The vehicle for the author's quest is the entire Encyclopedia Britannica--this is the story of how he plows through all 33,000 entries contained therein. Along the way, we glean a great deal about a great deal of things and by the end have learned far more about the author than about the topics in the EB. Narrator Geoffrey Cantor is really in an impossible position because he has to translate Jacobs's amusing anecdotes without slipping into obnoxiousness. He succeeds, for the most part, but, overall, his tone is too smart-alecky, as opposed to funny. Also, he tends to read too fast at times and has a tendency to swallow words and letters.
Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2004
Duration: 15 hrs
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
James Michener tells the real stories behind the man and his books. The recording is read with skill and consistency although the reader does little to enhance the robust, larger-than-life incidents related in the book. Due to the first-person narrative format, there is no opportunity for the narrator to change his voice. This makes some chapters monotonous as they go on and on in the typical Michener style. The listener may also become confused because the stories are not told chronologically. This is not a great choice for the audio format, but Michener fans may stick with it to the end.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 22 hrs
Publisher: Books on Tape
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
In a quest for a sense of inner contentment and self-worth, Gloria Steinem brings the reader on a journey of investigation and discovery. Steinem reads the text herself in a straightforward and friendly, but not intimate, presentation which is so easy to listen to it invites repetition--thus ensuring the painless relearning of the lessons of the book. It's difficult to tell from the reading that this audiobook is abridged; each section can stand alone. Nonetheless, the listener wished the book were unabridged. Steinem left me wanting to learn more.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: Dove Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
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