Audio Review: 36 Books That Changed the World

A weekend audio lectures review…because Pastors also need a break from heavy theological reading!

36 Books That Changed the World. Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company, January 1st 2014. 18 hours, 59 minutes, 50 seconds.

5 out of 5

Purchase: Amazon

What are the important books in history that has changed the world?  In these lectures produced The Teaching Company various experts of various literatures presents to us important literary works that literally changed the world.  A total of 36 books are surveyed and these individual lectures comes from other lecture series produced by the The Teaching Company.  For instance the lecture on Sun Tzu’s Art of War is from The Masters at War: History’s greatest Strategic Thinkers series delivered by a professor of Strategy and Policy at US Naval War college.  The Republic by Plato is lectured by a political science professor for the series Great Minds of the Western Intellectual Tradition.  I admit listening to these lectures on 36 books that changed the world makes me want to listen to more amazing lecture series produced by The Teaching Company.

The varieties of books discussed is incredible.  There is a good combination of East and West.  There are ancient books, Medieval, and also modern works.  There are also various genres/literary forms that are surveyed.  For instance there are philosophical works like that of Aristotle and modern philosopher Martin Heidegger.  There are mythical and religious works both from the East and West such as religious Scriptures.  The Bible, the Koran and Bhagavad Gita are discussed.  There are also other religious literature such as Augustine’s The Confessions and Dante’s Divine Comedy.  There are poitcal masterpiece like The Prince by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.  There are also fictional works like Don Quixote which is the world’s first noval and Shakesphere’s The Hamlet.  There are also scientific books and even Encyclopedia and the dictionary that is mentioned!

I love how the lectures for the various works go over things like background, the political and economic setting of the author writing these literary masterpiece.  Of course there is also the discussion about the works themselves.  I felt listening this allow me to understand and appreciate some of these classics.  I must say that not every classics are works that I think is something I agree with but listening to these lectures allow one to understand them and that’s important.  Nevertheless bring one’s critical thinking skill and discernment while listening to these lectures.

Some of the things I learned are the following.  In talking about the Federalist Paper the lecturer pointed out English conservative Edmund Burke stated that British book sellers sell more books to the Colonies than in England; that show the literary interests these colonists have including political theory and the Classics.  Also I love the lecture on Augustine pointed out how Augustine’s Confession is unlike other old classics in that it was never lost but it was always in circulation.  I also thought it was cool to learn that it is often imitated by other literary works.  Augustine’s Confessions shows the importance of order of reflecting on life and not just living just to live.  The discussion about Samuel Johnson work on creating the Dictionary.  I thought it was interesting that Johnson saw his project to create a dictionary was seen in colonial/imperial terms of him being a Caesar of words.  That’s quite relevant with the time I was listening it as there are at this contemporary time discussion about what words mean and the Left redefining things which shows how powerful it is to have the power to define things and how it shapes the way the world is view.  If I can put it in my own words, if the pen is mightier than the sword then the dictionary is mightier than Delta Force.    There are so many things I learn from this series and that’s all to say I recommend this highly.