AuthorJoanna Bourke
NarratorTim Piggott-Smith
Duration4h 37m
CategoriesAdult Non-Fiction, History
Key StageA Level
PublisherBBC Audiobooks
VersionUnabridged
Authentic voices from the past illustrate this unique history of the twentieth century, written by Joanna Bourke and presented by Tim Pigott-Smith. Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen. A wealth of BBC archive recordings, some never previously broadcast, is interwoven with an illuminating commentary by the historian Joanna Bourke. Published in ten volumes, Eyewitness examines the role and the life of the British people in each decade of the century. In 1951, the Festival of Britain celebrated a more egalitarian and peaceful society. Nevertheless young men were still called on to fight as conflicts erupted in Malaya, Korea, Cyprus and Suez. Then, as the nuclear threat increased, protestors took to the streets and CND was born. This was the era of Angry Young Men, literate rebels against the old order: also of the Teddy Boy, creator of distinctive fashion, but representing a culture of violence and discrimination as seen in the Notting Hill race riots. Rock-and-roll caused riots of a different kind but produced Britain's first true pop stars. Alan Sillitoe, John Osborne, Joan Bakewell, Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard recall aspects of the decade, as do National Servicemen, Teddy Boys and the black community of Notting Hill. Thought-provoking and moving, these are the voices of the past, speaking to the present.
Author: Walter Isaacson
Author Walter Isaacson
Narrator Alfred Molina
Duration 17h 1m
Read by acclaimed actor Alfred Molina, star of The Da Vinci Code, An Education and Chocolat, this is the definitive biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. Based on thousands of pages from Leonardo's astonishing notebooks and new discoveries about his life and work, Walter Isaacson weaves a narrative that connects his art to his science. He shows how Leona...
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Author: Rick Atkinson
Author Rick Atkinson
Narrator Jason Culp
Duration 3h 43m
Adapted for young readers from the #1 New York Times-bestselling The Guns at Last Light, D-Day captures the events and the spirit of that day-June 6, 1944-the day that led to the liberation of western Europe from Nazi Germany's control. They came by sea and by sky to reclaim freedom from the occupying Germans, turning the tide of World War II. Atki...
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Eyewitness: A History of the Twentieth Century In Sound 1960-1969
Author: Joanna Bourke
Author Joanna Bourke
Narrator Tim Piggott-Smith
Duration 4h 35m
Authentic voices from the past illustrate this unique history of the twentieth century, written by Joanna Bourke and presented by Tim Pigott-Smith. Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen. A wealth of BBC archive recordings, some never previously broadcast, is i...
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Author: Lee Child
Author Lee Child
Narrator Jeff Harding
Duration 1h 18m
In his first work of nonfiction, the creator of the multimillion-selling Jack Reacher series explores the endurance of heroes from Achilles to Bond, showing us how this age-old myth is a fundamental part of what makes us human. He demonstrates how hero stories continue to shape our world - arguing that we need them now more than ever. From the Ston...
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Author: David George Haskell
Author David George Haskell
Narrator The Author, Cassandra Campbell
Duration 10h 26m
David Haskell's award-winning The Forest Unseen won acclaim for eloquent writing and deep engagement with the natural world. Now, Haskell brings his powers of observation to the biological networks that surround all species, including humans. Haskell repeatedly visits a dozen trees around the world, exploring the trees' connections with webs of fun...
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Eyewitness: A History of the Twentieth Century In Sound 1930-1939
Author: BBC Audiobooks
Author BBC Audiobooks
Narrator Tim Piggott-Smith
Duration 4h 53m
Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen. A wealth of BBC archive recordings, some never previously broadcast, is interwoven with an illuminating commentary by the historian Joanna Bourke. Published in ten volumes, Eyewitness examines the role and the life of the...
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Author: Catherine Bailey
Author Catherine Bailey
Narrator Laura Kirman
Duration 15h 27m
Brought to you by Penguin. Berlin, September 1944. Ulrich von Hassell, former ambassador to Italy and a key member of the German Resistance, is executed for his part in an assassination plot against Hitler. In response to the attack, Himmler, leader of the SS, orders the arrest of all the families of the plotters. In a remote castle in Italy, von H...
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Theodore Roosevelt For the Defense
Author: Dan Abrams
Author Dan Abrams
Narrator Dan Abrams
Duration 12h 4m
"No more dramatic courtroom scene has ever been enacted," reported the Syracuse Herald on May 22, 1915 as it covered "the greatest libel suit in history," a battle fought between former President Theodore Roosevelt and the leader of the Republican party. Roosevelt , the boisterous and mostly beloved legendary American hero, had accused his former f...
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Author: Emma Dabiri
Author Emma Dabiri
Narrator Emma Dabiri
Duration 7h 43m
Straightened. Stigmatised. 'Tamed'. Celebrated. Erased. Managed. Appropriated. Forever misunderstood. Black hair is never 'just hair'. This book is about why black hair matters and how it can be viewed as a blueprint for decolonisation. Emma Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, Black Power and on to today's Natu...
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Eyewitness: A History of the Twentieth Century In Sound 1980-1989
Author: Joanna Bourke
Author Joanna Bourke
Narrator Tim Piggott-Smith
Duration 4h 58m
Authentic voices from the past illustrate this unique history of the Twentieth Century, written by Joanna Bourke and presented by Tim Pigott-Smith. Eyewitness provides a rare and fascinating opportunity to hear the events of the century described by those who saw them happen. A wealth of BBC archive recordings, some never previously broadcast, is i...
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