1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War
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1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War
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Narrated by:
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Kevin Stillwell
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By:
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Charles Emerson
About this listen
Today, 1913 is inevitably viewed through the lens of 1914: as the last year before a war that would shatter the global economic order and tear Europe apart, undermining its global pre-eminence. Our perspectives narrowed by hindsight, the world of that year is reduced to its most frivolous features last summers in grand aristocratic residences or its most destructive ones: the unresolved rivalries of the great European powers, the fear of revolution, violence in the Balkans.
In this illuminating history, Charles Emmerson liberates the world of 1913 from this prelude to war” narrative, and explores it as it was, in all its richness and complexity. Traveling from Europe’s capitals, then at the height of their global reach, to the emerging metropolises of Canada and the United States, the imperial cities of Asia and Africa, and the boomtowns of Australia and South America, he provides a panoramic view of a world crackling with possibilities, its future still undecided, its outlook still open.
The world in 1913 was more modern than we remember, more similar to our own times than we expect, more globalized than ever before. The Gold Standard underpinned global flows of goods and money, while mass migration reshaped the world’s human geography. Steamships and sub-sea cables encircled the earth, along with new technologies and new ideas. Ford’s first assembly line cranked to life in 1913 in Detroit. The Woolworth Building went up in New York. While Mexico was in the midst of bloody revolution, Winnipeg and Buenos Aires boomed. An era of petro-geopolitics opened in Iran. China appeared to be awaking from its imperial slumber. Paris celebrated itself as the city of light, Berlin as the city of electricity.
Full of fascinating characters, stories, and insights, 1913: In Search of the World before the Great War brings a lost world vividly back to life, with provocative implications for how we understand our past and how we think about our future.
©2013 Published in Great Britain by The Bodley Head. Published in the United States by PublicAffairs, a Member of the Perseus Books Group (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tommy
- 12-01-18
Impressive, informative and satisfying
I found this an impressive, informative and satisfying listen.
Its focus on all the major world powers of the time and their key population centres shone a welcome light on many areas and themes that are often neglected in such histories.
As an Irishman, I found its account of the events in Ireland up to 1913 to be faultless, which bodes well for its accuracy elsewhere.
Although it's littered with pronunciation errors, I otherwise enjoyed the sympathetic and highly listenable narration.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Frank
- 21-09-14
Great work
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes.
What did you like best about this story?
Its attention to detail and the range of places it covered. Not just the standard Paris-London-Berlin, but also Melbourne, Winnipeg, Tehran, Buenos Aires, Detroit and so forth. The author had interesting things to say about all of them with almost no repetition of information.
Which character – as performed by Kevin Stillwell – was your favourite?
not applicable for this book, but I particularly liked the Winnipeg, Buenos Aires and Tehran chapters.
Any additional comments?
I'm not a pronunciation snob, but the narrator's mispronunciation of foreign words, especially the French ones could be genuinely distracting... as in I-have-no-idea-what-word-that-guy-just-said distracting. But, small point, he did a very good job overall.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- DJP OKeeffe
- 05-09-20
Hands over ears, at times
Great content. But why can’t Audible get readers to check their pronunciation of names and foreign terms?
It has spoilt this book and several others.
Sorry.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Henry Bradley
- 07-08-14
FASCINATING BUT BADLY FLAWED BY POOR NARRATION
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
The idea of describing the world on the eve of the greatest catastrophe of the First World War is well thought out with fascinating vignettes of a wide range of the worlds' cities.
What was one of the most memorable moments of 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War?
For me the most memorable moment was the description of the relationship between China and the other Powers in the years after the Boxer Rebellion.
What didn’t you like about Kevin Stillwell’s performance?
Stillwell's performance ruined the experience for me. His monotonous voice coupled with his complete inability to pronounce important words in the text (as an example Quay pronounced Kay instead of Key). In particular his mutilation of most German and French names drove me to distraction. Only fascination with the topic kept me going to the end.
Did 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War inspire you to do anything?
Stillwell's perfomance inspired me to write my first ever book review.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- David_Cockayne
- 12-08-14
Shockingly bad pronunciation
Would you try another book written by Charles Emerson or narrated by Kevin Stillwell?
The author probably but the narrator never.
What did you like best about this story?
The focus on a single year without seeing it as a necessary prelude to WWI.
How could the performance have been better?
The narrator is utterly incapable of pronouncing any foreign word, to the extent of making the whole performance a joke. There is also rather too much upward intonation in normal sentences, ok in soap operas but not historical narrative.
Any additional comments?
The bad pronunciation went from infuriation to humour. Is the narrator aware, I wonder, that there are such languages as French and German?
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Peter EJ Good
- 25-02-22
Fascinating Subject, Painful Narration
Thoroughly enjoyed the content of this book. It was great to get a sense of the wider world in this period, especially views from nations we rarely hear about. The narrator, however, despite having a nice voice and delivery for the most part, was completely incapable of pronouncing any non-English word. It got very frustrating by the end and is deeply unnecessary.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Delighted, Tunbridge Wells
- 21-07-13
A fascinating book, rather let down by the reader
What did you like best about 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War? What did you like least?
An excellent tour d'horizon before WW1
Who was your favorite character and why?
N/a
Would you be willing to try another one of Kevin Stillwell’s performances?
Certainly not. His lack of familiarity with basic foreign names and foreign terms commonly used in English is embarrassing and makes the reading uncomfortable at times.
Any additional comments?
It's a high quality book. It would have much better with a different reader
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mary
- 22-08-14
Fresh, broader perspective on the era before WW1
Would you consider the audio edition of 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War to be better than the print version?
Don't know, but I will definitley buy the book.
What did you like best about this story?
The new insights into the pre-Great War world, drawn from around the world, not just the major powers. For instance, the chapters on Mexico and Argentina filled huge gaps in my knowledge and would probably only be otherwise available in the kind of specialist tomes that I never pick-up. It's brilliantly researched, providing glimpses of the real lives behind the history and really well written with clarity and purpose, presenting the complexities of geo-politics in a highly digestible style.
Would you be willing to try another one of Kevin Stillwell’s performances?
I would have given Kevin 5 stars were it not for his incessant mangling of foreign names, which often detracted from the serious tone or even comprehension of the piece. However, I consider the blame to lie not with the performer but with the editor who failed to select someone with some small familiarity with the French, German, Italian languages particularly. (I think Kevin was more familiar with Spanish). I would secondly criticise the ediorial process for not editing out the worst howlers (including in English e.g. 'quayside' pronounced 'kwayside'). After all, these books cost enough and I think both the reader and the author have the right to expect them to be performed to the standard of the printed work.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
A truly global perspective on a global conflict.
Any additional comments?
Yes. I'd like to know what Charles Emerson, the author, has to say about this performance.
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1 person found this helpful