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A Short History of the World According to Sheep
- Narrated by: Karen Cass
- Length: 6 hrs and 14 mins
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A Short History of the World According to Sheep
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Summary
An addictively free-ranging survey of the massive impact that the domesticated ungulates of the genus Ovis have had on human history.
From the plains of ancient Mesopotamia to the rolling hills of medieval England to the vast sheep farms of modern-day Australia, sheep have been central to the human story.
Starting with our Neolithic ancestors' first forays into sheep-rearing nearly 10,000 years ago, these remarkable animals have fed us, clothed us, changed our diet and languages, helped us to win wars, decorated our homes and financed the conquest of large swathes of the earth. Enormous fortunes and new, society-changing industries have been made from the fleeces of sheep and cities shaped by shepherds' markets and meat trading.
Sally Coulthard weaves the rich and fascinating story of sheep into a vivid and colourful tapestry, thickly threaded with engaging anecdotes and remarkable ovine facts, whose multiple strands reflect the deep penetration of these woolly animals into every aspect of human society and culture.
Critic reviews
"This book deserves a place in your bookcase next to Harari's Sapiens. It's every bit as fascinating and is surely destined to be just as successful." (Julian Norton)
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What listeners say about A Short History of the World According to Sheep
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
- Ruth Cava
- 24-01-23
Fascinating listen.
Great book, fascinating history of sheep and wool. It sheds new light on why life is how it is today! Good narration but my only complaint is the narration is fast, so I had to slow it down a point to keep up with the information shared.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J M Brown
- 06-02-24
loved the book.
I really enjoyed the book.
Comprehensive for so small a read and
I learned a lot.
The Narrator redeemed her pronunciation of Soay eventually.
Other pronunciations were a bit strange but her performance was overall really good.
I'd happily listen again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cat W
- 20-04-22
fascinating insight into sheep and anthropology
I found this book absolutely fascinating, listening while spinning. Learned loads and will listen again
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Travel The World
- 13-12-22
Great book, but somewhat overdramatised delivery
This book is packed with interesting historical information of sheep and sheep-farming, told from a primarily British perspective. The anglocentric narrative is not necessarily a bad thing but I can understand why a few reviewers were disappointed, given the title – "...History of the World..." – may appear to promise something greater. It's a comparatively quick listen at six hours or so, and I greatly enjoyed the book itself, but was a little irritated by the narrator who insisted on putting on accents (Scottish/American/German/Irish/etc) whenever reading quoted passages, and lowering her voice an octave whenever quoting men. It's not that she doesn't have a good listenable voice – she does, and I would totally want to hear her bringing to life the characters of a fiction novel – but I just felt that for a more serious documentary-style historical account, jumping between a host of different voices just came across as rather silly and distracting.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr. N. WOODRUFF
- 11-10-22
Evaluating the real purpose of life
An eye opener to what we have around us which must be realise and appreciate before we lose it forever
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bootneedle
- 29-11-23
Ovine odyssey
Thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating history which outlines the influence sheep and humans have had on each other. Full of interesting facts. As a knitter, I was surprised by just how much I didn’t know. An easy listen and well-narrated, though the mispronunciation of place names did grate - hence the lower rating for this.
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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
- nicole kym westhead
- 03-04-24
Throughly enjoyed this book
I really enjoyed the humour that was brought to this book, it kept me throughly engaged. I also enjoyed the production of the audio book, there was just one issue with the recording where it jumped and missed half a sentence.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Richard Tol
- 07-08-23
Few sheep, mostly English
... and not much history either, it is little more than a loose collection of anecdotes, really.
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