Titans of History

The Giants Who Made Our World

By: Simon Sebag Montefiore

Narrated by: Steve West

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Romanovs—and one of our pre-eminent historians and a prizewinning writer—comes an inspiring, horrifying, and accessible collection of short, entertaining, and vivid life stories about the giant characters who have changed the course of world history.

These titans of history—encompassing queens, empresses, and actresses, kings, sultans, and conquerors, as well as prophets, artists, courtesans, psychopaths, and explorers—lived lives of astonishing drama, courage and adventure, debauchery and slaughter, virtue and crime. The subjects range widely throughout time and geography from Buddha and Genghis Khan to Nero and Churchill; from Catherine the Great and Anne Frank to Toussaint l’Ouverture and Martin Luther King; from Mozart to Mao; from Jesus Christ and Shakespeare to Einstein and Elvis. Through these lives, Montefiore recounts the most momentous world events—from ancient times to the Crusades, the Holocaust, and the Gulf Wars.

These are the historical figures that everyone should know and the stories we should never forget.

Critic reviews

“Entertaining and informative. Full of offbeat, fascinating detail.” —Sunday Telegraph

“These sparkling biographical essays include all the usual suspects. . . . It’s a tour of the good, the bad and the ugly.” —Mail on Sunday (U.K.)

“Compulsive reading.” —The Times (London)

“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.” —The Times

“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.” —The Observer

“Comprehensive, chilling and highly compelling. A first-class chronologically arranged catalogue that engages as it teaches.” —Daily Express

Disagree with some of the author's picks

I enjoyed hearing about the more well-known personages rather than the truly obscure ones.

Too much art compared to science

would like to have had more scientists, inventors, and economic titans and a smaller focus on the arts

Sequencing

Highlights for historical events and figures was interesting …narrator was comfortable to listen to and voice and tone was engaging.

Short, but well researched.

These short little articles on various politicians, writers, and others are good starting points for research. The author, noted for his works on the USSR has researched these people rather well. Narration needs more work however.

fantastic short stories on historical figures

loved this audiobook. Montefiore is a top scholar and knows how to communicate. FANTASTIC!!!!! RECOMEND

short stories on most well known historical figures makes this large tome very easily digestible this was in my opinion a very well done audiobook.