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London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World
- Narrated by: Robert Bucholz
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
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London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World
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Summary
No city has had as powerful and as enduring an impact on Western civilization as London. But what made the city the perfect environment for so many great developments? How did London endure the sweeping historical revolutions and disasters without crumbling? Find the answers to these questions and more in these 24 fascinating lectures.
Professor Bucholz takes you through the history of this magnificent metropolis, from its birth as an ancient Roman outpost to its current status as a global village. You'll study the many epic chapters in British and world history - including the English Renaissance, the turmoil of the English civil war, and the epic conflicts of World Wars I and II - through the lens of this amazing capital.
What makes the course unique is that it takes you deep into the streets of London during formative periods in its history. Professor Bucholz continuously emphasizes the importance of understanding and experiencing the sights and sounds of London as it was lived by its residents. You'll come to know what daily life was like in historical London, learning the secret histories behind places such as Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, and London Bridge.
This unforgettable look at an unforgettable city will undoubtedly delight and surprise you. By the final lecture, you'll come to realize just what Samuel Johnson meant when he famously declared, "there is in London, all that life can afford."
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.
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What listeners say about London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ms A Raney
- 05-08-24
Nice overview
The book was good and had lots of detail. It came from a different perspective than most
London history books. I particularly liked the personal story he told at the end of being here for Diana’s death
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Eduardo
- 20-07-15
improving my English skills...
Would you consider the audio edition of London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World to be better than the print version?
Because I don't live in the UK and it's more complicated to me to buy books. At the same time, English is not my first language. In fact, my English is not so good. So with an audiobook I can improve my English skills at the same time I learn about the London history.
What other book might you compare London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World to, and why?
Perhaps the Diary of Samuel Pepys. Anyway, it's the first book I read about the English History. But I intend to read the Samuel Pepys diary in the future.
What does Professor Robert Bucholz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Perhaps the Diary of Samuel Pepys. But this book (about London) was the first book that I read about the English History. Anyway I intend to read the Samuel Pepys diary in the future.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
The History of London is a constant report about reinvention and rebuilding of a city by its population.
Any additional comments?
I don't have any additional comments except my apologies for my bad English and my testimony about the quality and the persistence of the extraordinary English radio tradition.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brett Hinsley
- 31-07-20
Another great lecture in the series
Another great lecture in the series, fascinating listening to places we travel to didn’t realise the history as we passed by well read and extremely well researched
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Louise A.
- 16-09-14
Wonderful overview of historical London
I enjoy listening to The Great Courses series and was drawn to this one as being a native Londoner, I enjoy learning more about this wonderful city. This gave a very concise and detailed history of London, and included interesting little nuggets of information about certain monuments, buildings and details about the human side of history too. Professor Bucholz presents this course in a very engaging way, although his accent did start to niggle at me after a while. Overall though a very good listen.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Binky
- 08-10-22
Great course!
This course was entertaining, unbiased, and interesting.
As a lady born and living half my life in London, l enjoyed it very much. There was so much I could relate to, especially the effects of the two world wars upon the city, the building programmes, more recent bombings, politics, and the lives of the rich and poor alike. My family, most of whom are dead now, would talk about their lifetime historical events, many included in this course, and the author was spot on in many of his observations about Londoners.
The author's love of London shines through in his affectionate homage and is well worth a credit.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 02-07-17
Good, well performance and easy to follow
The performance is very good as well as the story. I recommend it if you would like to have a general idea of London history
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gavin
- 15-01-23
Robert Bucholz is a great storyteller
What a ride from start to end a an insightful, well researched and superbly delivered piece of work.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jim Gibson
- 18-02-24
Really format
Read as a lecture. Really interesting, I am a Londoner and didn't know half of the history in this book. Just for the record the Dave Clark Five introduced the Tottenham sound not the Tooting sound.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- S
- 27-10-24
Enjoyable
I enjoyed listening to these lectures which have a brief history of London England UK.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dusty Raven
- 20-08-15
Enjoyable until..
Would you listen to London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World again? Why?
Yes. I have worked in London for 35 years and was interested to learn more about the places I know.
What did you like best about this story?
Learning about the history of all the familiar places.
What about Professor Robert Bucholz’s performance did you like?
His enthusiasm and personal knowledge of London.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
No idea.
Any additional comments?
I enjoyed this until the last couple if episodes when a number of factual errors made me doubt the veracity of the whole thing. So The Dave Clark 5 were from Tottenham not Tooting, the Labour election victory in 1964 was not a landslide, the O2 is not the O squared and so on.
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19 people found this helpful