Titans of History

The Giants Who Made Our World

By: Simon Sebag Montefiore

Narrated by: Steve West

NEW EDITION - FEATURING UPDATED INTRODUCTION AND NEW CHAPTERS

The giant characters of history - from Mozart to Michelangelo, Shakespeare to Einstein, Henry VIII to Hitler, Catherine the Great to Margaret Thatcher, Jesus Christ to Genghis Khan ­- lived lives of astonishing drama and adventure, debauchery and slaughter, but they also formed our world and will shape our future. In this eclectic and surprising collection of short and entertaining life stories, Simon Sebag Montefiore introduces his choice of kings, empresses, sultans and conquerors, as well as prophets, explorers, artists, actresses, courtesans and psychopaths. From the ancient times, via crusades and world wars, up to the 21st century, this accessible history introduces readers to the titans who changed the world: the characters we should all know, and the stories we should never forget.

(p) Penguin Random House US 2017©2017 Simon Sebag Montefiore

Critic reviews

Simon Sebag Montefiore is a master storyteller

Sparkling biographical essays ... A tour of the good, the bad and the ugly

Entertaining and informative. Full of offbeat, fascinating detail

Comprehensive, chilling and highly compelling. A first-class chronologically arranged catalogue that enagages as it teaches

Compulsive reading ... We do not shudder at the depths to which men and women throughout history have sunk, but experience a piquant relish ... a book that reminds us how thin the veneer of civilisation is

A survey of great historical figures favours villainy over goodness ... A compilation of short biographical profiles ... catering to our appalled fascination with evil. Monsters outnumber heroes. Stalin, the subject of Montefiore's superb two-volume biography, is the prototype for many of the maniacal autocrats whose rages and rampages are described here. A strutting parade of psychopathic dictators, warlords, malevolent dwarves ... Montefiore finds room for a few gods, one or two secular saints, American founding fathers, Lincoln and Churchill, and a smattering artists and scientists, but their achievements hardly manage to maintain the pretence of civilisation. What excites Montefiore is villainy ... and he does this with wicked verve

Historical Character Snippets and Tasters!

Titans of History is literally a chronological collection of abridged biographies which was, for me, a snippet or taster of the particular individual and perhaps a hook to explore them in more detail as this book offers no references or sources of its information.

The narration is done clearly and well by Steve West (at first I thought it may be the author himself).

The audiobook is broken down into chapters per character and so was easy to flip through quickly, slow down where it was interesting to me, or repeat where I wanted to hear something again.

Great book.

Worth listening. I wonder if somebody has noticed (not from the book), that most of the "Titans" (positive & negative ones as well), have something in common.