29 Best Ancient & Classical Books
Ancient & Classical is a popular category for many book lovers. Our team at Speechify has curated a list of the top Ancient & Classical audiobooks everyone must read.
See the top 29 Ancient & Classical audiobooks below.
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The Socratic Method
- By: Ward Farnsworth
- Narrator: John Lescault
- Length: 7 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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4.27(290 ratings)
4.27(290 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDA thinking person’s guide to a better life. Ward Farnsworth explains what the Socratic method is, how it works, and why it matters more than ever in our time. Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, the method will change the way you thinkA thinking person’s guide to a better life. Ward Farnsworth explains what the Socratic method is, how it works, and why it matters more than ever in our time. Easy to grasp yet challenging to master, the method will change the way you think about life’s big questions.
About 2,500 years ago, Plato wrote a set of dialogues that depict Socrates in conversation. The way Socrates asks questions, and the reasons why, amount to a whole way of thinking. This is the Socratic method–one of humanity’s great achievements. More than a technique, the method is an ethic of patience, inquiry, humility, and doubt. It is an aid to better thinking, and a remedy for bad habits of mind, whether in law, politics, the classroom, or tackling life’s big questions at the kitchen table.
Drawing on hundreds of quotations, this book explains what the Socratic method is and how to use it. Chapters include “Question and Answer,” “Ignorance,” and “Socrates and the Stoics.” Socratic philosophy is still startling after all these years because it is an approach to asking hard questions and chasing after them. It is a route to wisdom and a way of thinking about wisdom. With Farnsworth as your guide, the ideas of Socrates are easier to understand than ever and accessible to anyone.
As Farnsworth achieved with The Practicing Stoic and the Farnsworth’s Classical English series, ideas of old are made new and vital again. This book is for those coming to philosophy the way Socrates did–as the everyday activity of making sense out of life and how to live it–and for anyone who wants to know what he said about doing that better.
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Meditations
- By: Marcus Aurelius
- Narrator: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 4 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: Public Domain
- Publish date: August 19, 2016
- Language: English
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4.26(145541 ratings)
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4.26(145541 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.007.99 USDMarcus Aurelius was the Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, and during that time, he kept several collections of journals that contained personal notes, militaristic strategy, and ideas on Stoic philosophy. While unlikely that he ever intended toMarcus Aurelius was the Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, and during that time, he kept several collections of journals that contained personal notes, militaristic strategy, and ideas on Stoic philosophy. While unlikely that he ever intended to publicly publish these journals, there is no real official title, so most often Meditations is used because of his in depth writings on philosophy. These journals give an introspective look at how and why Marcus Aurelius operated as an emperor. This informative piece of history contains twelve sections that each chronicle different parts of Aurelius’ life, including his source of guidance, self-improvement tips, and his ideas on how to analyze yourself and adjust your attitude to become a better person or leader.
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A History of Western Philosophy
- By: Bertrand Russell
- Narrator: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 38 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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4.12(34004 ratings)
4.12(34004 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0039.99 USDHailed as “lucid and magisterial” by The Observer, this book is universally acclaimed as the outstanding one-volume work on the subject of Western philosophy.Considered to be one of the most important philosophical works of all time, theHailed as “lucid and magisterial” by The Observer, this book is universally acclaimed as the outstanding one-volume work on the subject of Western philosophy.
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Considered to be one of the most important philosophical works of all time, the History of Western Philosophy is a dazzlingly unique exploration of the ideologies of significant philosophers throughout the ages–from Plato and Aristotle through to Spinoza, Kant and the twentieth century. Written by a man who changed the history of philosophy himself, this is an account that has never been rivaled since its first publication over sixty years ago.
Since its first publication in 1945, Lord Russell’s A History of Western Philosophy is still unparalleled in its comprehensiveness, its clarity, its erudition, its grace, and its wit. In seventy-six chapters he traces philosophy from the rise of Greek civilization to the emergence of logical analysis in the twentieth century.
Among the philosophers considered are: Pythagoras, Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, the Atomists, Protagoras, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Cynics, the Sceptics, the Epicureans, the Stoics, Plotinus, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Benedict, Gregory the Great, John the Scot, Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Occam, Machiavelli, Erasmus, More, Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, the Utilitarians, Marx, Bergson, James, Dewey, and lastly the philosophers with whom Lord Russell himself is most closely associated–Cantor, Frege, and Whitehead, coauthor with Russell of the monumental Principia Mathematica. -
First Principles
- By: Thomas E. Ricks
- Narrator: James Lurie
- Length: 11 hours 56 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: November 10, 2020
- Language: English
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4.11(1727 ratings)
4.11(1727 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.99 USDNew York Times BestsellerEditors’ Choice —New York Times Book Review “Ricks knocks it out of the park with this jewel of a book. On every page I learned something new. Read it every night if you want to restore your faith in ourNew York Times Bestseller
Editors’ Choice —New York Times Book Review“Ricks knocks it out of the park with this jewel of a book. On every page I learned something new. Read it every night if you want to restore your faith in our country.” –James Mattis, General, U.S. Marines (ret.) & 26th Secretary of Defense
The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and #1 New York Times bestselling author offers a revelatory new book about the founding fathers, examining their educations and, in particular, their devotion to the ancient Greek and Roman classics–and how that influence would shape their ideals and the new American nation.
On the morning after the 2016 presidential election, Thomas Ricks awoke with a few questions on his mind: What kind of nation did we now have? Is it what was designed or intended by the nation’s founders? Trying to get as close to the source as he could, Ricks decided to go back and read the philosophy and literature that shaped the founders’ thinking, and the letters they wrote to each other debating these crucial works–among them the Iliad, Plutarch’s Lives, and the works of Xenophon, Epicurus, Aristotle, Cato, and Cicero. For though much attention has been paid the influence of English political philosophers, like John Locke, closer to their own era, the founders were far more immersed in the literature of the ancient world.
The first four American presidents came to their classical knowledge differently. Washington absorbed it mainly from the elite culture of his day; Adams from the laws and rhetoric of Rome; Jefferson immersed himself in classical philosophy, especially Epicureanism; and Madison, both a groundbreaking researcher and a deft politician, spent years studying the ancient world like a political scientist. Each of their experiences, and distinctive learning, played an essential role in the formation of the United States. In examining how and what they studied, looking at them in the unusual light of the classical world, Ricks is able to draw arresting and fresh portraits of men we thought we knew.
First Principles follows these four members of the Revolutionary generation from their youths to their adult lives, as they grappled with questions of independence, and forming and keeping a new nation. In doing so, Ricks interprets not only the effect of the ancient world on each man, and how that shaped our constitution and government, but offers startling new insights into these legendary leaders.
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A Handbook for New Stoics
- By: Massimo Pigliucci
- Narrator: Rupert Farley
- Length: 10 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2019
- Language: English
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4.09(487 ratings)
4.09(487 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.92 USDA pragmatic philosophy more popular than ever–here are fifty-two ancient lessons to help you overcome adversity and find tranquility in the modern world. An ancient belief system made new, Stoicism teaches us how to accept the things we cannotA pragmatic philosophy more popular than ever–here are fifty-two ancient lessons to help you overcome adversity and find tranquility in the modern world.
An ancient belief system made new, Stoicism teaches us how to accept the things we cannot change and how to live a good life. It helps us improve our outlook, increase our well-being, and thrive in the face of adversity. But how does one live like a Stoic?
In A Handbook for New Stoics, renowned philosopher Massimo Pigliucci and practitioner Gregory Lopez guide listeners through fifty-two weekly lessons, each based on a common obstacle. Stressing out about a meeting at work? Try listing the things you can control and those you can’t. Epictetus writes: “In our power are thought, impulse, will to get, and will to avoid”–in other words, our own attitudes. Discover what you can control and quickly achieve peace of mind.
Featuring quotes from philosophers, analysis by the authors, and journaling activities, these lessons enable readers to reframe their perceptions and be happier.
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The Dream of Reason, New Edition
- By: Anthony Gottlieb
- Narrator: Anthony Gottlieb
- Length: 19 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2019
- Language: English
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4.08(1 ratings)
4.08(1 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.95 USDAlready a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages. In The Dream of Reason, Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much ofAlready a classic, this landmark study of early Western thought now appears in a new edition with expanded coverage of the Middle Ages.
In The Dream of Reason, Anthony Gottlieb looks afresh at the writings of the great thinkers, questions much of conventional wisdom, and explains his findings with unbridled brilliance and clarity. From the pre-Socratic philosophers through the celebrated days of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, up to Renaissance visionaries like Erasmus and Bacon, philosophy emerges here as a phenomenon unconfined by any one discipline. Indeed, as Gottlieb explains, its most revolutionary breakthroughs in the natural and social sciences have repeatedly been co-opted by other branches of knowledge, leading to the illusion that philosophers never make any progress.
From the physics of angels to Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, Gottlieb builds through example and anecdote a vivid portrait of the human drive for understanding. After finishing The Dream of Reason, listeners will be graced with a fresh appreciation of the philosophical quest, its entertaining and bizarre byways, and its influence on every aspect of life.
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Metamorphoses
- By: Ovid
- Narrator: Barry Kraft
- Length: 15 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.08(55940 ratings)
4.08(55940 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.95 USDOvid’s sensuous and witty poem brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation, often as a result of love or lust, in which men and women find themselves magically changed into new andOvid’s sensuous and witty poem brings together a dazzling array of mythological tales ingeniously linked by the idea of transformation, often as a result of love or lust, in which men and women find themselves magically changed into new and sometimes extraordinary beings. Beginning with the creation of the world and ending with the deification of Augustus, Ovid interweaves many of the best known myths and legends of ancient Greece and Rome, including Daedalus and Icarus, Pyramus and Thisbe, Pygmalion, Perseus and Andromeda, and the fall of Troy. Mortals become gods, animals turn to stone, and humans change into flowers, trees, or stars.
First published in AD 8, Ovid’s Metamorphoses remains one of the most accessible and inspirational introductions to Greek mythology.
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Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey
- By: Homer
- Narrator: Anthony Heald
- Length: 25 hours 2 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.06(82 ratings)
4.06(82 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDHomer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless. TheHomer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless.
The Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns, the heroism and treachery of its combatants unmatched in song and story. Driven by fierce passions and loyalties, men and gods battle to a devastating conclusion.
The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife, Penelope. Though the stormy god of the ocean has sworn vengeance against him, and witches and sirens try to lure him off course, Odysseus is clever and has the brilliant goddess Athena on his side.
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The Divine Comedy
- By: Dante Alighieri
- Narrator: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 13 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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4.04(17437 ratings)
4.04(17437 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDBlackstone Audio presents a new recording of this classic masterpiece, originally published in 1320, read by award-winning narrator Ralph Cosham. No words can describe the greatness of this work, a greatness both of theme and of artistry.Blackstone Audio presents a new recording of this classic masterpiece, originally published in 1320, read by award-winning narrator Ralph Cosham.
No words can describe the greatness of this work, a greatness both of theme and of artistry. Dante’s theme is universal; it involves the greatest concepts that man has ever attained. Only a genius could have found the loftiness of tone and the splendor and variety of images that are presented in The Divine Comedy.
The story is an allegory representing the soul’s journey from spiritual depths to spiritual heights. As mankind exposes itself, by its merits or demerits, to the rewards or the punishments of justice, it experiences “Inferno” or hell, “Purgatorio” or purgatory, and “Paradiso” or heaven, a vision of a world of beauty, light, and song. Dante’s arduous journey through the circles of hell make for an incredibly moving human drama, and a single listen will reveal the power of Dante’s imagination to make the spiritual visible.
In this edition, “Inferno” is translated by John Aitken Carlyle, “Purgatorio,” by Thomas Okey, and “Paradiso” by Philip H. Wicksteed.
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So We Read On
- By: Maureen Corrigan
- Narrator: Maureen Corrigan
- Length: 10 hours 40 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: September 09, 2014
- Language: English
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4.03(2396 ratings)
4.03(2396 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0025.98 USDThe “Fresh Air” book critic investigates the enduring power of The Great Gatsby — “The Great American Novel we all think we’ve read, but really haven’t.” Conceived nearly a century ago by a man who diedThe “Fresh Air” book critic investigates the enduring power of The Great Gatsby — “The Great American Novel we all think we’ve read, but really haven’t.”... Read moreConceived nearly a century ago by a man who died believing himself a failure, it’s now a revered classic and a rite of passage in the reading lives of millions. But how well do we really know The Great Gatsby? As Maureen Corrigan, Gatsby lover extraordinaire, points out, while Fitzgerald’s masterpiece may be one of the most popular novels in America, many of us first read it when we were too young to fully comprehend its power.
Offering a fresh perspective on what makes Gatsby great — and utterly unusual — So We Read On takes us into archives, high school classrooms, and even out onto the Long Island Sound to explore the novel’s hidden depths, a journey whose revelations include Gatsby ‘s surprising debt to hard-boiled crime fiction, its rocky path to recognition as a “classic,” and its profound commentaries on the national themes of race, class, and gender.
With rigor, wit, and infectious enthusiasm, Corrigan inspires us to re-experience the greatness of Gatsby and cuts to the heart of why we are, as a culture, “borne back ceaselessly” into its thrall. Along the way, she spins a new and fascinating story of her own.
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The Tragedy of Macbeth
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrator: Scott Brick
- Length: 2 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Public Domain
- Publish date: March 25, 2021
- Language: English
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4(10 ratings)
4(10 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.007.99 USDWilliam Shakespeare’s shortest–but one of his most popular–tragedies features a man who will do anything to fulfill a prophecy that will lead him to become the King of Scotland. Fresh from battle, Macbeth and his companion BanquoWilliam Shakespeare’s shortest–but one of his most popular–tragedies features a man who will do anything to fulfill a prophecy that will lead him to become the King of Scotland. Fresh from battle, Macbeth and his companion Banquo come across three witches who tell of great power that is in store for Macbeth. Driven by their prophecy and aided by his wife, Macbeth sets out on a journey that is wrought with deceit, murder, and suffering to acquire the throne of Scotland. At each and every turn, Macbeth must make choices that alter the trajectory of not only his life but every life around him, as he begins to fall mad with greed. This multi-voice production of The Tragedy of Macbeth features an all-star cast under the direction of acclaimed producer Paul Alan Ruben, a Grammy Award-winning veteran of the audiobook industry. With five AudioFile magazine Golden Voice recipients, multiple Grammy and SOVAS nominations, and countless Earphones and Audie Awards, this phenomenal cast brings Shakespeare’s work to life.
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8 Books That Changed the World
- By: Joseph Luzzi
- Narrator: Joseph Luzzi
- Length: 1 hours 50 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: March 09, 2021
- Language: English
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4(12 ratings)
4(12 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDOne Day University presents a series of audio lectures recorded in real-time from some of the top minds in the United States. Given by award-winning professors and experts in their field, these recorded lectures dive deep into the worlds ofOne Day University presents a series of audio lectures recorded in real-time from some of the top minds in the United States. Given by award-winning professors and experts in their field, these recorded lectures dive deep into the worlds of religion, government, literature, and social justice. Professor Joseph Luzzi uncovers the mysteries of 8 books that, in one way or another, changed our world. He explores the creative processes behind these masterpieces, traces their impact, and helps reveal their remarkable riches: The Bible, The Odyssey by Homer, The Divine Comedy by Dante, Hamlet by Shakespeare, To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Joseph Luzzi is a literature and Italian Professor at Bard College, and was previously a visiting professor at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received the Scaglione Prize for his teaching. He is also the author of the audio course, “The Art of Reading.” Professor Luzzi previously taught at Yale University, where he was awarded a Yale College Teaching Prize. This audio lecture includes a supplemental PDF.
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The Iliad
- By: Homer
- Narrator: Alfred Molina
- Length: 16 hours 4 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2011
- Language: English
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3.89(355936 ratings)
3.89(355936 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0029.95 USDFrom the renowned translator of Rilke, Tao Te Ching, and Gilgamesh, a vivid new translation of Western civilization’s foundational epic: The Iliad.Tolstoy called the Iliad a miracle; Goethe said that it always thrust him into a state ofFrom the renowned translator of Rilke, Tao Te Ching, and Gilgamesh, a vivid new translation of Western civilization’s foundational epic: The Iliad.
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Tolstoy called the Iliad a miracle; Goethe said that it always thrust him into a state of astonishment. Homer’s story is thrilling, and his Greek is perhaps the most beautiful poetry ever sung or written. But until now, even the best English translations haven’t been able to re-create the energy and simplicity, the speed, grace, and pulsing rhythm of the original. Now, thanks to the power of Stephen Mitchell’s language, the Iliad‘s ancient story comes to moving, vivid new life, and we are carried along by a poetry that lifts even the most devastating human events into the realm of the beautiful.
Mitchell’s Iliad is also the first translation based on the work of the preeminent Homeric scholar Martin L. West, whose edition of the original Greek identifies many passages that were added after the Iliad was first written down, to the detriment of the music and the story. Omitting these hundreds of interpolated lines restores a dramatically sharper, leaner text. In addition, Mitchell’s illuminating introduction opens the epic still further to our understanding and appreciation. -
Aristotle for Everybody
- By: Mortimer J. Adler
- Narrator: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 5 hours 29 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2012
- Language: English
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3.88(1146 ratings)
3.88(1146 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0015.95 USD“Almost all of the philosophical truths that I have come to know and understand I have learned from Aristotle,” says Mortimer J. Adler. This easy-to-listen-to exposition of Aristotle’s thoughts about nature, human actions, and the“Almost all of the philosophical truths that I have come to know and understand I have learned from Aristotle,” says Mortimer J. Adler. This easy-to-listen-to exposition of Aristotle’s thoughts about nature, human actions, and the conduct of life confirms convictions that most of us hold, though we may not be fully aware of them. This is because Aristotle’s philosophical insights are grounded in the common experience we all possess and because they illuminate the common sense we all rely on. Philosophy is everybody’s business. It deepens our understanding of the knowledge we already have about ourselves, our society, and the world in which we live. With the proper guidance, all of us can experience success and great satisfaction from this effort of understanding, and in this, no better guide can be found than Aristotle.
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Socrates
- By: Thomas C. Brickhouse
- Narrator: Lynn Redgrave
- Length: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.87(112 ratings)
3.87(112 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.009.95 USDSocrates was the first great philosopher of the West. Though he left no written works, there were many accounts of his life and philosophy. Socrates was an eccentric who went about Athens in bare feet and tattered clothes engaging people inSocrates was the first great philosopher of the West. Though he left no written works, there were many accounts of his life and philosophy. Socrates was an eccentric who went about Athens in bare feet and tattered clothes engaging people in philosophical conversations and exposing the contradictions in their claims of knowledge. Socrates himself never claimed definitive knowledge, but he made enemies among those he refuted and embarrassed with his persistent questioning. While deeply interested in self-knowledge and virtue, Socrates believed that we cannot definitively establish truth or absolute knowledge, that we can only refute wrong thinking. When he was sentenced to death for impiety, Socrates bravely accepted the rule of law rather than lie about his views. His methods have set timeless standards for the relentless pursuit of truth.
The World of Philosophy series is a dramatic presentation, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall outlook of the world’s great philosophers and philosophical traditions. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life.
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Lysistrata
- By: Aristophanes
- Narrator: Marnye Young
- Length: 1 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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3.85(35418 ratings)
3.85(35418 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0014.95 USDThe Peloponnesian War drags on and on with no end in sight, and the tough-minded Lysistrata has had enough. Men!–always making stupid decisions that affect everyone. Women’s opinions are never listened to. Taking matters into her ownThe Peloponnesian War drags on and on with no end in sight, and the tough-minded Lysistrata has had enough. Men!–always making stupid decisions that affect everyone. Women’s opinions are never listened to.
Taking matters into her own hands, Lysistrata convenes a meeting of women from warring city-states across Greece and calls for a sex strike. It’s a hard sell, but in the end it is agreed: they will withhold sex until the war is brought to hasty a close.
Playing their part too, the old women of Athens seize control of the Acropolis–and with it, the treasury–holing up behind it’s barred gates and choking off the silver that funds the interminable war.
It’s a waiting game, and a difficult one–some of the women are already becoming desperate for sex and deserting the cause. But Lysistrata is determined to stay the course and soon restores discipline. The men can’t hold out forever … can they?
First staged in 411 BCE, Lysistrata is the bawdy, comic account of one woman’s singular mission to end the Peloponnesian War using the only means that seems available to her in a male-dominated world.
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The Odyssey of Homer
- By: Homer
- Narrator: a full cast
- Length: 7 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.8(1659 ratings)
3.8(1659 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDWhen this groundbreaking, serialized dramatization premiered on 320 US radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise, and it won numerous honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting. Now twentyWhen this groundbreaking, serialized dramatization premiered on 320 US radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise, and it won numerous honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting. Now twenty years after its first airing, Blackstone Audio is pleased to present this outstanding production.
The 2,600-year-old poem tells of a man, a hero of cunning rather than brawn, who inhabits three worlds: first, the world of his own reality–his wife, his son, his home; secondly, the world of myth in which gods and demigods sport and battle; finally, the world of sorcerers and monsters, of magic and ghosts and unspeakable terrors. The exploration and interweaving of these three worlds contribute significantly to the delight that The Odyssey’s audience has experienced throughout the ages.
Synopsis of Episodes:
The Suitors of PenelopeCommentary by Richard Posner, professor, law and government, University of Chicago
The Voyage of TelemachusCommentary by Charles Bye, visiting professor, University of Athens
Free at LastCommentary by Arthur Adkins and Wendy O’Flaherty, University of Chicago, and Gregory Nagy, Harvard University
The Great WanderingsCommentary by Wendy O’Flaherty, University of Chicago
Monsters of the SeaCommentary by Arthur Adkins, University of Chicago
The Swineherd’s HutCommentary by Arthur Adkins, University of Chicago
A Beggar’s HomecomingCommentary by Eric Hamp, University of Chicago
The Contest of the BowCommentary by Albert Lord, Harvard University
Program host: Edward Asner
Cast:Irene Worth, Shepperd Strudwick, Barry Morse, John Glover, James Deuter, Eloise Kummer, David Mink, Ron Parady, Robert Scogin, Megan McTavish, Tony Mockus, Francis Guinan, Michael Rider, Jordean Culbert, Ward Ohrman
Scholar Advisors:Peter Arnott, Tufts University; Jarl Dyrud, University of Chicago; Peter Green, University of Texas at Austin; Albert B. Lord, Harvard University; James M. Redfield, University of Chicago; and D. Nicholas Rudall, (chair) University of Chicago
Announcer: John Doremus
Made possible in part by grants from TRW and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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The Odyssey
- By: Homer
- Narrator: Gordon Griffin
- Length: 15 hours 28 minutes
- Publisher: Public Domain
- Publish date: August 19, 2016
- Language: English
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3.8(916783 ratings)
3.8(916783 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.007.99 USDThe Odyssey is an epic poem, written by the ancient Greek Philosopher Homer, and is considered to be the second oldest piece of western literature still in existence. Scholars believe it was written at the end of the 8th century BC. Still heavilyThe Odyssey is an epic poem, written by the ancient Greek Philosopher Homer, and is considered to be the second oldest piece of western literature still in existence. Scholars believe it was written at the end of the 8th century BC. Still heavily used in schools because of its unique literary makeup and historical value, the poems follow Greek hero Odysseus, as he journeys home after the ten year long Trojan War. His journey home takes another ten years, and Odysseus encounters many obstacles including adverse weather, mythical beasts, and angry gods. Many Scholars believe the Odyssey was originally composed in an oral tradition, intended to be heard, not read, making this epic classic a must have for audiobook listeners!
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The Tempest
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrator: Jennifer Ehle
- Length: 2 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
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3.79(175096 ratings)
3.79(175096 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0014.95 USDThis haunting drama of vengeance and forgiveness crowns the group of tragicomic romances that Shakespeare composed at the end of his career. Sometimes read as his farewell to the stage, the play contains some of Shakespeare’s most lyricalThis haunting drama of vengeance and forgiveness crowns the group of tragicomic romances that Shakespeare composed at the end of his career. Sometimes read as his farewell to the stage, the play contains some of Shakespeare’s most lyrical verse.
Prospero, wise Duke of Milan, has been deposed by Antonio, his wicked brother, and exiled with his daughter Miranda to a mysterious island. But Prospero possesses supernatural powers. Aided by the spirit Ariel, Prospero uses his magical art to bring his enemies under his control.
Prospero is played by Bob Peck, Ariel by Adrian Lester, Jennifer Ehle is Miranda, Simon Russell Beale is Antonio, Jamie Glover is Ferdinand, and Richard McCabe plays Caliban.
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The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome
- By: E. M. Berens
- Narrator: Ulf Bjorklund
- Length: 9 hours 57 minutes
- Publisher: Public Domain
- Publish date: November 08, 2022
- Language: English
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3.71(664 ratings)
3.71(664 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.007.99 USDDiscover Ancient Greece and Rome like never before with this compendium that begins with creation myth of Uranus and Gaea and includes descriptions and tales of gods both major and minor, as well as mythical creatures and other divinities. AuthorDiscover Ancient Greece and Rome like never before with this compendium that begins with creation myth of Uranus and Gaea and includes descriptions and tales of gods both major and minor, as well as mythical creatures and other divinities. Author and scholar E.M. Berens also details how the people of ancient Greece and Rome worshiped, covering sacred sites and customs, as well as their significance. Also included are well over a dozen key legends: the punishment of Prometheus, the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece, and many others. Berens’s seminal work offers something for anyone interested in Greek and Roman mythology, whether they are just beginning to learn or are looking to add to already established knowledge.
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Socrates Cafe
- By: Christopher Phillips
- Narrator: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 7 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
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3.67(1117 ratings)
3.67(1117 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDChristopher Phillips is a man on a mission: to revive the love of questions that Socrates inspired long ago in ancient Athens. “Like a Johnny Appleseed with a master’s degree, Phillips has gallivanted back and forth across America, toChristopher Phillips is a man on a mission: to revive the love of questions that Socrates inspired long ago in ancient Athens. “Like a Johnny Appleseed with a master’s degree, Phillips has gallivanted back and forth across America, to cafes and coffee shops, senior centers, assisted-living complexes, prisons, libraries, day care centers, elementary and high schools, and churches, forming lasting communities of inquiry”–Utne Reader. Phillips not only presents the fundamentals of philosophical thought in this “charming, Philosophy for Dummies-type guide”–USA Today; he also recalls what led him to start his itinerant program and re-creates some of the most invigorating sessions, which come to reveal sometimes surprising, often profound reflections on the meaning of love, friendship, work, growing old, and others among Life’s Big Questions.
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Aristotle
- By: Thomas C. Brickhouse
- Narrator: Charlton Heston
- Length: 2 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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3.67(121 ratings)
3.67(121 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.009.95 USDFew philosophers have so extensively influenced thought and language as Aristotle. His conception of the universe pervades Christian theology. Knowledge of his thought is necessary to understand Bacon, Galileo, and the modern scientific view ofFew philosophers have so extensively influenced thought and language as Aristotle. His conception of the universe pervades Christian theology. Knowledge of his thought is necessary to understand Bacon, Galileo, and the modern scientific view of nature, as well as Dante and many passages from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. Many phrases such as “liberal education” and “theory” contrasted with “practice” originated with this student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great.
Writing to inform the beginner and stimulate the expert, eminent scholar A. E. Taylor presents a searching analysis of Aristotle’s thought, including classification of the sciences; formal logic; theory of knowledge; matter and form; the four causes; God; physics; biology; sensation; ethics; theory of the state; and the fine arts. He also considers Aristotle’s provincialism, errors regarding the nervous system and astronomy, and defense of slavery.
The Giants of Philosophy is a series of dramatic presentations, in understandable language, of the concerns, questions, interests, and overall world view of history’s greatest philosophers. Special emphasis on clear and relevant explanations gives you a new arsenal of insights toward living a better life.
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The Buried Book
- By: David Damrosch
- Narrator: William Hughes
- Length: 7 hours 22 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.63(515 ratings)
3.63(515 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDEtched in the wedge-shaped letters known as cuneiform on clay tablets, the Epic of Gilgamesh stands as the earliest classic of world literature. Its earliest surviving fragments date back to the eighteenth century BC, more than 3,700 years ago. InEtched in the wedge-shaped letters known as cuneiform on clay tablets, the Epic of Gilgamesh stands as the earliest classic of world literature. Its earliest surviving fragments date back to the eighteenth century BC, more than 3,700 years ago. In The Buried Book, David Damrosch tells the story of George Smith, a self-taught linguist, who one momentous afternoon in 1872 was working at the British Museum, going through a pile of Layard’s clay tablets, when he suddenly realized that he was reading about “a flood, storm, a ship caught on a mountain, and a bird sent out in search of dry land.”
Daring adventurers, fearless explorers, ancient kings, gods, and goddesses come to life in this riveting story of the first great epic and its rediscovery in the nineteenth century.
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Socrates in 90 Minutes
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrator: Simon Vance
- Length: 1 hours 18 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
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3.54(642 ratings)
3.54(642 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.006.95 USDJust a century after it had begun, philosophy entered its greatest age with the appearance of Socrates, who spent so much of his time talking about philosophy on the streets of Athens that he never got around to writing anything down. His method ofJust a century after it had begun, philosophy entered its greatest age with the appearance of Socrates, who spent so much of his time talking about philosophy on the streets of Athens that he never got around to writing anything down. His method of aggressive questioning, called dialectic, was used to cut through the palaver of his adversaries and arrive at the truth. Socrates saw the world as not accessible to our senses, only to thought. Finally charged with impiety and the corruption of youth, he was tried and sentenced to death–and ended his life by drinking the judicial hemlock.
InSocrates in 90 minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Socrates’ life and ideas and explains their influence on man’s struggle to understand his existence in the world.
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Henry VIII
- By: William Shakespeare
- Narrator: a full cast
- Length: 2 hours 48 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.51(7472 ratings)
3.51(7472 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0014.95 USDKing Henry is married to Katherine of Aragon, but he has been smitten by the charms of the queen’s maid of honor, Anne Bullen, and is tempted to divorce his dignified and noble wife. Meanwhile, the lords of England resent the influence ofKing Henry is married to Katherine of Aragon, but he has been smitten by the charms of the queen’s maid of honor, Anne Bullen, and is tempted to divorce his dignified and noble wife.
Meanwhile, the lords of England resent the influence of Henry’s trusted advisor, Cardinal Wolsey, who is gradually drawing power into his own hands. As Katherine and Wolsey suffer their tragic falls, new figures rise to fill their places, but they, too, will be brought low by the inexorable sweep of time and fortune.
This colorful history play, possibly written in collaboration with John Fletcher, comes from the very end of Shakespeare’s dramatic career.
Paul Jesson plays Henry VIII, and Jane Lapotaire plays Queen Katherine. Timothy West is Cardinal Wolsey.
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Plato in 90 Minutes
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrator: Simon Vance
- Length: 1 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
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3.36(851 ratings)
3.36(851 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.006.95 USDIn an age when philosophers had scarcely glimpsed the horizons of the mind, a boy named Aristocles decided to forgo his ambitions as a wrestler. Adopting the nickname Plato, he embarked instead on a life in philosophy. In 387 BC he founded theIn an age when philosophers had scarcely glimpsed the horizons of the mind, a boy named Aristocles decided to forgo his ambitions as a wrestler. Adopting the nickname Plato, he embarked instead on a life in philosophy. In 387 BC he founded the Academy, the world’s first university, and taught his students that all we see is not reality but merely a reproduction of the true source. And in his famous Republic he described the politics of “the highest form of state.”
In Plato in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Plato’s life and ideas and explains their influence on man’s struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Plato’s work, a brief list of suggested reading for those who wish to delve deeper, and chronologies that place Plato within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.
The 90 Minutes series includes brief but authoritative interpretations of the world’s greatest thinkers, deciphering philosophical thought in an entertaining and accessible fashion and making it comprehensible and interesting to almost everyone.
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Aristotle in 90 Minutes
- By: Paul Strathern
- Narrator: Simon Vance
- Length: 1 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
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3.31(1005 ratings)
3.31(1005 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.006.95 USDAristotle wrote on everything from the shape of seashells to sterility, from speculations on the nature of the soul to meteorology, poetry, art, and even the interpretation of dreams. Apart from mathematics, he transformed every field of knowledgeAristotle wrote on everything from the shape of seashells to sterility, from speculations on the nature of the soul to meteorology, poetry, art, and even the interpretation of dreams. Apart from mathematics, he transformed every field of knowledge that he touched. Above all, Aristotle is credited with the founding of logic. When he first divided human knowledge into separate categories, he enabled our understanding of the world to develop in a systematic fashion.
In Aristotle in 90 Minutes, Paul Strathern offers a concise, expert account of Aristotle’s life and ideas and explains their influence on man’s struggle to understand his existence in the world. The book also includes selections from Aristotle’s work, a brief list of suggested readings for those who wish to delve deeper, and chronologies that place Aristotle within his own age and in the broader scheme of philosophy.
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Twelfth Night
- By: E.A. Copen
- Narrator: a full cast
- Length: 2 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2005
- Language: English
Regular Price:Try for $0.0014.95 USDShakespeare’s most sophisticated comedy is a riotous tale of hopelessly unrequited passions and mistaken identity. Duke Orsino is in love with the noblewoman Olivia. She, however, has fallen for his servant Cesario, who is actually Viola, aShakespeare’s most sophisticated comedy is a riotous tale of hopelessly unrequited passions and mistaken identity. Duke Orsino is in love with the noblewoman Olivia. She, however, has fallen for his servant Cesario, who is actually Viola, a woman disguised as a man, who loves Orsino: confusion is rife. Meanwhile, Olivia’s arrogant steward Malvolio is cruelly tricked by her uncle Sir Toby Belch, his friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and the maidservant Maria into believing his mistress loves him.
Niamh Cusack is Viola, Jonathan Firth is Orsino, Amanda Root plays Olivia, Dinsdale Landen plays Sir Toby Belch, and Julian Glover is Malvolio.
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Titus Andronicus
- By: E.A. Copen
- Narrator: a full cast
- Length: 2 hours 42 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
Regular Price:Try for $0.0014.95 USDThe noble Titus returns victorious to Rome bringing Tamora, Queen of the Goths as his captive. When one of Tamora’s sons is condemned to die, she vows revenge, and, aided by the villainous Aaron, she exacts a terrible retribution, inauguratingThe noble Titus returns victorious to Rome bringing Tamora, Queen of the Goths as his captive. When one of Tamora’s sons is condemned to die, she vows revenge, and, aided by the villainous Aaron, she exacts a terrible retribution, inaugurating a grim cycle of rape, murder, and cannibalism. This macabre, often brilliant tragedy comes from the earliest stage of Shakespeare’s dramatic career.
Titus is played by David Troughton and Tamora by Harriet Walter. Paterson Joseph is Aaron, and David Burke is Marcus.
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Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
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