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Columbus
- The Four Voyages
- Narrated by: Tim Jerome
- Length: 18 hrs and 11 mins
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Publisher's summary
From the author of the Magellan biography, Over the Edge of the World, a mesmerizing new account of the great explorer.
Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a trading route to China, and his unexpected landfall in the Americas, is a watershed event in world history. Yet Columbus made three more voyages within the span of only a decade, each designed to demonstrate that he could sail to China within a matter of weeks and convert those he found there to Christianity.
These later voyages were even more adventurous, violent, and ambiguous, but they revealed Columbus's uncanny sense of the sea, his mingled brilliance and delusion, and his superb navigational skills. In all these exploits he almost never lost a sailor. By their conclusion, however, Columbus was broken in body and spirit. If the first voyage illustrates the rewards of exploration, the latter voyages illustrate the tragic costs - political, moral, and economic.
In rich detail Laurence Bergreen re-creates each of these adventures as well as the historical background of Columbus's celebrated, controversial career. Written from the participants' vivid perspectives, this breathtakingly dramatic account will be embraced by readers of Bergreen's previous biographies of Marco Polo and Magellan and by fans of Nathaniel Philbrick, Simon Winchester, and Tony Horwitz.
Critic reviews
"Laurence Bergreen's Columbus was brilliant, audacious, volatile, paranoid and ruthless. What emerges in this biography, a worthy addition to the literature on Columbus is a surprising and revealing portrait of a man who might have been the title character in a Shakespearean tragedy." (The New York Times)
"Laurence Bergreen's ambitious new biography, Columbus: The Four Voyages [is] a spellbinding epic that's simultaneously a profoundly private portrait of the most complex, compelling, controversial creature ever to board a boat. This scrupulously researched, unbiased account of four death-defying journeys to The New World reveals the Admiral's paradoxical personality." (USA Today)
"A compelling new book [that] details the explorer's trips to the New World, including three you haven't heard about." (Salon)
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- The True Story of the Mad Heretic Who Led History's Bloodiest Mutiny
- By: Mike Dash
- Narrated by: Guy Bethell
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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It was the autumn of 1628, and the Batavia, the Dutch East India Company's flagship, was loaded with a king's ransom in gold, silver, and gems for her maiden voyage to Java. The Batavia was the pride of the company's fleet, a tangible symbol of the world's richest and most powerful commercial monopoly. She set sail with great fanfare, but the Batavia and her gold would never reach Java.
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Perhaps the best book ever
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By: Mike Dash
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Marco Polo
- From Venice to Xanadu
- By: Laurence Bergreen
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 16 hrs and 29 mins
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As the most celebrated European to explore Asia, Marco Polo was the original global traveler and the earliest bridge between East and West. A universal icon of adventure and discovery, he has inspired six centuries of popular fascination and spurious mythology. Now, from acclaimed author Laurence Bergreen, comes the first fully authoritative biography of one of the most enchanting figures in world history.
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Educational and Entertaining but a bit repetitive
- By PETER on 01-02-13
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Farther Than Any Man
- The Rise and Fall of Captain James Cook
- By: Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Jack Chekijian
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In the annals of seafaring and exploration, there is one name that immediately evokes visions of the open ocean, billowing sails, visiting strange, exotic lands previously uncharted, and civilizations never before encountered - Captain James Cook. Full of realistic action, lush descriptions of places and events, and fascinating historical characters such as King George III and the soon-to-be-notorious Master William Bligh, Dugard's gripping account of the life and death of Captain James Cook is a thrilling story of a discoverer hell-bent on going farther than any man.
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Sloppy History
- By Kyle P. Dalton on 04-06-18
By: Martin Dugard
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Conquistador Voices
- The Spanish Conquest of the Americas as Recounted Largely by the Participants, Volume I
- By: Kevin H. Siepel
- Narrated by: Kevin H Siepel
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The Spanish Conquest: What really happened? If you like to use your drive time for education by audiobook, consider this audiobook for widening and deepening your view of an event you studied briefly in school - the Spanish conquest of the Americas. Conquistador Voices, neither glamorizes nor condemns the conquistadors. Somewhat in the manner of a modern film documentary, it treats the so-called conquest as an historical event that’s worth learning about for its own sake, with most of the moralizing left to the listener.
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The Misleading Title is the Most Forgivable Part..
- By Tyler Sanders on 12-19-22
By: Kevin H. Siepel
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Island of the Blue Foxes
- Disaster and Triumph on the World's Greatest Scientific Expedition
- By: Stephen R. Bown
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 10 hrs and 32 mins
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The story of the world's largest, longest, and best-financed scientific expedition of all time, triumphantly successful, gruesomely tragic, and never before fully told. The immense 18th-century scientific journey, variously known as the Second Kamchatka Expedition or the Great Northern Expedition, from St. Petersburg across Siberia to the coast of North America, involved over 3,000 people and cost Peter the Great over one-sixth of his empire's annual revenue.
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Vivid History of Russia's First Contact In Alaska
- By Neil Ring on 09-01-18
By: Stephen R. Bown
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Empire of Blue Water
- Captain Morgan's Great Pirate Army, the Epic Battle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Outlaws' Bloody Reign
- By: Stephan Talty
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
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He challenged the greatest empire on earth with a ragtag bunch of renegades and brought it to its knees. This is the real story of the pirates of the Caribbean. Henry Morgan, a 20-year-old Welshman, crossed the Atlantic in 1655, hell-bent on making his fortune. Over the next three decades, his exploits in the Caribbean became legendary. His daring attacks on the mighty Spanish empire on land and at sea determined the fates of kings and queens, and his victories helped shape the destiny of the New World.
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Morbid Terrorists?
- By Jack on 11-11-08
By: Stephan Talty
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Born to Be Hanged
- The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune
- By: Keith Thomson
- Narrated by: Feodor Chin
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
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The year is 1680, in the heart of the Golden Age of Piracy, and more than 300 daring, hardened pirates—a potent mix of low-life scallywags and a rare breed of gentlemen buccaneers—gather on a remote Caribbean island. The plan: to wreak havoc on the Pacific coastline, raiding cities, mines, and merchant ships. The booty: the bright gleam of Spanish gold and the chance to become a legend. So begins one of the greatest piratical adventures of the era—a story not given its full due until now.
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Fascinating tale of 17th Piracy in the Americas
- By Xmeromotu on 07-11-22
By: Keith Thomson
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Barrow's Boys
- By: Fergus Fleming
- Narrated by: James Gillies
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
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Barrow's Boys is a spellbinding account of perilous journeys to uncharted areas under the most challenging conditions. Fergus Fleming captures the passion for exploration that led a band of men into situations that would humble today's bravest adventurers.
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Wow
- By Robert B. Golson on 07-05-17
By: Fergus Fleming
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Sea of Glory
- America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
- By: Nathaniel Philbrick
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
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America's first frontier was not the West; it was the sea, and no one writes more eloquently about that watery wilderness than Nathaniel Philbrick. In his best-selling In the Heart of the Sea, Philbrick probed the nightmarish dangers of the vast Pacific. Now, in an epic sea adventure, he writes about one of the most ambitious voyages of discovery the Western world has ever seen - the US Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842.
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A good solid voyage of discovery
- By Ken Sundermeyer on 06-18-05
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América
- The Epic Story of Spanish North America, 1493-1898
- By: Robert Goodwin
- Narrated by: Thom Rivera
- Length: 20 hrs and 59 mins
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At the conclusion of the American Revolution, half the modern United States was part of the vast Spanish Empire. The year after Columbus' great voyage of discovery, in 1492, he claimed Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for Spain. For the next 300 years, thousands of proud Spanish conquistadors and their largely forgotten Mexican allies went in search of glory and riches from Florida to California. Many died; few triumphed. Some were cruel; some were curious; some were kind. Missionaries and priests yearned to harvest Indian souls for God through baptism and Christian teaching.
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A Narration That is Difficult to Follow
- By Amazon Customer on 05-24-19
By: Robert Goodwin
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The Pirate Queen
- By: Susan Ronald
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
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Dubbed the "pirate queen" by the Vatican and Spain's Philip II, Elizabeth I was feared and admired by her enemies. Extravagant, whimsical, and hot-tempered, Elizabeth was the epitome of power. Her visionary accomplishments were made possible by her daring merchants, gifted rapscallion adventurers, astronomer philosophers, and her stalwart Privy Council, including Sir William Cecil, Sir Francis Walsingham, and Sir Nicholas Bacon.
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Too lilttle about Elizabeth!
- By Eunice on 12-20-07
By: Susan Ronald
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The name Captain James Cook is one of the most recognisable in Australian history - an almost mythic figure who is often discussed, celebrated, reviled and debated. But who was the real James Cook? This Yorkshire farm boy would go on to become the foremost mariner, scientist, navigator and cartographer of his era, and to personally map a third of the globe. His great voyages of discovery were incredible feats of seamanship and navigation.
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Great. But...
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What listeners say about Columbus
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jm
- 02-16-21
Very Petty and frankly flat out dishonest
I loved the orator. unfortunately the author takes great liberties to make baseless and completely fabricated statements about columbus motives and "real intentions. These baseless fabrication go on throughout the entire book and get more extreme as the book goes on.
your much better off reading the source information. Especially Columbus journals to avoid the bias and extreme skew put on by the author here.
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- David
- 04-04-19
I found it very disrespectful to Columbus himself
I John did very disrespectful to Columbus and his crew and the christians that have been defamed by the mediator
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9 people found this helpful
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- Edward K. Lankford
- 11-13-17
A complicated portrait of a complex man
“As an explorer, the Admiral of the Ocean Sea is widely seen as an opportunist who made his great discovery without ever acknowledging it for what it was, and proceeded to enslave the populace he found, encourage genocide, and pollute relations between peoples who were previously unknown to each other. He was even assumed to have carried syphilis back to Europe with him to torment Europe for centuries thereafter. He excused his behavior, and his legacy, by saying that he merely acted as God’s instrument, even as he beseeched his Sovereigns, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, to enrich him and his family. Historians have long argued that Columbus merely rediscovered the Americas, that the Vikings, the Celts, and American Indians arrived in the 'New World' long before his cautious landfall. But Columbus’s voyages to the New World differed from all the earlier events in the scope of its human drama and ecological impact. Before him, the Old World and the New remained separate and distinct continents, ecosystems, and societies; ever since, their fates have been bound together, for better or worse.”
Columbus: The Four Voyages by Laurence Bergreen begins exactly where you want it to begin: with the sighting of land. Bergreen saves Columbus's struggle to find funding for his dream until chapter two, which lets the reader get into the first meetings between Europeans and the Indians. Throughout the book, Bergreen weaves three significant primary sources that give us three unique perspectives: Columbus's own logs and letters during the voyages; his son Ferdinand's recollections in defense of the family legacy; and, the incisive and devastating history of Fr. Bartolomé de las Casas, who accompanied Columbus but later grew horrified at the Indians' treatment by Europeans.
The first voyage is the one that is so full of promise, and this part is a real joy. The Indians and the Europeans don't know what to make of each other, and, for the most part, interactions are peaceful, if confused, and on the whole respectful. But Columbus betrays conflicting opinions of the Indians in his logs, writing in the same breath that Indians are incredible, noble people with whom Spain can partner and to whom they can preach the Gospel, and that they would make good servants and slaves.
The second voyage is heartbreaking, starting off on the right foot but soon descending into violence and subjugation. The Indians are subjected to such harsh demands for gold that they have no time to feed themselves, and tens of thousands commit suicide rather than submit themselves to European rule. The other voyages are no better as Columbus has to contend with rebelling Spaniards (the 3rd) and getting marooned on Jamaica for a year (the 4th).
Bergreen paints a fair portrait of Columbus, saving readers from any vitriolic rhetoric so that they may evaluate Columbus for themselves. And the picture painted is one of a complicated human being: a brilliant navigator at sea, but a harsh ruler on land; a courageous explorer of the unknown, but unwilling to see beyond his assumptions; a man of great faith in God, but unable to see that the Indians are his neighbors, much less worth loving.
If you'd like to get beyond the annual October debates about whether Columbus is either hero or Hitler, Bergreen's narrative history of the four voyages will give you much to ponder.
AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY
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- Brodie
- 11-21-11
Brings history to life while boring to death
Look, history is dry it is dead it is the past and, most of all we have to make many assumptions. This is either a historical work with a spoonful of swash buckling or a rather tepid tale of discovery and the misery that was inflicted in the name of Spain and the Church. Either way it is hard work with limited entertainment value. For those into history, assuming the bare bone facts are true, blow of the dust and enjoy. For those expecting a little more colour and seamanship, look for another tale.
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- Ryan
- 12-04-21
Lousy book rife with pot shots at the subject
A man whose greatest life accomplishment is writing a book about Columbus spends the entire book criticizing one of the most influential men in history. I got about 1/4 of the way through and couldn’t take it anymore.
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- David
- 08-26-12
Does exactly what you want
An excellent survey of Columbus's career, and particularly interesting in the way it devotes attention to all four voyages, rather than focusing on the famous one that started it all. The narrative enables to appreciate Columbus's admirable qualities (his brilliance as a navigator) as well as his flaws (terrible people skills!). You will feel alternately impressed by, horrified at, and sympathetic toward the man.
No problems with the narrator.
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- John
- 09-18-18
Terrible narration
.. at least my wife and I thought so. We liked Bergreen's Marco Polo but this book's narration was unlistenable and we gave up after an hour or so. Can't comment on the content. I'd recommend giving its sample a listen before committing.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-17-20
Overall, an interesting book
The subject matter was well researched and when the author stuck to the facts of the journey, this was a great book. Unfortunately, the author frequently disparages Columbus’ beliefs on where he was based upon the author’s 21st century knowledge of geography. A fact Columbus simply did not have in the late 15th century and early 16th century.
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- Chris
- 04-12-12
More than I even needed to know
What did you like best about Columbus? What did you like least?
Ton's of information, well preformed and interesting. At times the information was difficult to follow. The book bridges a fine line between historical periodical and a story about this tremendously important historical figure. My personal opinion of Columbus was improved by reading this epic tale. Thanks to the author.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
Gaining an understanding of the effort that went into the voyages
Have you listened to any of Tim Jerome’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Not that I am aware of but this performance was good!
Could you see Columbus being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
At first no, but now that I think of it there is enough richness in the details for a screenwriter to simplify and organize the book into mini stories. I could totally see a John Malkovich type as Columbus.
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- mary metzner
- 11-01-11
Some interesting points
Some interesting points but not a spell binding read. Overall it was a good read but one that will not keep you up all night.
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