Alan Partridge?

Honestly, I couldn't get past the first few minutes. The similarity in accent to the infamous Alan Partridge was too funny and distracting. It could be a masterpiece of wisdom but most British folk will have cracked up by the end the end of chapter one.

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buy this now! superb fascinating

This book is superb, so well put to together and read with real interest. It is fascinating.

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Fascinating and engaging

I've now listened to a few of Prof. Allitt's courses and he's probably my favourite lecturer from The Great Courses.

His presentation skills are spot on, a warm and friendly voice (reminds me of Jack Davenport), pleasant to listen to.

With regards to the content, this was thoroughly enjoyable, especially for someone like myself who lives in the North of England where much of the content references. The course rattles along at a good pace, neither feeling rushed or light on details.

Possibly the best Great Courses I've experienced so far.

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I'm really enjoying it so far

I like this a lot. engaging performance and interesting history. However....the reader sounds exactly like Alan partridge to me so sometimes I'm on the verge of laughing and so find it difficult to concentrate. my problem though...no fault of the reader.

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Outstanding

This is one of the best lecture series I have listened to. The presenter is very engaging and I have downloaded his others. Absolutely fascinating.

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really enjoyed this, though I want expecting to!

this course covers a far greater period than I had realised was part of the Industrial Revolution. professorAlitt has a jaunty tone (though sounds a tad like Alan partridge!) and kept me interested for the whole course. there are some fascinating insights, especially as to path dependency: many seemingly insignificant inventions and developments were completely game changing.

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4 people found this helpful

Great as always

Great narrator and great content - Patrick never fails to disappoint. Comprehensive and enthused

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An excellent introduction to the topic

What made the experience of listening to The Industrial Revolution the most enjoyable?

The overview was excellent. The lectures did not start with the revolution but gives a very good background that gets you into the topic and ready for the rest.

What other book might you compare The Industrial Revolution to, and why?

Any book on the same era is a useful comparison and companion.

Have you listened to any of Professor Patrick N. Allitt’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I am listening to US history. He's good in both.

Any additional comments?

One might say that the focus on England was too much. Of course England was the frontrunner of the revolution but the problem probably was that the whole series should have been longer to cover more things. Overall, very good.

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2 people found this helpful

Superb, a tour de force. Fascinating to end.

Superb, a tour de force. Fascinating fron.beginning to end. It cveres the political, economic, social and geographical development of innovation, technology and industrialisation from steam to microchips through war and peace.

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Fascinating and detailed account

This course covers nearly two hundred years of development in technology, society and living standards. With such a huge topic I was expecting to either get not enough detail, or too much concentration on minor topics. I was wrong on both accounts.

The lecturer manages to find the perfect balance between the technical achievements themselves and their impact on people's lives. Starting with agriculture, the prof. discusses how small improvements in farming techniques and tools led to huge increases in productivity.

These ideas of tool making soon were turned on other areas, such as textile manufacturing. The course really takes off when the discussion turns to transport. The impact of first the canals and soon after the railways on life in Britain is astounding. The lecturer paints the picture vividly of how different life became in the wake of these achievements.

The course also covers industrial progress in the USA which I knew nothing about and was very interested about. Automobiles and planes both get their own lectures, and are extremely interesting topics.

My favourite parts of the course were when the lecturer discussed worker's rights and the impacts on the environment of the revolution. It is an amazing history that everyone should know about as it is so relevant to us. From working hours to weekends, everything was forged by a long battle against some pretty horrible bosses in factories. The lecturer really manages to bring this alive.

Overall I would say this course is fantastic and definitely worth a listen. What could have been a dry topic is covered in a very interesting and enthralling way.

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4 people found this helpful