Dan Carlin - Destroyer of Podcast Feeds

The mad bastard is at it again.  Dan Carlin realised he had a problem with book length podcast series that lasted longer than some ancient civilisations.  In an attempt to solve this he came up with the idea for what he called blitz editions.  These were supposed to be a quick look at a specific subject.  Most history lovers would get the analogy - Blitzkrieg was a war predicated on rapid movement and early achievement of the military objectives.

Where Negroes Are Masters - New Books In History

One aspect of the slave trade that we all know about in principle but don't know about the details he's the role of the local Africans on the supply side of the equation. It turns out that in the early days of the slave trade the Africans were very much in control of it. The European trading stations were there purely at the whim of the local African chieftains. They might look like forts armed with guns, that the guns were aimed outwards to deter other Europeans not to impose their will on the local inhabitants.

It's a fascinating insight into something which it doesn't really get talked about very much. The sad reality is that man's inhumanity man is pretty much colourblind.


http://newbooksinhistory.com/crossposts/randy-j-sparks-where-the-negroes-are-masters-harvard-up-2014/

In Our Time - Bluestockings

Did you know that the Bluestockings were actually a specific group of intellectual eighteenth century ladies who used to meet for tea and elevated conversation?  I didn't until I listened to an episode of In Our Time devoted to the subject.

Elizabeth Montagu - known as 'the Queen of the Bluestockings', and at a time when nobody took the opinions of mere women seriously she provided an opportunity to shine to some gifted females.

Incidentally, it was only much later the term took on the pejorative tone it has still got today.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b045c0h9

History of World War II Winston Churchill Sub Series

The beauty of amateur history podcasts is that the person who is doing them can do what they like.  So when Ray Harris Junior is researching his history of the second world war and gets interested in the life of Churchill, he can just stop the war and give us a biography.

I can't imagine that many people wouldn't find this digression interesting, but if you don't well its his podcast and his rules.

As it was, I really enjoyed it. I think in some ways it is easier to do biography via podcasts than straight military stuff.  You don't have to worry so much about chronology and geography and can concentrate on the person's life story.  But in any case, Ray does a good job and I was almost disappointed when he got to the end of his run of 26 (count them!) episodes on Churchill.

It would make a pretty decent standalone series apart from the fact that it stops just as the war starts, which would be a very curious point to end a life of Churchill.

Recommended.


http://worldwariipodcast.net/2013/07/episode-81-churchill-early-years/

Revolutions - The Broken Regime by Mike Duncan

History podcasting superstar Mike Duncan has now turned his attention to one of the most significant events in world history.  He is tackling the French Revolution.   In this episode he brings his characteristic clarity to the state of the Ancien Regime just prior to the revolution.  You can't help wondering if the people of the time could have had such a clear explanation of what the problem was they might have come up with a slightly better solution.  Had that been the case we'd have been worse off now, because we wouldn't have this rather marvellous series to listen to.

Recommended.

http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/2014/07/32-the-broken-regime.html

The Byzantine Empire by Charles William Chadwick-Oman

Somebody at Librivox came up with the wizard wheeze of loading some of their catalogue onto iTunes.  This is a great way of listening because you just download each episode when you have finished the previous one.  Genius.  But of course you might find it easier to download straight from the Librivox site as well.  Librivox recordings are done by enthusiastic amateurs to whom we should all be grateful, but inevitably some people have better voices for listening to than others.  The Byzantine Empire series is one of the better ones.  This is very traditional history as story telling in the Victorian vein.  To be fair, when Charles William Chadwick Oman wrote it, this was a pioneering style.  It is out of fashion now with academic historians but does make for a good listen.  If getting lost in the webs and intrigues of the Byzantine Empire is something that appeals to you, this is a good way to do it.

Recommended.

https://librivox.org/the-byzantine-empire-by-charles-william-chadwick-oman/

Inescapable Horror - Get Bogged Down in Dan Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon

Dan Carlin's podcast is well named, it is indeed hard core history for hard core history fans.  I don't think Dan's style is applicable to much of history.  He needs the extreme, the dramatic and the ear catching for his dramatic style to work.  But when he is on a subject that suits him, he is unbeatable.  The build up to the first world war is just such a subject.  Needless to say it goes on for a long time, and is definitely not too short.  But the length makes it immersive.  And compelling.  You might want to get back to the reassuring reality of the day to day, but you just can't stop listening.

Not recommended for depressives, but superb for the rest of us.


http://www.dancarlin.com//disp.php/hharchive/Show-50---Blueprint-for-Armageddon-I/First%20World%20War-World%20War%20One-Great%20War