers to disguise the meaning of messages. Teams were created to devise effective codes and ciphers, and these were quickly followed by other teams whose role was to attempt to break the codes and ciphers used by the other side. As a result, a secret war began, almost completely hidden from public view, as the belligerents devised complex ways of hiding the real meaning of their own messages while simultaneously attempting to understand those of the enemy.

Charles River Editors (Author), Michelle Humphries (Narrator)

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History's Famous Women Pirates

The people who have lived outside the boundaries of normal societies and refused to play by the rules have long fascinated the world, and nowhere is this more evident than the continuing interest in the pirates of centuries past. As the subjects of books, movies, and even theme park rides, people continue to let their imaginations go when it comes to pirates, with buried treasure, parrots, and walking the plank all ingrained in pop culture’s perception of them. While that explains some of the reasons Grace O'Malley's life and legacy continue to resonate, she was clearly a different kind of woman altogether. Far from being a member of an unprivileged class seeking to steal booty from any ship she could, she was both a queen and a rebel who defiantly fought to protect her home and way of life against the English. Naturally, while foreigners might remember her as a pirate and one of many famous rebels opposing the English over the centuries, Ireland has remembered her as a folk hero, and she has become the subject of all the poetry, songs, plays, and movies that come along with such a standing. 19th century writer James Hardiman may have summed up her legacy the best when he wrote, “Her name has been frequently used by our Bards, to designate Ireland. Hence our Countrymen have been often called ‘Sons of old Grana Weal.’” One of the most famous pirates of all time, and possibly the most famous woman to ever become one, was Anne Bonny. The Irish-born girl moved with her family to the Bahamas at a young age in the early 18th century, which at that time was a hotbed for piracy by the likes of Blackbeard, but the redhead with a fiery temper would go on to forge her own reputation. Like Anne, Mary Read was an illegitimate child who spent some of her childhood dressed up as and disguised as a little boy through incredibly strange circumstances.

Charles River Editors (Author), Ross Jenkins (Narrator)

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The Cold War Presidents: The History of the American Leaders Who Countered the Soviet Union

Among America’s presidents, Harry Truman’s presidency produced some of the nation’s most crucial decisions and left one of the nation’s most unique legacies. As president, Truman would lay the groundwork for the next 50 years of American foreign policy, as the architect of Cold War containment, the man who signed off on the Marshall Plan, and the commander-in-chief during much of the Korean War. Despite being one of America’s oldest presidents, Eisenhower redefined the public relations nature of the office, in addition to positioning America during the Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union. But Eisenhower’s most lasting contribution as president was the construction of the interstate highway system, and it was in the final year of his presidency that his administration planned and implemented the Apollo space program that would land men on the Moon in 1969. In 1961, Kennedy made it seem like anything was possible, and Americans were eager to believe him. The Kennedy years were fondly and famously labeled “Camelot,” by Jackie herself, suggesting an almost mythical quality about the young President and his family. Of all the politicians who have left their mark on American history, few have had a political career or list of accomplishments and accolades that can even come close to rivaling Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson is one of only 4 Americans to serve as a House Rep, U.S. Senator, Vice President and President, and he made the most out of each experience. The 70+ year old former actor Ronald Reagan went on to have one of the most consequential presidencies of the 20th century, unquestionably making him one of the most influential men of the last 50 years. And his name is still as relevant in American politics today, with every politician with an R next to his or her name trying to claim Ronald Reagan’s conservative mantle.

Charles River Editors (Author), Mary Rossman (Narrator)

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The Adams Family: The History of Colonial Boston's Most Important Political Family

he American Revolution had no shortage of compelling characters with seemingly larger than life traits, including men like the multi-talented Benjamin Franklin, the wise Thomas Jefferson, the mercurial John Adams and the stoic George Washington. But no Revolutionary leader has been as controversial as Samuel Adams, who has been widely portrayed over the last two centuries as America’s most radical and fiery colonist. Among his contemporaries, Samuel Adams was viewed as one of the most influential colonial leaders, a man Thomas Jefferson himself labeled “truly the Man of the Revolution” and the one who the Boston Gazette eulogized as the “Father of the American Revolution.” Samuel was an outspoken opponent of British taxes in the 1760s, one of Boston’s hardest working writers and orators, a leader of the Boston Caucus, active in the Sons of Liberty, and a political leader who organized large gatherings in settings like Faneuil Hall and the Old South Meeting House. When cousin John Adams was an Ambassador to France during the Revolution, he had to explain that he was not the “famous” Adams. John Adams remained a celebrated figure in Boston for all the work he did in Massachusetts before and after the Revolution, but his national reputation has experienced quite a renaissance over the past decade, beginning with David Mccullough’s best selling biography in 2001, followed in 2008 by the popular HBO series based on it. While her time as First Lady was important, Abigail Adams remains one of the most recognized and respected First Ladies in American history due to her voluminous correspondence with John when they were separated throughout the American Revolution. n addition to being the first son of a president to become president himself, John Quincy Adams also managed to be a U.S. Senator, a U.S. House Representative, a Secretary of State, and an ambassador to several countries.

Charles River Editors (Author), Michelle Humphries (Narrator)

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