Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Age of Reason Begins

  • A History of European Civilization in the Period of Shakespeare, Bacon, Montaigne, Rembrandt, Galileo, and Descartes: 1558 - 1648: The Story of Civilization, Book 7
  • By: Will Durant, Ariel Durant
  • Narrated by: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 34 hrs and 51 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (33 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Age of Reason Begins

By: Will Durant, Ariel Durant
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £29.99

Buy Now for £29.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

This seventh volume of Will and Ariel Durant's renowned Story of Civilization chronicles the history of European civilization from 1558 to 1648.

The Age of Reason Begins brings together a fascinating network of stories in the discussion of the bumpy road toward the Enlightenment. This is the age of great monarchs and greater artists - on the one hand, Elizabeth I of England, Philip II of Spain, and Henry IV of France; on the other, Shakespeare, Cervantes, Montaigne, and Rembrandt. It also encompasses the heyday of Francis Bacon, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, and Descartes, the fathers of modern science and philosophy. But it is equally an age of extreme violence, a moment in which all Europe was embroiled in the horrible Thirty Years' War - in some respects, the real first world war. This chapter in cultural history is one that can't be missed.

©1961 Will and Ariel Durant (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Our Oriental Heritage cover art
The Story of Philosophy cover art
Heroes of History cover art
Andrew Carnegie cover art
The Start cover art
Carthage Must Be Destroyed cover art
The Age of Eisenhower cover art
Truman cover art
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich cover art
Bill O'Reilly's Legends and Lies: The Patriots cover art
Ancient Rome cover art
A History of the World cover art
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World cover art
Guns, Germs and Steel cover art
How Should We Then Live cover art
The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution cover art

What listeners say about The Age of Reason Begins

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

34 hours of pleasure

Any additional comments?

fantastic ,what an amazing trip through history . it is written well and narrated perfectly , I could not stop listening .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Very long and flowery

It’s a fascinating panoramic view of this period.
But it’s very dated in many of the opinions expressed by the authors and very verbose.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful