The best history audiobooks

From Helen Rappaport to David Olusoga, here's our edit of the best non-fiction historical audiobooks to listen to on the go, spanning everything from the Romans to the Russian Revolution.

Historical audiobooks are perfect for immersing yourself in your favourite time period or learning about fascinating times past while on the go, or simply when sitting down with a paperback just isn't possible.  From Douglas Smith to David Olusoga, here's our edit of the best history audiobooks.

Discover the best historical fiction books of all time.  

Black and British

by David Olusoga

A rich and revealing exploration of the extraordinarily long relationship between the British Isles and the people of Africa, this historical audiobook accompanies the landmark BBC Two series.

Unflinching, confronting taboos and revealing hitherto unknown scandals, David Olusoga describes how black and white Britons have been intimately entwined for centuries.


Nature's Mutiny

by Philipp Blom

Recounting the deep legacy and sweeping consequences of the ‘Little Ice Age’ of the 1600s, acclaimed historian Philipp Blom reveals how this crisis ineradicably changed the European landscape by the mid-seventeenth century. While apocalyptic weather patterns destroyed entire harvests and incited mass migrations, Blom brilliantly shows how they also gave rise to the growth of European cities, the appearance of early capitalism, and the vigorous stirrings of the Enlightenment.

The Ministry of Truth

by Dorian Lynskey

George Orwell’s last novel, 1984, has become one of the most iconic modern novels in the world. In The Ministry of Truth, Dorian Lynskey explores Orwell’s influences, from his experiences in the Spanish Civil War to classic utopian and dystopian fiction. He also examines the phenomenon the book has become, and how the ways it has been read have changed over time. This remarkable and original book is a must for anyone with an interest in Orwell or how our culture has developed.


A History of the World

by Andrew Marr

In an ambitious and impressive feat of historical writing, Andrew Marr guides us from the earliest civilizations to the 21st century on a global journey through human history. Fresh, exciting and vividly listenable, this historical audiobook is popular history at its very best.


Four Sisters:The Lost Lives of the Romanov Grand Duchesses

by Helen Rappaport

Award-winning and critically acclaimed historian Helen Rappaport turns to the tragic story of the daughters of the last Tsar of all the Russias. Much has been written about Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra and their tragic fate, as it has about the Russian Revolutions of 1917, but little attention has been paid to the Romanov princesses, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia.

Compellingly listenable, meticulously researched, and deeply moving, this history audiobook gives these young women a voice and allows their story to resonate for listeners almost a century after their death.


Rasputin

by Douglas Smith

Douglas Smith's definitive biography separates fact from fiction to reveal the true life of one of history's most alluring figures.

 More than just the story of an extraordinary life, Rasputin offers a fascinating portrait of the twilight of Imperial Russia as it lurched towards catastrophe.