Audiobooks by Will Durant

The Age of Napoleon: A History of European Civilization from 1789 to 1815

An engrossing volume on European civilization by Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Will and Ariel Durant The Age of Napoleon, the eleventh and final volume of the Story of Civilization, surveys the amazing chain of events that wrenched Europe out of the Enlightenment and into the age of democracy. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the French Revolution-from the storming of the Bastille to the guillotining of the king; the revolution's leaders Danton, Desmoulins, Robespierre, Saint-Just-all cut down by the reign of terror they inaugurated; Napoleon's meteoric rise-from provincial Corsican military student to emperor and commander of the largest army in history; Napoleon's fall-his army's destruction in the snows of Russia, his exile to Elba, his escape and reconquest of the throne, and his ultimate defeat at Waterloo by the combined forces of Europe; the birth of Romanticism and the dawning of a new age of active democracy and a rising middle class, laying the foundation for a new era. “[The Durants] are incapable of writing a dull book.”—Time

Ariel Durant, Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Rousseau and Revolution: A History of Civilization in France, England, and Germany from 1756, and in

The Pulitzer Prize–winning volume on European civilization by acclaimed historians Will and Ariel Durant. Rousseau and Revolution, the tenth volume of Story of Civilization, ranges over a Europe in ferment, but centers on the passionate rebel—philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the great exponent of the romantic impulse toward self-exploration and social revolt, who contended with the great rationalist Voltaire for the mind of Europe. Rousseau condemned civilization as a disease, glorified the noble savage, proclaimed to the world with equal intensity his own love affairs and the natural rights of man, and became the patron saint of the revolution and the worldwide social upheavals of two centuries. “Their many vignettes of men and cities are full of anecdote and aphorism. They make each period alive and pulsating…After all these years, their enthusiasm is unabated. It can be felt on every page of their final volume.”—New York Times

Ariel Durant, Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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The Age of Voltaire: A History of Civlization in Western Europe from 1715 to 1756, with Special Emph

The Age of Voltaire, the ninth volume of The Story of Civilization, is an in-depth examination of France and England in the first half of the eighteenth century. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the English ideas that inspired the Enlightenment in France-skepticism, scientific experiment, constitutional government, "natural rights," and individual liberty; the salons of Paris, where the wits and thinkers of all Europe gathered to exchange ideas; the philosophes-intellectuals, playwrights, and poets who consulted and consorted with kings and queens; Voltaire himself-the incarnation of the Enlightenment and a devotee of reason who still defended religious faith; Mme. Pompadour, patron of the philosophes, who seduced King Louis XV and through him influenced French policy; the Augustan Age in English literature-Alexander Pope's poetry, Jonathan Swift's satires, and the novels of Samuel Richardson and Henry Fielding; and the growing parasitism of the aristocracy and rising power of the commercial class.

Ariel Durant, Will Durant (Author), Grover Gardner (Narrator)

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The Age of Louis XIV: A History of European Civilization in the Period of Pascal, Molière, Cromwell,

The Age of Louis XIV is the biography of a period (1648–1715) that Spengler considered the apex of modern European civilization. Central to the book is the “Sun King” himself, Louis XIV, who ruled France for over seventy years, longer than almost any European ruler in history. He is the subject of a character study that runs through seven chapters, revealing the flesh and blood beneath the purple and the crown. From France the narrative passes to the Netherlands, which shows the Dutch opening their dikes to save their land from Louis XIV and sending William of Orange to become king of England and a leader of the European alliance against Louis’ hegemony. In England we contemplate the heyday of virtue under the Puritans and study the character of Cromwell. We see Milton’s passionate career as part of the vain effort to prevent the Stuart Restoration. We find Charles II, the “Merry Monarch,” attend boisterous Restoration plays; we skim the diaries of Evelyn and Pepys; and we follow Jonathan Swift from genius to insanity. Crossing the North Sea we trace the tragic heroism of Charles XII of Sweden and the attempt of Peter the Great to lead Russia from barbarism to civilization. We accompany the noble Sobieski of Poland as he rescues Vienna from the Turks. We visit Italy and Spain. We see the Jews proscribed and impoverished in Europe but rising to riches in Amsterdam and following Sabbatai Zevi in a desperate hope of regaining Palestine and freedom. All this forms the background for the “intellectual adventure” of the European mind in its passage from superstition, mythology, and intolerance to education, science, and philosophy, for this was the age of Newton, Leibniz, and Spinoza. The book ends with the sunset of Le Roi Soleil: Louis dying defeated and repentant, begging his grandson and successor not to imitate his taste for splendor and war, and followed in his funeral by the insults of the crowd. “[This work] is informed and highly readable; it is studded with vignettes of the leading figures; it is replete with facts spread widely over the many aspects of human endeavor; it is eloquently partisan for the dignity of man and the decencies of life.”—Saturday Review

Ariel Durant, Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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The Age of Reason Begins: A History of European Civilization in the Period of Shakespeare, Bacon, Mo

This seventh volume of Will and Ariel Durant’s renowned series, The Story of Civilization, chronicles the history of European civilization from 1558 to 1648. The Age of Reason Begins brings together a fascinating network of stories in the discussion of the bumpy road toward the Enlightenment. This is the age of great monarchs and greater artists—on the one hand, Elizabeth the First of England, Philip II of Spain, and Henry IV of France; on the other, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Montaigne, and Rembrandt. It also encompasses the heyday of Francis Bacon, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, and Descartes, the fathers of modern science and philosophy. But it is equally an age of extreme violence, a moment in which all Europe was embroiled in the horrible Thirty Years’ War—in some respects, the real first world war. This chapter in cultural history is one that can’t be missed. “Mr. and Mrs. Durant are admirably lucid…This is a book that can be commended very warmly.”—New York Times

Ariel Durant, Will Durant (Author), Grover Gardner (Narrator)

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Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War & God

The final and most personal work from Pulitzer Prize–winning author and historian Will Durant—discovered thirty-two years after his death—is a message of insight for everyone who has sought meaning in life or the council of a wise friend in navigating life’s journey. From 1968 to 1978, Will Durant made four public allusions to the existence of Fallen Leaves. One, in 1975, hinted at its contents: “a not very serious book that answers the questions of what I think about government, life, death, and God.” And in 1975: “I propose…to answer all the important questions, simply, fairly, and imperfectly.” Even into his nineties, he worked on the book daily, writing it out on legal notepads. Upon his death in 1981, no one, not even the Durant heirs, knew if he had completed it, or even if it still existed. Thirty-two years later, in a granddaughter’s attic trunk, the manuscript was discovered. Fallen Leaves is Will Durant’s most personal book. It is precisely as he described: twenty-two short chapters on everything from youth and old age, religion and morals, to sex, war, politics, and art. The culmination of Durant’s sixty-plus years spent researching the philosophies, religions, arts, sciences, and civilizations from across the world, Fallen Leaves is the distilled wisdom of a gifted scholar with a renowned talent for rendering the insights of the past accessible. In its preface Durant mentions that over the course of his career he received letters from “curious readers who have challenged me to speak my mind on the timeless questions of human life and fate.” With Fallen Leaves he accepted their challenge. It contains strong opinions, elegant prose, and deep insights into the human condition as only Will Durant could provide, as well as his revealing conclusions about the perennial problems and greatest joys we face as a species. “Final messages of wisdom…short but persuasive commentaries on a diversity of topics from a respected scholar of humanity.”—Kirkus Reviews

Will Durant (Author), Grover Gardner (Narrator)

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The Reformation: A History of European Civilization from Wycliffe to Calvin, 1300–1564

An engrossing volume on the European Reformation by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Will Durant The sixth volume of Durant’s acclaimed Story of Civilization, The Reformation chronicles the history of European civilization from 1300 to 1564. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the schism within the Roman Catholic Church and the formation of early Protestantism; the theology of Martin Luther and his societal impact; the rise of Humanism and the life of Desiderius Erasmus; the royal monarchies of England, France, Spain, and Italy; the imperial conquests of Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the Americas; the Bohemian revolution of Eastern Europe, the unification of Russia, and the rise of the Ottoman Empire; the teachings of John Calvin; and the Counter-Reformation of the sixteenth century.

Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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The Renaissance: A History of Civilization in Italy from 1304–1576 AD

An engrossing volume on the Italian Renaissance by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Will Durant The fifth volume of Durant’s acclaimed Story of Civilization, The Renaissance chronicles the history of Italy from 1304 to 1576. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the poets Petrarch and Boccaccio, the fathers of the Renaissance; the paintings, sculptures, and architecture of Milan, Florence, and Venice; the life and accomplishments of Leonardo Da Vinci; the Catholic church and the popes of Avignon and Rome; the politicians and philosophers of Italy, including the Borgia family, Julius II, and Machiavelli; the Italian Wars, the conflicts with France, and the country’s decline. “Magnificent and monumental.”—New York Times, praise for the series

Will Durant (Author), Grover Gardner (Narrator)

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The Age of Faith: A History of Medieval Civilization (Christian, Islamic, and Judaic) from Constanti

The fourth volume in Will Durant’s Pulitzer Prize–winning series, The Age of Faith surveys the medieval achievements and modern significance of Christian, Islamic, and Judaic life and culture. Like the other volumes in the Story of Civilization series, this is a self-contained work, which at the same time fits into a comprehensive history of mankind. It includes the dramatic stories of St. Augustine, Hypatia, Justinian, Mohammed, Harun al-Rashid, Charlemagne, William the Conqueror, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, Maimonides, St. Francis, St. Thomas Aquinas, Roger Bacon, and many others, all in the perspective of integrated history. The greatest love stories in literature—of Héloise and Abélard, of Dante and Beatrice—are here retold with enthralling scholarship.

Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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Caesar and Christ: The Story of Civilization, Volume 3

The third volume of Will Durant’s Pulitzer Prize–winning series, Caesar and Christ chronicles the history of Roman civilization and of Christianity from their beginnings to 325 AD. In this masterful work, listeners will learn about: • the Etruscan civilization of ancient Italy • the birth of the Roman Republic and the beginnings of Roman law • the great reigns of Caesar and Antony • the people of Rome—the artisans, tradesmen, and scientists • the places of Rome’s great empire • the beginnings of Christianity and its growth • the rise of Constantine and the fall of the empire

Will Durant (Author), Grover Gardner (Narrator)

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The Life of Greece: The Story of Civilization, Volume 2

The second volume of Will Durant’s Pulitzer Prize–winning series, The Life of Greece: The Story of Civilization, Volume 2 chronicles the history of ancient Greek civilization. Here Durant tells the whole story of Greece, from the days of Crete’s vast Aegean empire to the final extirpation of the last remnants of Greek liberty, crushed under the heel of an implacably forward-marching Rome. The dry minutiae of battles and sieges, of tortuous statecraft of tyrant and king, get the minor emphasis in what is preeminently a vivid recreation of Greek culture, brought to the reader through the medium of supple, vigorous prose. In this masterful work, readers will learn about: • the siege of Troy • the great city-states of Athens and Sparta • the heroes of Homer’s epics • the gods and lesser deities of Mount Olympus • the teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle • the life of Alexander the Great

Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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The Life of Greece: A History of Greek Civilization from the Beginnings, and of Civilization in the

The second volume of Will Durant's Pulitzer Prize–winning series, The Life of Greece: The Story of Civilization, Volume 2 chronicles the history of ancient Greek civilization. Here Durant tells the whole story of Greece, from the days of Crete's vast Aegean empire to the final extirpation of the last remnants of Greek liberty, crushed under the heel of an implacably forward-marching Rome. The dry minutiae of battles and sieges, of tortuous statecraft of tyrant and king, get the minor emphasis in what is preeminently a vivid recreation of Greek culture, brought to the reader through the medium of supple, vigorous prose. In this masterful work, readers will learn about: - the siege of Troy- the great city-states of Athens and Sparta- the heroes of Homer's epics- the gods and lesser deities of Mount Olympus- the teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle- the life of Alexander the Great

Will Durant (Author), Stefan Rudnicki (Narrator)

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