A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WORLD IN 47 BORDERS Surprising Stories Behind the Lines on Our Maps

Various audiobooks have attempted to condense the history of the world into a reasonable listening time, but here the divisions between lands and nations provide a unique common denominator. Narrator Matthew Lloyd Davies has a reliable, highly agreeable voice, mellow with a bit of burr. It's especially effective when the narrative turns ironic and bemused. Where have they gone, the borders of yesteryear? The Great Wall of China and the hundreds of subdivisions in the Holy Roman Empire are only two extremes among several dozen brief, well-researched, well-delivered chapters. Polished, informative, and often quite amusing, they are an ideal accompaniment for leisure or exercise, chores, bedtime, or the car. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2024]