The Reformation: (6 Story of Civilization (Audio))

An engrossing volume on the European Reformation by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Will Durant The sixth volume of Durant's acclaimed Story of Civilization, The Reformation chronicles the history of European civilization from 1300 to 1564. In this masterful work, listeners will encounter the schism within the Roman Catholic Church and the formation of early Protestantism; the theology of Martin Luther and his societal impact; the rise of Humanism and the life of Desiderius Erasmus; the royal monarchies of England, France, Spain, and Italy; the imperial conquests of Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the Americas; the Bohemian revolution of Eastern Europe, the unification of Russia, and the rise of the Ottoman Empire; the teachings of John Calvin; andthe Counter-Reformation of the sixteenth century.

About the Author :
Will Durant (1885-1981) was an award-winning American writer, historian, and philosopher. He and his wife were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 for Rousseau and Revolution, and he was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Durant spent over forty years writing the critically acclaimed eleven-volume Story of Civilization, the later volumes with the help of his wife, Ariel. He sought to revitalize history by unifying and humanizing the great body of historical knowledge, which had become voluminous and fragmented into esoteric subcategories. He also strove to bring philosophy to the common man. Durant was a champion of human rights, social reform, and the brotherhood of man long before they became well-known issues. Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than three thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than three hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile's Golden Voices in 2012.

Review :
Durant's monumental history of Europe from 1300 to 1564 presents a narrator with great challenges, but Stefan Rudnicki lives up to them. His strong, endlessly listenable voice helps keep one's interest over the long haul, and his care with and understanding of the text help lead one through dense passages that are often laden with foreign words or strings of difficult names in French, Russian, or Arabic. Given the difficulty and complexity of the material, Rudnicki does a remarkable job. His pacing, energy, and expression of sense and feeling help bring the book alive. That it doesn't grow tiresome is due to his rich, intelligent reading as much as to Durant's erudition and style. -- "AudioFile"