The Birth of Britain cover art

The Birth of Britain

A History of the English Speaking Peoples, Volume I

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The Birth of Britain

By: Sir Winston Churchill
Narrated by: Christian Rodska
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About this listen

 The English-speaking peoples comprise perhaps the greatest number of human beings sharing a common language in the world today. These people also share a common heritage. For his four-volume work, Sir Winston Churchill took as his subject these great elements in world history. Volume 1 commences in 55BC, when Julius Caesar famously "turned his gaze upon Britain" and concludes with the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Audible, Inc. British History

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All stars
Most relevant  
This book successfully brings to life the history

of the birth of the British people

Well written and read

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Churchill's history is wonderful. great use of words, easy listening, so informative. sorry it has ended but three more volumes to go!

easy listening, great content, wonderful book

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Like the other books in the series this one is exceptionally will written and really well read.

Excellent

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A great master of the English language tells a brilliant story with powerful narrative lines and historic sensibility read by the superb Christian Rodska who imparts true Churchillian strength and purpose to every word. A truly wonderful, educational and enthralling experience.

JUST WONDERFUL

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The book is one of the milestones of history, and the reading fully rises to the challenge of delivering Churchill's prose with the energy and clarity it demands.

Superb history told with great vigour and elan

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A most enjoyable experience with none of the usual failings. If only History teachers were able to present their subjects in the same vein...... Ordered the next Volume already!

Far Exceeded Expectations

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Wonderful to learn so much of what makes my birthplace so advanced and gave so much to the modern world.Britain and all its people's.

Oh to be English.

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Great book, learning the Birth of Britain was great. Totally would recommend for people who would like to learn about it.

Great

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This a sweeping account of England’s birth as a country buffeted by a sequence of invasions, assimilations and dynastic rivalries ending with the defeat of Richard III and the take-over by Henry VII. The book is well-suited to to be listened to as the writing-style is lively. It’s a bleak story at times as Europe endured many bloody battles, intrigues and ruthless leaders who executed rivals without any recourse to justice and invaded other lands in the pursuit of power. It is salutary to be reminded of how recently we lived in such brutal times.

To modern ears Churchill’s slant on history is somewhat old-fashioned as it presents conquest by English kings in a favourable light, the spread and domination by Christianity as unquestionably a good thing. However, Churchill was of a generation who venerated the British empire and mourned its loss. I had to grit my teeth when ‘Hammer of the Scots’ Edward First’s crushing defeat of the Scots is presented as a good thing!

I enjoyed the book and thought it gave a condensed and assessable overview of early English history and was particularly good in its descriptions of the ebb and flow of the War of the Roses.

Christian Rodska is a first class narrator

Pacy telling of England’s early history

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I have just finished listening to the fourth volume of this splendid series. The presentation is rather out of date now - these books were completed in the 1950s - and would probably not pass muster academically as objective and impartial history - for example, the focus on 'english speaking peoples' is a bit awkward particularly in the fourth volume which includes rather dull - for this series - sections on New Zealand, Canada, Australia and the US. He also makes no secret of his attachment to the old british empire - David Schama's history of the comparable period makes for an interesting contrast ( though I have not yet listened to the audio version).

But you cant take away the wonderful prose, which draws you into the books like an adventure, and the story is told with great style and verve. I believe also that Churchil dictated his books to his secretaries and this results, I think, in them being particularly well suited to being read out lound - and Christian Rodscka reads them with great flair and clarity. Listeners to the BBC's 'this sceptred isle' will be familiar with these books and if you enjoyed the former you should certainly get great pleasure from the latter. I shall certainly listen to them again in the future.

warmly recommended

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