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Utopia Audiobook
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(3.00) - 19,950 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In this political work written in 1516, Utopia is the name given by Sir Thomas More to an imaginary island. Book I ofUtopia, a dialogue, presents a perceptive analysis of contemporary social, economic, and moral ills in England. Book II is a narrative describing a country run according to the ideals of the English humanists, where poverty, crime, injustice, and other ills do not exist. Locating his island in the New World, More bestowed it with everything to support a perfectly organized and happy people.
The name of this fictitious place, Utopia, coined by More, passed into general usage and has been applied to all such ideal fictions, fantasies, and blueprints for the future, including works by Rabelais, Francis Bacon, Samuel Butler, and several by H. G. Wells, including hisA Modern Utopia.
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"I loved it. This wasn't the first time I've read it, but this is the first time I had to read it for a class paper. So that was fun. I think everyone should read this book at least once in their life because it speaks a lot about humanity and society and how it all should or could work. I personally don't think Utopia is that "utopian" (that's what I'm writing my paper on), but it does raise some interesting and realistic points that we should consider about our life."
— Yousra (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Fluent and highly readable, this new version should be welcomed by all admirers of the Utopia.”
— Louis Martz, Yale University -
“Surprisingly apropos as civilization enters the twenty-first century…Through James Adams’ skillful narration one envisions More standing at a lectern in historical garb. Adams’ deep, measured tones lend weight to the utopian portrayal, as do his accurate pronunciations of the names of Greek philosophers. The disparity between More’s world of harmony and balance and the real events of the last 500 years makes this work all the more relevant.”
— AudioFile
Utopia Listener Reviews
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" an interesting book by someone who refused a kings reuest. "
— Mokrist, 2/5/2014 -
" An enjoyable, fairly well-translated read with some interesting ideas and political allegory. The book does get a bit bogged down towards the end, but is certainly worthy of its place as a Humanist classic. "
— Illusha, 2/3/2014 -
" more humanities class assigned reading that i went back and read after getting out of high school and college. i think i would have read it when i was supposed to had mr. humphries said, 'ey, this is a good book, you should read it' instead of 'have this read by this date'. "
— Erik, 1/23/2014 -
" Wow! He was definitely indefatigable! "
— Lana, 1/21/2014 -
" Pretty interesting book. It was a quick read as well. "
— Christopher, 1/18/2014 -
" Interesting treatise of the so called 'ideal' world. Some good aspects, some bad aspects, all totally logical. "
— Kate, 12/27/2013 -
" Gregg R Wexler found this book to be intriguing and recommends it to anyone. "
— Gregg, 11/29/2013 -
" Read this fucking book and understand what we're doing wrong. Its quite dry. "
— Alex, 11/21/2013 -
" I'm surprised this book isn't better known...it has influenced so many. "
— Anna, 11/8/2013 -
" Maybe not the most page turning book ever written, but interesting in its own right. I found myself laughing at some points and applaud at others. I think taken as a work of fiction and not a huge comment on society this book is enjoyable. "
— Renee, 10/19/2013 -
" An impossibly perfect society where everything and everyone lives for a purpose and lives with a social function. I read it as an assignment and I found it really interesting and different from all the things I've read. "
— Diana, 4/10/2013 -
" Entertaining read for someone who likes to know what those of long ago felt would be an ideal world/life. "
— Annemarie, 2/16/2013 -
" This seemed more like a nightmare than utopia. "
— Brian, 11/9/2012 -
" I may have strained my eyes while reading this book and not because I was reading in poor light. There may have been some major eye rolling going on. I'm glad I finally read this one though considering some of my favorite reads. "
— Karen, 9/5/2012 -
" It's interesting to consider these unrealistic ideals that sprang from a time of such extreme wealth and poverty. It was fun to consider which ideals were and weren't possible and why. "
— Patty, 8/27/2012 -
" The majority of Book II, which is actually concerned with the nation of Utopia, was incredibly dull, while all of Book I was full of biting criticism and wit. "
— Trevor, 8/8/2012 -
" Nice book...not yet finish. Old English full of vision. "
— Umi, 7/31/2012 -
" Read for Utopias in Life and Literature Class 2005 "
— Boni, 4/29/2012 -
" Just one of those classics discussing the ultimate Utopian society "
— Mdye, 12/9/2011 -
" More's writing is good. I liked the philosophical side to his argument of an Utopia, but it was not my cup of tea. "
— Lakishia, 11/19/2011 -
" Interesting book, but the ideals contained within the book are not to my liking. "
— Kerree, 5/7/2011 -
" Fantastic book. Very funny and thought inspiring. "
— Shannon, 5/4/2011 -
" Well, that was terrifying, for sure.<br/><br/>The mixture of wisdom and preposterousness is astounding.<br/> <br/>It left me with an unsavory stepford-wife/gilded-cage taste in my mouth that even keeping in mind the time when it was written, it´s hard to swallow.<br/> "
— Ana, 4/29/2011 -
" This seemed more like a nightmare than utopia. "
— Brian, 4/29/2011 -
" Great book, applies to our society today, we haven't learned a thing from this book but I did. "
— Abigael, 4/19/2011 -
" I have to read it again :) "
— AmerX, 4/8/2011 -
" This has many surprisingly amusing moments. Best read with its historical context in mind. "
— Sarah, 4/7/2011 -
" Nice book...not yet finish. Old English full of vision. "
— Umi, 4/7/2011 -
" Utopia is latin for nowhere. An apt title, no? <br/> "
— Joshua, 4/2/2011 -
" Feels very dated. I can't get over it and appreciated properly.<br/>#10 I think. "
— J, 3/31/2011
About Thomas More
Sir Thomas More (1478–1535), English statesman, lawyer, humanist, saint, poet, and author, was one of the most versatile and talented men of his age. He held important government positions, including serving as lord chancellor. Though he had been a long-time friend of King Henry VIII, he was a staunch Catholic and could not accept the king’s demand that all subjects acknowledge the king above the pope, resulting in his execution in 1535. With his writing of Utopia, he takes his place with the most eminent humanists of the Renaissance.
About James Adams
James Adams is one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and intelligence, and for more than twenty-five years he has specialized in national security. He is also the author of fourteen bestselling books on warfare, with a particular emphasis on covert warfare. A former managing editor of the London Sunday Times and CEO of United Press International, he trained as a journalist in England, where he graduated first in the country. Now living in Southern Oregon, he has narrated numerous audiobooks and earned an AudioFile Earphones Award and two coveted Audie Award for best narration.