Audiobooks by Cornelius Ryan

The War: Stories of Life and Death From World War II

No one knew it was going to be that bad. World War II killed some 60 million people—20 million of them soldiers—and inflicted wounds, bereavement, poverty and suffering on countless others.But such destruction was an impossible to imagine in advance as it was for young pilots-in-training to imagine their coming fiery deaths; or for Jews to foresee their last moments in the gas chambers; or for parents to imagine their children killed by the mortars and bullets and other munitions that factories churned out in such enormous quantities. As impossible, perhaps, as it is for us to imagine a disaster of similar scale in our future.The War presents an unforgettable mosaic of memoirs from soldiers, citizens and historians, detailing the immense tragedy that stretched from the Western Front to the Pacific Theater.

A.J. Liebling, Cornelius Ryan, David Kenyon Webster, James J. Fahey, Janet Flanner, Lewis H. Carlson., Paul Fussell, William Manchester (Author), Barrett Whitener, Colleen Delany., Grover Gardner, Terrence Aselford (Narrator)

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An Audio Bundle: Blood & The War

In Blood, the Civil War, the most dramatic moment in this nation's history, also produced some of our greatest literature. From tragic charges to prison escapes to the desolation wrought on those who stayed behind, Blood is an extraordinary collection of reminiscences, fiction, and excerpts from diaries and letters by an array of soldiers, writers and observers that includes Abraham Lincoln, General George Pickett, Walt Whitman, Ulysses S. Grant and Stephen Crane. In The War, no one knew it was going to be that bad. World War II killed some 60 million people-20 million of them soldiers-and inflicted wounds, bereavement, poverty and suffering on countless others. But such destruction was an impossible to imagine in advance as it was for young pilots-in-training to imagine their coming fiery deaths; or for Jews to foresee their last moments in the gas chambers; or for parents to imagine their children killed by the mortars and bullets and other munitions that factories churned out in such enormous quantities. As impossible, perhaps, as it is for us to imagine a disaster of similar scale in our future. The War presents an unforgettable mosaic of memoirs from soldiers, citizens and historians, detailing the immense tragedy that stretched from the Western Front to the Pacific Theater.

A.J. Liebling, Abraham Lincoln, Adeline Grey, Cornelius Ryan, David Kenyon Webster, George Pickett, George T. Stevens, James J. Fahey, Janet Flanner, John Mcelroy, Lewis H. Carlson., Lt. Colonel W.W. Blackford, Paul Fussell, Sarah Morgan Dawson, Stephen Crane, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Ulysses S. Grant, Walt Whitman, William Manchester, William T. Sherman (Author), Barrett Whitener, Christopher Graybill, Colleen Delany., Delores King Williams, Grover Gardner, Terrence Aselford (Narrator)

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A Bridge Too Far

The classic account of one of the most dramatic battles of World War II. A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshaled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-day. In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Focusing on a vast cast of characters-from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders-Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war. A Bridge Too Far superbly recreates the terror, suspense, heroism, and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies. "I know of no other work of literature of World War II as moving, as awesome, and as accurate in its portrayal of human courage."-General James M. Gavin

Cornelius Ryan (Author), Clive Chafer (Narrator)

Audiobook

A Bridge Too Far

The classic account of one of the most dramatic battles of World War II A Bridge Too Far is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshaled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as many casualties as D-day. In this compelling work of history, Ryan narrates the Allied effort to end the war in Europe in 1944 by dropping the combined airborne forces of the American and British armies behind German lines to capture the crucial bridge across the Rhine at Arnhem. Focusing on a vast cast of characters-from Dutch civilians to British and American strategists to common soldiers and commanders-Ryan brings to life one of the most daring and ill-fated operations of the war. A Bridge Too Far superbly recreates the terror, suspense, heroism, and tragedy of this epic operation, which ended in bitter defeat for the Allies.

Cornelius Ryan (Author), Clive Chafer (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Last Battle

The classic account of the final offensive against Hitler's Third Reich. The Battle for Berlin was the culminating struggle of World War II in the European theater. The last offensive against Hitler's Third Reich, it devastated one of Europe's historic capitals and marked the final defeat of Nazi Germany. It was also one of the war's bloodiest and most pivotal battles, whose outcome would shape international politics for decades to come. The Last Battle is Cornelius Ryan's compelling account of this final battle, a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military triumph alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault. As always, Ryan delves beneath the military and political forces that were dictating events to explore the more immediate imperatives of survival, where, as the author describes it, "to eat had become more important than to love, to burrow more dignified than to fight, to endure more militarily correct than to win." The Last Battle is the story of ordinary people, both soldiers and civilians, caught up in the despair, frustration, and terror of defeat. It is history at its best, a masterful illumination of the effects of war on the lives of individuals, and one of the enduring works on World War II. "A rare accomplishment...Will be of interest to generations to come."-James A. Michener, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Cornelius Ryan (Author), Simon Vance (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Last Battle

The classic account of the final offensive against Hitler's Third Reich The Battle for Berlin was the culminating struggle of World War II in the European theater. The last offensive against Hitler's Third Reich, it devastated one of Europe's historic capitals and marked the final defeat of Nazi Germany. It was also one of the war's bloodiest and most pivotal battles, whose outcome would shape international politics for decades to come. The Last Battle is Cornelius Ryan's compelling account of this final battle, a story of brutal extremes, of stunning military triumph alongside the stark conditions that the civilians of Berlin experienced in the face of the Allied assault. As always, Ryan delves beneath the military and political forces that were dictating events to explore the more immediate imperatives of survival, where, as the author describes it, 'to eat had become more important than to love, to burrow more dignified than to fight, to endure more militarily correct than to win.' The Last Battle is the story of ordinary people, both soldiers and civilians, caught up in the despair, frustration, and terror of defeat. It is history at its best, a masterful illumination of the effects of war on the lives of individuals, and one of the enduring works on World War II.

Cornelius Ryan (Author), Simon Vance (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Longest Day: June 6, 1944

The classic account of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan's unsurpassed account of D-day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly re-creates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany. This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth. "What I write about is not war but the courage of man."-Cornelius Ryan

Cornelius Ryan (Author), Clive Chafer (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Longest Day: June 6, 1944

The classic account of the Allied invasion of Normandy The Longest Day is Cornelius Ryan's unsurpassed account of D-day, a book that endures as a masterpiece of military history. In this compelling tale of courage and heroism, glory and tragedy, Ryan painstakingly re-creates the fateful hours that preceded and followed the massive invasion of Normandy to retell the story of an epic battle that would turn the tide against world fascism and free Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany. This book, first published in 1959, is a must for anyone who loves history, as well as for anyone who wants to better understand how free nations prevailed at a time when darkness enshrouded the earth.

Cornelius Ryan (Author), Clive Chafer (Narrator)

Audiobook