Journey Through Time With Some Of Our Top History Audiobooks!
Step into a time machine and journey through history with our incredible selection of audiobooks. Immerse yourself in the stories and events that shaped the world we live in today, with expert narration and captivating storytelling that will transport you to another era. From ancient civilizations to modern conflicts, our history audiobooks cover a vast range of topics and periods, offering something for every history buff. Whether you're looking to expand your knowledge or simply enjoy a good story, our audiobooks bring the past to life in a way that will leave you enlightened and entertained. So sit back, relax, and let history unfold before your ears.
History Audiobooks Statistics
Total Audiobooks in this Category:
25,420 audiobooks
Total Authors in this Category:
28,677 authors
Average Audiobook Length:
11.36 hours
Average Audiobook Rating:
3.70/5
Audiobooks in the Top 50:
3
Author: Patrick Radden Keefe
Narrator: Patrick Radden Keefe
Audio Length:
@1x speed 18.00 hours
@1.5x speed 12.00 hours
@2x speed 9.00 hours
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Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty Audiobook
“Keefe's greatest strength is his clarity. He makes this complex web of corruption understandable and human. He writes about the Sacklers in all their complexity, not to make us feel for them, but in a way that demonstrates the enormous fallout of their human flaws when applied with so much money and power. An excellent work of nonfiction!”
— LFR
Author: John M. Barry
Narrator: Scott Brick
Audio Length:
@1x speed 19.50 hours
@1.5x speed 13.00 hours
@2x speed 9.75 hours
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The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History Audiobook
“Excellent book that describes the history of a pandemic that killed at least 40 million people worldwide in a year's time. Though it was coined, "Spanish Influenza", the flu probablyoriginated in Kansas, the provides a view of the history of medicine in the UnitedStates.”
— Jeanne
Author: Charles C. Mann
Narrator: Darrell Dennis
Audio Length:
@1x speed 16.25 hours
@1.5x speed 10.83 hours
@2x speed 8.13 hours
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1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus Audiobook
“It is difficult to talk about a hemisphere without leaving somethings out. The author talks mostly about South America, then some about mesoamerica, and lastly a little about North America. He posits that the populations were much larger and more diverse than they are typically given credit for by the modern reader. He does a good job of assuaging the reactions of repulsion towards what we may consider barbaric by making comparisons to Europe. He does not seem interested in pyramids and explains that no matter how friendly the contact was with the new world for various genetic reasons, massive disease was inevitable in the Americas. He also discusses how and why the Spaniards were able to defeat and conquer South America.”
— the plebian
Author: Yuval Noah Harari
Narrator: Derek Perkins
Audio Length:
@1x speed 15.25 hours
@1.5x speed 10.17 hours
@2x speed 7.63 hours
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Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Audiobook
New York Times Bestseller
A Summer Reading Pick for President Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg
From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?
Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas.
Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become?
Featuring 27 photographs, 6 maps, and 25 illustrations/diagrams, this provocative and insightful work is sure to spark debate and is essential reading for aficionados of Jared Diamond, James Gleick, Matt Ridley, Robert Wright, and Sharon Moalem.
“Outstanding audio book. This "brief" history digs deeper into human evolution than I have ever gotten into. Really cool subjects are covered. I feel better learned about our history after listening to this book. Only downside: On a long road trip I can only listen to about 30 minutes at a time before getting tired. The upside of that is that by spreading out the listening of this book I probably absorbed more and could have interesting dialogue with friends that were also listening to it.”
— Geoffrey
Author: S. C. Gwynne
Narrator: David Drummond
Audio Length:
@1x speed 15.25 hours
@1.5x speed 10.17 hours
@2x speed 7.63 hours
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Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History Audiobook
*A New York Times Notable Book*
*Winner of the Texas Book Award and the Oklahoma Book Award*
This New York Times bestseller and stunning historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West “is nothing short of a revelation…will leave dust and blood on your jeans” (The New York Times Book Review).
Empire of the Summer Moon spans two astonishing stories. The first traces the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. The second entails one of the most remarkable narratives ever to come out of the Old West: the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.
Although readers may be more familiar with the tribal names Apache and Sioux, it was in fact the legendary fighting ability of the Comanches that determined when the American West opened up. Comanche boys became adept bareback riders by age six; full Comanche braves were considered the best horsemen who ever rode. They were so masterful at war and so skillful with their arrows and lances that they stopped the northern drive of colonial Spain from Mexico and halted the French expansion westward from Louisiana. White settlers arriving in Texas from the eastern United States were surprised to find the frontier being rolled backward by Comanches incensed by the invasion of their tribal lands.
The war with the Comanches lasted four decades, in effect holding up the development of the new American nation. Gwynne’s exhilarating account delivers a sweeping narrative that encompasses Spanish colonialism, the Civil War, the destruction of the buffalo herds, and the arrival of the railroads, and the amazing story of Cynthia Ann Parker and her son Quanah—a historical feast for anyone interested in how the United States came into being.
Hailed by critics, S. C. Gwynne’s account of these events is meticulously researched, intellectually provocative, and, above all, thrillingly told. Empire of the Summer Moon announces him as a major new writer of American history.
“Truly one of the best books I’ve read is some time. A no holes bared look at the decimation of so many lives in the expansion of the United States west ward and the collision of cultures that resulted in the wars of the High Planes to the Southwest Territories. And the story of the men that not only defined the times but, redefined themselves. Excellently written and informative.”
— Wallace
Author: Howard Zinn
Narrator: Jeff Zinn
Audio Length:
@1x speed 34.25 hours
@1.5x speed 22.83 hours
@2x speed 17.13 hours
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A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present Audiobook
THE CLASSIC NATIONAL BESTSELLER
""A wonderful, splendid book—a book that should be read by every American, student or otherwise, who wants to understand his country, its true history, and its hope for the future."" –Howard Fast
Historian Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home, and the workplace.
Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, it is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of—and in the words of—America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles—the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.
Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. This edition also includes an introduction by Anthony Arnove, who wrote, directed, and produced The People Speak with Zinn and who coauthored, with Zinn, Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
“Love this book. It provides an amazing perspective on the history of the United States from the point of view of wthe downtrodden and abused. The saying that the winners write the history isn't quite so accurate anymore. It is a great read for an additional perspective on our history.”
— Scott
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Narrator: Edward Herrmann
Audio Length:
@1x speed 14.00 hours
@1.5x speed 9.33 hours
@2x speed 7.00 hours
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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Audiobook
Then, a man appeared among the debris. It was the plane's bombardier, a young lieutenant, struggling to pull himself aboard a life raft. One of the most remarkable journeys of World War II was about to begin.
The bombardier was Louis Zamperini. As a boy, he had been a crafty and unapologetic hooligan, burglarizing houses, and leaving home to ride the rails. When he harnessed his energy into running, he discovered a dormant talent that took him all the way to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. With the arrival of World War II, he became a pilot and began the journey that would lead him to his ill-fated flight and set him adrift at sea on a tiny life raft.
In the open ocean, Lt. Zamperini faced starvation, thirst, enemy aircraft and jumping sharks. Pushed to the limit of his considerable endurance, he met desperation with resourcefulness, brutality with defiance, hardship with brave determination. His very survival depended on his eroding resolve.
In Time's top book of 2010 and #1 New York Times bestseller, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, Laura Hillenbrand employs the same eye jeweler's eye for detail and vivid, rich narrative voice that she displayed in her acclaimed 2001 bestseller, Seabiscuit. Unbroken tells the extraordinary tale of a man's odyssey into extremity, and stands testament to the power of human resilience.
“This book is why they made a 5-star rating: something that changes the way you see and move through the world, something you will remember forever, something you are so appreciative you were able to be a part of. Wow. Freaking AMAZING story, brilliant writing, simply incredible...”
— Laurie
Author: Margot Lee Shetterly
Narrator: Robin Miles
Audio Length:
@1x speed 10.75 hours
@1.5x speed 7.17 hours
@2x speed 5.38 hours
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Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race Audiobook
The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA whose calculations helped fuel some of America’s greatest achievements in space. Soon to be a major motion picture starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kirsten Dunst, and Kevin Costner.
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.
Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam’s call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.
Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.
Starting in World War II and moving through to the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Space Race, Hidden Figures follows the interwoven accounts of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson and Christine Darden, four African American women who participated in some of NASA’s greatest successes. It chronicles their careers over nearly three decades they faced challenges, forged alliances and used their intellect to change their own lives, and their country’s future.
“Here is another reminder that the fabric of our country is intertwined in the hands of so many minority groups. So proud of the knowledge, competitive and brilliant minds of a forgotten group of African American women. This book touches on the difficulties facing these women during a time when little thought was given to segregated signs for drinking water, eating and going to bathroom. Head held high, supporting each other and facing obstacles with grace could easily be the motto of Hidden Figures”
— Gaye
Author: Jared Diamond
Narrator: Doug Ordunio
Audio Length:
@1x speed 16.25 hours
@1.5x speed 10.83 hours
@2x speed 8.13 hours
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Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies Audiobook
The story begins 13,000 years ago, when Stone Age hunter-gatherers constituted the entire human population. Around that time, the paths of development of human societies on different continents began to diverge greatly. Early domestication of wild plants and animals in the Fertile Crescent, China, Mesoamerica, the Andes, and other areas gave peoples of those regions a head start. Only societies that advanced beyond the hunter-gatherer stage acquired a potential for developing writing, technology, government, and organized religions—as well as those nasty germs and potent weapons of war. It was those societies, that expanded to new homelands at the expense of other peoples. The most familiar examples involve the conquest of non-European peoples by Europeans in the last 500 years, beginning with voyages in search of precious metals and spices, and often leading to invasion of native lands and decimation of native inhabitants.
“One of the best books that Ive ever read! Finally we have an explanation of how different societies and cultures evolved and to what level, based on their environment and resources at hand, rather than some racist polemic. Its amazing how much geography is destiny, and how what you have in terms of livestock and plants is such a crucial factor. One comes away from reading this book realizing that every society is in the end, an adaptation to whatever they had at their disposal.”
— Laurence
Author: Jonathan Freedland
Narrator: Jonathan Freedland
Audio Length:
@1x speed 11.75 hours
@1.5x speed 7.83 hours
@2x speed 5.88 hours
The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World Audiobook
Winner of the National Jewish Book Award · New York Times Bestseller
""A brilliant and heart-wrenching book, with universal and timely lessons about the power of information—and misinformation. Is it possible to stop mass murder by telling the truth?"" — Yuval Noah Harari, bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
A complex hero. A forgotten story. The first witness to reveal the full truth of the Holocaust . . .
Award-winning journalist and bestselling novelist Jonathan Freedland tells the astonishing true story of Rudolf Vrba, the man who broke out of Auschwitz to warn the world of a truth too few were willing to hear.
In April 1944, Rudolf Vrba became one of the very first Jews to escape from Auschwitz and make his way to freedom—among only a tiny handful who ever pulled off that near-impossible feat. He did it to reveal the truth of the death camp to the world—and to warn the last Jews of Europe what fate awaited them. Against all odds, Vrba and his fellow escapee, Fred Wetzler, climbed mountains, crossed rivers, and narrowly missed German bullets until they had smuggled out the first full account of Auschwitz the world had ever seen—a forensically detailed report that eventually reached Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and the Pope.
And yet too few heeded the warning that Vrba had risked everything to deliver. Though Vrba helped save two hundred thousand Jewish lives, he never stopped believing it could have been so many more.
This is the story of a brilliant yet troubled man—a gifted “escape artist” who, even as a teenager, understood that the difference between truth and lies can be the difference between life and death. Rudolf Vrba deserves to take his place alongside Anne Frank, Oskar Schindler, and Primo Levi as one of the handful of individuals whose stories define our understanding of the Holocaust.
“I thought I knew the Auschwitz story, but Freedland retells it from a fresh angle so powerfully that I read it with my heart beating fast, full of horror, rage, despair—and admiration for this potent demonstration of the stubborn resilience of the human spirit. ”
— Tracy Chevalier, New York Times bestselling author
Author: Fredrik Logevall
Narrator: Fred Sanders
Audio Length:
@1x speed 32.25 hours
@1.5x speed 21.50 hours
@2x speed 16.13 hours
Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam Audiobook
“The definitive history of the critical formative period from 1940 to 1960 [in Vietnam]. . . . lucid and vivid . . . As American involvement escalated, Bernard Fall, the highly respected scholar-journalist of Vietnam’s wars, wrote that Americans were ‘dreaming different dreams than the French but walking in the same footsteps.’ Fredrik Logevall brilliantly explains that legacy.”
— Gary R. Hess, San Francisco Chronicle
Author: Eric Metaxas
Narrator: Eric Metaxas
Audio Length:
@1x speed 20.75 hours
@1.5x speed 13.83 hours
@2x speed 10.38 hours
Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World Audiobook
“Metaxas is a scrupulous chronicler and has an eye for a good story. . . . full, instructive, and pacey.” —The Washington Post
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Eric Metaxas comes a brilliant and inspiring biography of the most influential man in modern history, Martin Luther, in time for the 500th anniversary of the Reformation
On All Hallow’s Eve in 1517, a young monk named Martin Luther posted a document he hoped would spark an academic debate, but that instead ignited a conflagration that would forever destroy the world he knew. Five hundred years after Luther’s now famous Ninety-five Theses appeared, Eric Metaxas, acclaimed biographer of the bestselling Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery, paints a startling portrait of the wild figure whose adamantine faith cracked the edifice of Western Christendom and dragged medieval Europe into the future. Written in riveting prose and impeccably researched, Martin Luther tells the searing tale of a humble man who, by bringing ugly truths to the highest seats of power, caused the explosion whose sound is still ringing in our ears. Luther’s monumental faith and courage gave birth to the ideals of liberty, equality, and individualism that today lie at the heart of all modern life.
“A meticulously researched and detailed account of Luther’s life and times . . . a very human portrait. . . . Metaxas is a scrupulous chronicler and has an eye for a good story. The result is full, instructive, and pacey.”
— The Washington Post