Featured Reviews
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Building a Better Vocabulary
- Written by: Kevin Flanigan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kevin Flanigan
- Length: 18 hrs and 48 mins
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Building a Better Vocabulary offers an intriguing look at the nuts and bolts of English, teaches you the etymology and morphology - or the history and structure - of words, and delves into the cognitive science behind committing new words to long-term memory. By the end of the 36 enjoyable lectures, you will have a practical framework for continuing to build your vocabulary by discovering new words and fully mastering the nuances of familiar ones.
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I certainly dig it, my homie
- By J on 2019-11-12
Up your linguistics game
Do you ever find yourself chatting with someone and being super impressed by their English language skills...and then stressing because you aren't quite sure what they're saying? This fascinating course will make that scenario a thing of the past! Whether you're a Scrabble lover, crossword fiend, or just a general logophile (quick lesson, that means ''a lover of words''), this listen will make you a true wordsmith.
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Medical School for Everyone: Emergency Medicine
- Written by: Roy Benaroch, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Roy Benaroch
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
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In Dr. Benaroch's 24 lectures, experience for yourself the high-stakes drama and medical insights of life in an everyday emergency department: the most intense department in any hospital and home to the kind of split-second decision making, troubleshooting, and detective work that can make the difference between a patient's life and death.
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good read
- By Amazon Customer on 2017-12-16
Get the scoop on real-life emergency medicine
If you're like me, you love dramatized medical shows (Grey's Anatomy, House, you get it) but you know in your heart that incredibly rare diseases don't really walk through the hospital doors every day. You don't need a medical degree to learn about how a real emergency doctor operates, from triaging patients to ruling out diagnoses. The professor goes into common cases that show up, and how to get the best care if you ever wind up in the emergency room. For a layman's lesson on medicine, this is not to be missed.
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Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation
- Written by: Mark W. Muesse, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark W. Muesse
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
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Meditation offers deep and lasting benefits for mental functioning and emotional health, as well as for physical health and well-being. These 24 detailed lectures teach you the principles and techniques of sitting meditation, the related practice of walking meditation, and the highly beneficial use of meditative awareness in many important activities, including eating and driving. You will also learn how to use the skills of meditation in working with thoughts and emotional states.
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Relax while you transform
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-13
Get centered and de-stress this fall season
I’ll be honest: I used to find the concept of meditation slightly intimidating. I had heard of all the benefits to both physical and mental health, but just wasn’t sure where to begin. Both accessible and personable, Professor Muesse’s course introduced me to the concept of mindfulness and inspired me to begin a daily meditation practice. It’s not always easy taking time to care for your mind, but the results speak for themselves: this is my calmest September in recent memory.
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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- Written by: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
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Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
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Loved it!
- By Trent T on 2018-10-29
A journey to the past
What were our ancestors really like? Did they eat keto, or did Caesar inspire his eponymous cocktail with real-life indulgences? Take a walk in the sandals of the ordinary citizens of the Ancient World, from the time of the Vikings to the heart of the Roman empire. Plus, this audiobook includes a PDF chock full of extra goodies like pictures of the law code of Hammurabi, artist renderings of what Socrates might have looked like, and a picture of a device called a shadoof that was integral to building early water canals. You can download the PDF from your library (on-site on a desktop) once you’ve purchased the audiobook.
Best Sellers
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The History of Ancient Egypt
- Written by: Bob Brier, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bob Brier
- Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins
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Ancient Egyptian civilization is so grand our minds sometimes have difficulty adjusting to it. It lasted 3,000 years, longer than any other on the planet. Its Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest building in the world until well into the 19th century and remains the only Ancient Wonder still standing. And it was the most technologically advanced of the ancient civilizations, with the medical knowledge that made Egyptian physicians the most famous in the world.
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Dated but entertaining
- By Micah Clark on 2021-06-12
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A Brief History of the World
- Written by: Peter N. Stearns, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Peter N. Stearns
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
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The construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, the development of democracy in ancient Greece, the glories of ancient Rome-these stories are familiar to students of history. But what about the rest of the world? How do the histories of China and Japan, or Russia, India, and the remote territories of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America fit in with commonly known accounts of Western traditions?Learn the rest of the story with these 36 riveting lectures that survey the expanse of human development and civilization across the globe.
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World History should be mandatory. great course
- By CalltheDoctor on 2018-09-13
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The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions
- Written by: Jay L. Garfield, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jay L. Garfield
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
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What is the meaning of life?It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all-at once profound and universal, but also deeply personal.We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment.
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Interesting
- By Marie-Kim on 2022-05-01
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The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
- Written by: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins
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Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
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Too idiosyncratic for my taste
- By Enrique on 2019-12-08
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The History of Ancient Egypt
- Written by: Bob Brier, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bob Brier
- Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Ancient Egyptian civilization is so grand our minds sometimes have difficulty adjusting to it. It lasted 3,000 years, longer than any other on the planet. Its Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest building in the world until well into the 19th century and remains the only Ancient Wonder still standing. And it was the most technologically advanced of the ancient civilizations, with the medical knowledge that made Egyptian physicians the most famous in the world.
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Dated but entertaining
- By Micah Clark on 2021-06-12
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A Brief History of the World
- Written by: Peter N. Stearns, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Peter N. Stearns
- Length: 19 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
The construction of the great pyramids of Egypt, the development of democracy in ancient Greece, the glories of ancient Rome-these stories are familiar to students of history. But what about the rest of the world? How do the histories of China and Japan, or Russia, India, and the remote territories of Sub-Saharan Africa and South America fit in with commonly known accounts of Western traditions?Learn the rest of the story with these 36 riveting lectures that survey the expanse of human development and civilization across the globe.
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World History should be mandatory. great course
- By CalltheDoctor on 2018-09-13
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The Meaning of Life: Perspectives from the World's Great Intellectual Traditions
- Written by: Jay L. Garfield, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jay L. Garfield
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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What is the meaning of life?It's a question every thoughtful person has pondered at one time or another. Indeed, it may be the biggest question of all-at once profound and universal, but also deeply personal.We want to understand the world in which we live, but we also want to understand how to make our own lives as meaningful as possible; to know not only why we're living, but that we're doing it with intention, purpose, and ethical commitment.
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Interesting
- By Marie-Kim on 2022-05-01
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The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
- Written by: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
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Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
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Too idiosyncratic for my taste
- By Enrique on 2019-12-08
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The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries
- Written by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
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Everything we now know about the universe - from the behavior of quarks to the birth of galaxies - has come from people who've been willing to ponder the unanswerable. And with the advent of modern science, great minds have turned to testing and experimentation rather than mere thought as a way of grappling with some of the universe's most vexing dilemmas. So what is our latest picture of some of the most inexplicable features of the universe? What still remains to be uncovered and explored by today's scientists?
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Such a great course with great performance
- By Anonymous on 2024-10-06
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The American Civil War
- Written by: Gary W. Gallagher, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Gary W. Gallagher
- Length: 24 hrs and 37 mins
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Between 1861 and 1865, the clash of the greatest armies the Western hemisphere had ever seen turned small towns, little-known streams, and obscure meadows in the American countryside into names we will always remember. In those great battles, those streams ran red with blood-and the United States was truly born.
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Excellent and well written
- By L. on 2019-09-08
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An Economic History of the World since 1400
- Written by: Donald J. Harreld, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Donald J. Harreld
- Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins
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Most of us have a limited understanding of the powerful role economics has played in shaping human civilization. This makes economic history - the study of how civilizations structured their environments to provide food, shelter, and material goods - a vital lens through which to think about how we arrived at our present, globalized moment. Designed to fill a long-empty gap in how we think about modern history, these 48 lectures are a comprehensive journey through more than 600 years of economic history.
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Everything I hoped for
- By Yarshniff on 2018-09-02
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Food: A Cultural Culinary History
- Written by: Ken Albala, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ken Albala
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
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Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."
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This is a Western food history course
- By Anonymous User on 2019-05-15
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Dante's Divine Comedy
- Written by: The Great Courses, Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook
- Narrated by: Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
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Professors Cook and Herzman provide you with an illuminating introduction to one of the greatest works ever written. One of the most profound and satisfying of all poems, The Divine Comedy (or Commedia) of Dante Alighieri is a book for life. In a brilliantly constructed narrative of his imaginary guided pilgrimage through the three realms of the Christian afterlife, Dante accomplished a literary task of astonishing complexity. In these twenty-four lectures, as you follow Dante on his journey, you'll learn how medieval literature offers insights into fundamental questions.
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Wonderful overview of Divine Comedy
- By Vangel Vesovski on 2020-08-31
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Understanding the Mysteries of Human Behavior
- Written by: Mark Leary, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Leary
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
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Every day of your life is spent surrounded by mysteries that involve what appear to be rather ordinary human behaviors. What makes you happy? Where did your personality come from? Why do you have trouble controlling certain behaviors? Why do you behave differently as an adult than you did as an adolescent?Since the start of recorded history, and probably even before, people have been interested in answering questions about why we behave the way we do.
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Decent overview, but unsurprising and unoriginal
- By Anonymous User on 2020-02-02
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Understanding Complexity
- Written by: Scott E. Page, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Scott E. Page
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
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Recent years have seen the introduction of concepts from the new and exciting field of complexity science that have captivated the attention of economists, sociologists, engineers, businesspeople, and many others. These include tipping points, the wisdom of crowds, six degrees of separation (or Kevin Bacon), and emergence. Complexity science can shed light on why businesses or economies succeed and fail, how epidemics spread and can be stopped, and what causes ecological systems to rebalance themselves after a disaster.
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Why your management sucks and other insights
- By Nick Ma on 2022-04-10
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The Early Middle Ages
- Written by: Philip Daileader, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Philip Daileader
- Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins
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The Early Middle Ages-the years from A.D. 650 to 1000-were crucial to Europe's future social and political development. These 24 lectures trace a journey from Scandinavia across northern and central Europe to the farthest reaches of the Byzantine and Islamic empires, providing an exciting new look an era often simply called the "Dark Ages."
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Great Background
- By PaladinPhil on 2019-02-02
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Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations
- Written by: Brian M. Fagan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Brian M. Fagan
- Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
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Where do we come from? How did our ancestors settle this planet? How did the great historic civilizations of the world develop? How does a past so shadowy that it has to be painstakingly reconstructed from fragmentary, largely unwritten records nonetheless make us who and what we are?
These 36 lectures bring you the answers that the latest scientific and archaeological research and theorizing suggest about human origins, how populations developed, and the ways in which civilizations spread throughout the globe.
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over rated
- By Anonymous User on 2019-12-16
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Exploring Metaphysics
- Written by: David K. Johnson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: David K. Johnson
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
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This mind-bending tour of metaphysics applies philosophy to the forefront of today's knowledge. Over the course of 24 fascinating lectures, Professor Johnson thinks through the big questions about humans and the universe: The relationship between the mind and the brain, how consciousness emerges from neurochemical processes, the existence of God, human free will, the possibility of time travel, and whether we live in a multiverse or even a computer simulation.
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Excellent with caveats
- By Corvine Habanero on 2019-04-29
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The Story of Human Language
- Written by: John McWhorter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
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Language defines us as a species, placing humans head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators. But it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries, allowing us to ponder why different languages emerged, why there isn't simply a single language, how languages change over time and whether that's good or bad, and how languages die out and become extinct.
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Pretentious, Inaccurate, and Self-Absorbed.
- By Anonymous User on 2021-03-03
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The History of the United States, 2nd Edition
- Written by: The Great Courses, Allen C. Guelzo, Gary W. Gallagher, and others
- Narrated by: Allen C. Guelzo, Gary W. Gallagher, Patrick N. Allitt
- Length: 43 hrs and 23 mins
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This comprehensive series of 84 lectures features three award-winning historians sharing their insights into this nation's past-from the European settlement and the Revolutionary War through the Civil War, 19th-century industrialization, two world wars, and the present day. These lectures give you the opportunity to grasp the different aspects of our past that combine to make us distinctly American, and to gain the knowledge so essential to recognizing not only what makes this country such a noteworthy part of world history, but the varying degrees to which it has lived up to its ideals.
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Great overview of US History
- By Jason Gacek on 2021-08-14
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The Great Ideas of Psychology
- Written by: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 23 hrs and 27 mins
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If you’ve ever wanted to delve more deeply into the mysteries of human emotion, perception, and cognition, and of why we do what we do, these 48 lectures offer a superb place to start. With them, you’ll see the entire history of psychology unfold. In the hands of Professor Robinson, these lectures encompass ideas, speculations, and point-blank moral questions that might just dismantle and rebuild everything you once thought you knew about psychology.
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great lecturer
- By Ali Golabgir on 2021-07-23
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Maya to Aztec: Ancient Mesoamerica Revealed
- Written by: Edwin Barnhart, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edwin Barnhart
- Length: 23 hrs and 15 mins
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Centuries ago, Spanish conquistadors searching for gold and new lands encountered a group of independent city-states in Mesoamerica. Sophisticated beyond the Spaniards' wildest imaginings, these people were the Aztecs, the Maya, and related cultures that shared common traditions of religion, government, the arts, engineering, and trade. In many ways more advanced than European nations, these societies equaled the world's greatest civilizations of their time.
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Very informative
- By C. Chaffin on 2020-07-09
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How to Boost Your Physical and Mental Energy
- Written by: Kimberlee Bethany Bonura, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kimberlee Bethany Bonura
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Wouldn't it be great if you could wake up every morning with an unending reserve of energy? Get a step-by-step guide and toolkit that will spark your life with a jolt of vitality. It's not just a list of "superfoods" or trendy exercises; the course takes a rigorous scientific approach to human vitality. Energy is a limited resource; learn to allocate yours in the best way possible to make the most of each day.
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Engaging and inspiring
- By SistaGaia on 2024-09-09
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The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality
- Written by: Don Lincoln, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Don Lincoln
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
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At the end of his career, Albert Einstein was pursuing a dream far more ambitious than the theory of relativity. He was trying to find an equation that explained all physical reality - a theory of everything. Experimental physicist and award-winning educator Dr. Don Lincoln takes you on this exciting journey in The Theory of Everything: The Quest to Explain All Reality. Suitable for the intellectually curious at all levels and assuming no background beyond basic high-school math, these 24 half-hour lectures cover recent developments at the forefront of particle physics and cosmology.
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Needs to be re-recorded
- By WTL on 2019-09-17
Editors' Picks
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The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries
- Written by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Everything we now know about the universe - from the behavior of quarks to the birth of galaxies - has come from people who've been willing to ponder the unanswerable. And with the advent of modern science, great minds have turned to testing and experimentation rather than mere thought as a way of grappling with some of the universe's most vexing dilemmas. So what is our latest picture of some of the most inexplicable features of the universe? What still remains to be uncovered and explored by today's scientists?
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Such a great course with great performance
- By Anonymous on 2024-10-06
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Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques
- Written by: James Hynes, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Hynes
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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From evoking a scene to charting a plot to revising your drafts, Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques offers a master class in storytelling. Taught by award-winning novelist James Hynes, a former visiting professor at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, these 24 insightful lectures show you the ins and outs of the fiction writer's craft.
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this is a book of extraordinary quality on conveyi
- By Bruce on 2018-01-27
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Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation
- Written by: Mark W. Muesse, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark W. Muesse
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Meditation offers deep and lasting benefits for mental functioning and emotional health, as well as for physical health and well-being. These 24 detailed lectures teach you the principles and techniques of sitting meditation, the related practice of walking meditation, and the highly beneficial use of meditative awareness in many important activities, including eating and driving. You will also learn how to use the skills of meditation in working with thoughts and emotional states.
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Relax while you transform
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-13
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Redefining Reality
- The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science
- Written by: Steven Gimbel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Steven Gimbel
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
No subject is bigger than reality itself, and nothing is more challenging to understand, since what counts as reality is undergoing continual revision and has been for centuries. The quest to pin down what's real and what's illusory is both philosophical and scientific, a metaphysical search for ultimate reality that goes back to the ancient Greeks. For the last 400 years, this search has been increasingly guided by scientists, who create theories and test them in order to define and redefine reality.
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Utterly enjoyable journey
- By jill on 2023-05-25
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The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries
- Written by: Neil deGrasse Tyson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Length: 3 hrs and 1 min
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Everything we now know about the universe - from the behavior of quarks to the birth of galaxies - has come from people who've been willing to ponder the unanswerable. And with the advent of modern science, great minds have turned to testing and experimentation rather than mere thought as a way of grappling with some of the universe's most vexing dilemmas. So what is our latest picture of some of the most inexplicable features of the universe? What still remains to be uncovered and explored by today's scientists?
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Such a great course with great performance
- By Anonymous on 2024-10-06
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Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques
- Written by: James Hynes, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Hynes
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
From evoking a scene to charting a plot to revising your drafts, Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques offers a master class in storytelling. Taught by award-winning novelist James Hynes, a former visiting professor at the famed Iowa Writers' Workshop, these 24 insightful lectures show you the ins and outs of the fiction writer's craft.
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this is a book of extraordinary quality on conveyi
- By Bruce on 2018-01-27
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Practicing Mindfulness: An Introduction to Meditation
- Written by: Mark W. Muesse, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark W. Muesse
- Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
Meditation offers deep and lasting benefits for mental functioning and emotional health, as well as for physical health and well-being. These 24 detailed lectures teach you the principles and techniques of sitting meditation, the related practice of walking meditation, and the highly beneficial use of meditative awareness in many important activities, including eating and driving. You will also learn how to use the skills of meditation in working with thoughts and emotional states.
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Relax while you transform
- By Anonymous User on 2018-09-13
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Redefining Reality
- The Intellectual Implications of Modern Science
- Written by: Steven Gimbel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Steven Gimbel
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
No subject is bigger than reality itself, and nothing is more challenging to understand, since what counts as reality is undergoing continual revision and has been for centuries. The quest to pin down what's real and what's illusory is both philosophical and scientific, a metaphysical search for ultimate reality that goes back to the ancient Greeks. For the last 400 years, this search has been increasingly guided by scientists, who create theories and test them in order to define and redefine reality.
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Utterly enjoyable journey
- By jill on 2023-05-25
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Your Best Brain: The Science of Brain Improvement
- Written by: John Medina, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John Medina
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Original Recording
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In Your Best Brain, Professor John J. Medina - an award-winning scientist, New York Times best-selling author, and leading advocate for brain research - delivers 24 exciting lectures that probe the origins of consciousness, memory, emotion, attention, intelligence, and beyond. He focuses on five key areas of study in neuroscience: the brain’s physical structure and function, and how it enabled us to become the planet’s apex predator.
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An in depth journey through the brain
- By Shawn Ricker on 2018-05-11
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The Art of Negotiating the Best Deal
- Written by: Seth Freeman, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Seth Freeman
- Length: 12 hrs and 46 mins
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The course is organized around a mnemonic device, developed by Professor Freeman, that can serve in any negotiation situation. Called "I FORESAW IT," this indispensable framework guides you in assembling the strongest possible case, showing you how to evaluate such factors as creative options, independent criteria, and your best alternative to a negotiated agreement.
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Interesting and thorough
- By libragal on 2018-09-19
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The Vikings
- Written by: Kenneth W. Harl, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kenneth W. Harl
- Length: 17 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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As raiders and explorers, the Vikings played a decisive role in the formation of Latin Christendom, and particularly of western Europe. Now, in a series of 36 vivid lectures by an honored teacher and classical scholar, you have the opportunity to understand this remarkable race as never before, studying the Vikings not only as warriors, but in all of the other roles in which they were equally extraordinary - merchants, artists, kings, raiders, seafarers, shipbuilders, and creators of a remarkable literature of myths and sagas.
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A lot of Fun
- By Trevor Holmlund on 2020-11-19
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The Story of Human Language
- Written by: John McWhorter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
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Language defines us as a species, placing humans head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators. But it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries, allowing us to ponder why different languages emerged, why there isn't simply a single language, how languages change over time and whether that's good or bad, and how languages die out and become extinct.
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Pretentious, Inaccurate, and Self-Absorbed.
- By Anonymous User on 2021-03-03
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The History of Ancient Egypt
- Written by: Bob Brier, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Bob Brier
- Length: 24 hrs and 25 mins
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Ancient Egyptian civilization is so grand our minds sometimes have difficulty adjusting to it. It lasted 3,000 years, longer than any other on the planet. Its Great Pyramid of Cheops was the tallest building in the world until well into the 19th century and remains the only Ancient Wonder still standing. And it was the most technologically advanced of the ancient civilizations, with the medical knowledge that made Egyptian physicians the most famous in the world.
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Dated but entertaining
- By Micah Clark on 2021-06-12
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The Skeptic's Guide to American History
- Written by: Mark A. Stoler, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark A. Stoler
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
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To take a skeptical approach to American history is not to dabble in imaginative conspiracy theories; rather, it's to reframe your understanding of this great nation's past and actually strengthen your appreciation for what makes American history such a fascinating chapter in the larger story of Western civilization. And in this bold 24-lecture series, you can do just that.
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An Iconoclastic look at American history
- By Devin on 2020-04-12
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The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World
- Written by: Robert Garland, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Garland
- Length: 24 hrs and 28 mins
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Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.
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Loved it!
- By Trent T on 2018-10-29
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Nutrition Made Clear
- Written by: Roberta H. Anding, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Roberta H. Anding
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
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Nutrition is essential to living a healthy, happy, and successful life. Yet a world of misconceptions and promises of easy results too often stands in our way-and can even be harmful to our overall health. The key is to cut through the noise and find the medically backed, statistically proven information about healthy eating and living. These 36 in-depth lectures explore the fundamentals of good nutrition and offer a practical guide for applying these fundamentals to your lifestyle.
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Pragmatic Academic
- By MMH Toronto on 2017-11-29
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How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, 3rd Edition
- Written by: Robert Greenberg, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Robert Greenberg
- Length: 36 hrs and 34 mins
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Great music is a language unto its own, a means of communication of unmatched beauty and genius. And it has an undeniable power to move us in ways that enrich our lives-provided it is understood.If you have ever longed to appreciate great concert music, to learn its glorious language and share in its sublime pleasures, the way is now open to you, through this series of 48 wonderful lectures designed to make music accessible to everyone who yearns to know it, regardless of prior training or knowledge.
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Very Engaging
- By Phil Redekopp on 2018-10-13
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Food: A Cultural Culinary History
- Written by: Ken Albala, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Ken Albala
- Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
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Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."
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This is a Western food history course
- By Anonymous User on 2019-05-15
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Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition
- Written by: Richard Wolfson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Richard Wolfson
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
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"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Wolfson at the outset of these 24 lectures on what may be the most important subjects in the universe: relativity and quantum physics. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind them are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. These dynamic and illuminating lectures begin with a brief overview of theories of physical reality starting with Aristotle and culminating in Newtonian or "classical" physics.
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good but old
- By James on 2021-02-25
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Your Deceptive Mind: A Scientific Guide to Critical Thinking Skills
- Written by: Steven Novella, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Steven Novella
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
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No skill is more important in today's world than being able to think about, understand, and act on information in an effective and responsible way. What's more, at no point in human history have we had access to so much information, with such relative ease, as we do in the 21st century. But because misinformation out there has increased as well, critical thinking is more important than ever. These 24 rewarding lectures equip you with the knowledge and techniques you need to become a savvier, sharper critical thinker in your professional and personal life.
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Great book worth a listen but maybe I'm bias.
- By Martin on 2018-01-15