British author/narrator Simon Winchester's Queen's English, familiarity with his material, and passion for his subject matter make this a winning choice. Also, his rhythm is perfect for this audiobook's numerous digressions. LAND provides listeners with a new way of looking at an old phenomenon: how humans turned the earth's surface into a proprietary patchwork of boundaries, title holdings, and commons. We learn how Europeans dispossessed the land of Native peoples, how one woman came to own 29 million acres of mineral-rich soil, how the invention of barbed wire changed the way land is bounded, and how land can be mismanaged. Alternately fascinating and concerning, this work explains how humans "tamed" and then claimed the land, first for survival and then for profit.
Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2021
Duration: 13 hrs, 45 mins
DD ISBN: 9780062938367
Publisher: Harper Audio
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
Carol Matthau epitomizes a glamour and lifestyle not associated with the 1990's. Here is a life of privilege, tragedy and worry about what friends would think of her new frock or lover. Matthau possesses a voice and delivery that simply could not be improved on. In her coy whisper, she tells compelling stories involving everyone from William Saroyan (husband #1) and Truman Capote to Carson McCullers, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Walter Matthau (husband #2). This excellent audio presentation will leave you wanting to read the entire book to discover what juicy tidbits were left out.
Pub Date: N/A
Duration: 3 hrs
Publisher: The Publishing Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2026
This is history for the modern listener, clear, efficient, and reliable.
There’s something calming about listening to ancient history, as this well-researched audiobook amply demonstrates. Mark Elstob’s polished, quietly nuanced narration maintains distance and balance while giving full weight to the narrative’s many fine details. Elstob has narrated two of Goldsworthy’s previous audiobooks, companion histories of the long competition between Rome and Persia. He perfectly matches this prolific popular historian’s lucid and impartial narrative style and his knack for balancing a panoramic view with a close recreation of place and action. The long, contentious rivalry between Athens and Sparta turned victory over Persia into division and civil strife.
This is history for the modern listener, clear, efficient, and reliable.Pub Date: May 12, 2026
Duration: 20 hrs, 15 mins
DD ISBN: 9781549135439
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Review Posted Online: May 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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