Audiobooks by Phaistos Publishers

Medieval Ukraine: The History of Ukraine in the Middle Ages

Shortly before invading Ukraine in February 2022, President Vladimir Putin of Russia claimed that Russia and Ukraine were one nation artificially divided. In the previous year, he wrote an essay entitled On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians, in which claims that modern Ukraine is an “anti-Russian project,” a monstrosity turning its back on its heritage and borrowing culture for the corrupt West. This assessment may ring true to many Westerners, many of whom are unaware of the aspirations to Ukrainian nationhood until it declared its independence from the dying Soviet Union on August 24, 1991. The Russian Federation and Ukraine do indeed share a common heritage, but their history and culture led them along divergent paths. Many readers might be surprised to learn that the historical center of Russia was not Moscow, but Kiev, the capital of modern Ukraine. In the 9th century, Norse traders and warriors, known as Varangians, settled along the Dnieper, Volga and other rivers between the Baltic and Black Seas. They imposed themselves – or, according to Russian folklore – were invited – upon the Slav inhabitants. According to The Primary Chronicle, a history written by the Varangians themselves, they brought order to a troubled land: “They said to themselves, ‘Let us seek a prince who may rule over us, and judge us according to the Law.” They accordingly went overseas to the Varangian Rus'. … The Chuds, the Slavs, the Krivichs and the Ves then said to the Rus', “Our land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come to rule and reign over us.’ They thus selected three brothers with their kinfolk, who took with them all the Rus' and migrated.”

Phaistos Publishers (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

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The Fall of the Third Reich: The Decisions and Battles that Spelled Doom for Nazi Germany

Few events have had a greater impact on human history than the ascension to power of the Nazi Party in Germany in January 1933. This was no coup: the party gained some power via democratic elections, although once it was established, it quickly took absolute control over all aspects of the state. Other parties were outlawed, and further elections were deemed “unnecessary.” However, Germany’s image as a nation united under one man and committed to expansion through the application of science and technology was in reality an illusion. Nazi Germany was wracked by internal dissent, a chaotic system of rule and a leader who was willing to ignore the economic and resource needs of his nation. By the end of 1941, Germany appeared to be unassailable. Most of its European enemies had either been defeated or seemed to be on the point of defeat. The almost unbroken string of spectacular successes enjoyed by the German Army and air force suggested to many that these were simply unbeatable. Within less than four years, Germany had been utterly defeated, Hitler was dead and Germany itself was occupied by foreign armies. The factors that led to this sudden and complete collapse had been present from the very beginning of the Nazi regime, but they had been hidden by early success in the face of uncertain and vacillating adversaries. In retrospect, we can clearly see that the fall of the Third Reich was probably inevitable, though it would shake Europe to its foundations, bring about an entirely new world order, and involve the deaths of tens of millions of people.

Phaistos Publishers (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

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Operation Typhoon: The History of the Fight for Moscow between the Nazis and Soviets

After the Fall of France and the unsatisfactory Battle of Britain came to a close, Hitler turned to the east and issued Führer Directive 21, his secret order for the invasion of the Soviet Union, on 18 December 1940. Prior to this the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression agreement, had enabled the two countries to divide the spoils after the invasion of Poland that had triggered the Second World War. Hitler, however, had always regarded this agreement as nothing more than a temporary tactical maneuver. In the early part of the Second World War, the arrangement had suited the two nations, with the Soviet Union preoccupied with its own issues while Hitler continued his aggression in Western Europe, exporting manufactured goods to the Soviet Union in return for grain and oil. But they were never easy bedfellows since their ideological differences were diametrically opposed. For his part, Stalin seems uncharacteristically trusting of Hitler despite Soviet intelligence reports and London warning him of Germany’s intentions. Operation Barbarossa caught him unprepared. Over three and a half million troops - eighty% of the German Army, attacked along a front almost 3,000 km, supported by 2,700 aircraft, the largest invasion force ever seen. Soviet forces were hastily dispatched to the frontier in huge numbers, but the Germans pushed through quickly and decisively, and within three weeks of the launch of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler’s initial objectives had been achieved. While a legend exists today that Hitler's strategic fecklessness destroyed Germany's chances, despite the wise objections of the Wehrmacht general staff (OKW), the actual situation in 1941 resembled the precise reverse of this familiar historical trope. It seems the Fuhrer retained his full strategic acumen in 1941, until he ill-advisedly adopted the suggestions of the OKW and diverted forces in a winter campaign to seize the Soviet capital, leading to the Battle of Moscow .

Phaistos Publishers (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

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Tony Curtis: The Life and Career of a Hollywood Golden Boy

“Shining shoes as a boy, shining on-screen as a star, shining even among the blinding bright lights of Las Vegas that became his adopted home, Tony Curtis was never less than a megawatt personality, one that always seemed lit by a childlike glow of wonderment.” Start naming superstars from the enchanted Golden Age of Hollywood, and chances are that Tony Curtis shared a marquee with them—and when it comes to many of the women, he also shared a bed. Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Burt Lancaster? Yup. Marilyn Monroe, Janet Leigh, Natalie Wood? Yup. Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin? Yup. Debbie Reynolds, Yvonne De Carlo…well, you get the idea. Curtis appeared in more than 100 movies, dozens of television series, and on countless talk, variety, and game shows, but despite a prolific career spanning six decades in the ficklest business of all, Curtis could never shake the feeling that he was on the outside looking in. He always had a beautiful woman at his side, but he had trouble committing to one. He mingled with the movers and shakers in the realms of entertainment and politics, but when his phone inevitably stopped ringing, he fell hard into drug and alcohol abuse. He fathered six children, but when his end neared, he bequeathed them nothing. This book profiles how Curtis climbed from the darkest depths of poverty, reached Hollywood’s dizzying heights of fame and fortune, and clung to his pedestal through five marriages, drug, alcohol, and sex addiction, and the tragic death of a son.

Phaistos Publishers (Author), Daniel Houle (Narrator)

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Pyramids of Ancient Egypt, The: The History of Antiquity’s Most Famous Monuments

In addition to being one of the Ancient Wonders of the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza is extraordinary for a number of reasons. It is one of the greatest feats of engineering in the ancient world, to the extent that it remained the tallest built structure in the world from the time it was finished up until the Lincoln Cathedral was completed around 1300 CE. The fact the nearly 520 feet tall spire of the cathedral was erected nearly 3,800 years after the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed, a testament in its own way to the longevity of the pyramid itself. Even since then, it remains a monument that has stood the test of time, remaining the only one of the original seven wonders still surviving. Archaeologists have estimated that when completed, the Great Pyramid stood 480 feet tall, with each side measuring 756 feet in length, with a total mass estimated at being 5.9 million tons and a volume of approximately 2.5 million cubic meters. The Great Pyramid is only one of many pyramids at Giza, and people still associate Egypt with pyramids due to these massive monuments, but many are unaware of the long tradition of pyramid building within Egypt. There are many more pyramids in Egypt than just those at Giza - Lepsius’ expedition listed 67 “pyramids” throughout Egypt, all listed in his Denkmäler aus Aegypten und Aethiopien. Some of these monuments have since been relabeled as mastabas or other monuments, but many represented initial attempts at building pyramids by some of Egypt’s earliest kings, offering testament to the fact that the Egyptians spent several centuries trying to master the process of building such majestic monuments.

Phaistos Publishers (Author), Daniel Houle (Narrator)

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Studebakers, The: The History of the Studebaker Family and Their Classic Cars

“The automobile has come to stay. But when a man has no business, it is a rather expensive luxury, and I would advise no man, be he farmer or merchant, to buy one until he has sufficient income to keep it up. A horse and buggy will afford a great deal of enjoyment…” – John M. Studebaker Every year, thousands of automobile enthusiasts from different states near and far – and at times, flying in from other countries – flock to their nearest Studebaker car show, hosted by a local chapter of the Studebaker Driver's Club, without fail. Car fanatics and avid collectors alike congregate at these wholesome, family-friendly events to admire and pay homage to the long-lived company's exquisite collection of cars and trucks in both used and mint conditions, among which include: the 1954 Studebaker Champion, a sleek model available in electric blue and tangerine orange, equipped with three-passenger benches and their trademark flat-head straight-six engine rated at 85 hp and 138-lbs of torque; the 1963 Studebaker Avanti, a personal luxury coupe, available in colors such as pewter gray, royal red, and midnight black, kitted out with black vinyl bucket seats; the 1927 Studebaker Dictator, a classic, rear-wheel-drive, four-door sedan with a hardtop roof; and many other timeless masterpieces. In a nutshell, the Studebaker Corporation was, to many, the embodiment of classic American culture and values. It was a distinctly unionized and family-oriented business, its cars and wares built by generations of fathers and sons, and throughout its lengthy history, churned out some 4.2 million vehicles, on top of the 2 million horse-drawn carriages manufactured during its early years. To this day, one can still see the imprints and vestiges left behind by the Studebaker legacy across its hometown of South Bend, Indiana.

Phaistos Publishers (Author), Daniel Houle (Narrator)

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