Asia Audiobooks | History

Eye of the Tiger: Memoir of a United States Marine, Third Force Recon Company, Vietnam

"“We live together under the thick canopy, each searching for the other; the same leeches and mosquitoes that feed on our blood feed on his blood.” John Edmund Delezen felt a kinship with the people he was to kill in Vietnam; they were all at the mercy of the land. This memoir begins when the author enlisted in the Marine Corps and was sent to Vietnam in March of 1967. He volunteered for the Third Force Recon Company, whose job it was to locate and infiltrate enemy lines undetected and map their locations and learn details of their status. The duty was often painful both physically and mentally. He was stricken with malaria, wounded by a grenade, and hit by a bullet. He remained in Vietnam until December, 1968. Delezen writes of Vietnam as a man humbled by a mysterious country and horrified by acts of brutality. He vividly describes the three-canopy jungle with birds and monkeys overhead, venomous snakes hiding in trees, and relentless bugs that fed on men. He recalls stumbling onto a pit of rotting Vietnamese bodies left behind by American forces, and days when fierce hunger made a bag of plasma seem like an enticing meal. He writes of his fallen comrades and the images of war that still pervade his dreams."

John Edmund Delezen (Author), David Marantz (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Qing Dynasty: A Captivating Guide to the History of China's Last Empire Called the Great Qing, I

"If you want to discover the captivating history of the Qing Dynasty, then pay attention... Succeeding the Ming dynasty in 1644, the Qing emperors managed to create one of the largest empires ever to exist in the territories of Asia and the fifth largest empire in the world. The Qing dynasty doubled the size of the Ming territory, but they also more than tripled its population, integrating not just Chinese but also Tibetans, Mongols, Burmese, Tai peoples, and the indigenous people of Taiwan, among others. The Qing dynasty governed this vast empire for nearly 300 years. In The Qing Dynasty: A Captivating Guide to the History of China's Last Empire Called the Great Qing, Including Events Such as the Fall of Beijing, Opium Wars, and Taiping Rebellion, you will discover topics such as - The Fall of the Ming Dynasty - The Kangxi Emperor - Reign of Emperors Yongzheng and Qianlong - The Jahriyya Revolt, White Lotus Rebellion, and Eight Trigrams Uprising - The First Opium War - The Second Opium War - Taiping Rebellion - Self-Strengthening of China - Empress Dowager Cixi - Boxer Rebellion - The Last Emperor - And much, much more! So if you want to learn more about the history the Qing Dynasty, scroll up and click the 'add to cart' button!"

Captivating History (Author), Jason Zenobia (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Battle of Shiroyama: The History and Legacy of the Samurai’s Last Stand in Japan

"On September 25, 1877, on a rain-soaked, muddy field in Kagoshima, Japan, a small group of proud samurai warrior rebels prepared for one last stand. It was early morning, 6:00 a.m., and the remaining 40 samurai warriors still capable of fighting prepared themselves for the glory of death on the battlefield. They had been shelled by powerful artillery guns and naval cannons relentlessly through the night, and the rebels had no real shelter or protection. Instead, they cowered like rats in small, rain-filled mud holes, showered by a torrent of steel shells and shrapnel. For seven months, the samurai rebels had fought a losing battle against the army of Emperor Meiji, the new ruler of Japan’s central government. It was a modern army, filled with conscripts, armed with rifles, and trained in European tactics. The samurai rebels were also armed with rifles, but months of fighting had stripped them of ammunition. They still possessed their distinctive personal weapons – their katana swords - and they intended to use them one last time. Despite the overwhelming firepower and numbers advantage wielded by the central government, the rebels, led by Saigō Takamori, a samurai warrior and proud defender of the samurai tradition, remained stoic in their final moments. By early morning, the last capable samurai drew their swords and launched a final suicidal charge into the rapidly firing rifles of 30,000 conscript troops, members of Japan’s modern imperial army. It would be the samurai’s last stand."

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Battle of Sekigahara: The History and Legacy of the Battle that Unified Japan under the Tokugawa

"On October 21, 1600, two massive Japanese armies, totaling an estimated 200,000 soldiers armed to the teeth with swords, yari (spears), arrows, muskets and cannons, faced off on a battlefield near the town of Sekigahara. A bitter fight to the death ensued, and the results would determine the course of Japanese history for the next 250 years. On the battlefield was the warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa, a man desiring domain over the entire island of Japan, but standing in his way was Ishida Mitsunari, a warlord controlling vast swaths of western Japan. Moving with his armies from the east, Ieyasu maneuvered into a position at Sekigahara. Ieyasu was relying heavily on the legendary Japanese samurai, but contrary to popular belief, the samurai warriors of that era were avid firearm users, and this battle would be no exception, as both armies bristled with muskets and cannons. Ieyasu was outnumbered, but he had a trump card: traitors placed in the enemy army. These treacherous warlords would join Ieyasu in the midst of the battle, turning it in his favor. When Ieyasu became shogun (military dictator) of Japan, he presided over the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate, which brought peace and stability to all of Japan if only by ending the constant civil wars. Many changes took place, most notably in the capabilities of the samurai, Japan’s ruling military class, who were no longer active combat participants. Instead, most of these warriors were fighters in name only, ruling, instead, as privileged bureaucrats. They served the Tokugawa Shogunate, a military government that moved to isolate Japan from the rest of the world, for more than two centuries, and military service became the exclusive domain of a privileged warrior class that combined the military with an intricate network of social status and vassalage to feudal lords."

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bushido: The Soul of Japan

"Nitobe Inazō (1862 –1933) was a Japanese agricultural economist, author, educator, diplomat and politician. His book, ‘Bushido; The Soul of Japan’ explains Samurai culture to a western audience. First published in English in 1900, ‘Bushido’ takes a look at the virtues associated with the warrior’s way: rectitude, courage, benevolence, politeness, sincerity, honor, loyalty and self-control. Identifying the roots of Bushido in Buddhism, Shintoism and Confucianism, he examines correspondences in Western philosophy, from modern thinkers down the ages through Greco-Roman culture all the way back to Biblical times. The author found many resemblances between the Samurai ethos and the spirit of medieval chivalry. 'Bushido' became an international bestseller, popular with intellectuals and statesmen, and has been translated into more than twenty languages."

Inazo Nitobe (Author), Bridget Lawrence (Narrator)

Audiobook

Sekigahara and Shiroyama: The History of the Battles that Unified and Modernized Japan

"On October 21, 1600, two massive Japanese armies, totaling an estimated 200,000 soldiers armed to the teeth with swords, yari (spears), arrows, muskets and cannons, faced off on a battlefield near the town of Sekigahara. A bitter fight to the death ensued, and the results would determine the course of Japanese history for the next 250 years. On the battlefield was the warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa, a man desiring domain over the entire island of Japan, but standing in his way was Ishida Mitsunari, a warlord controlling vast swaths of western Japan. Moving with his armies from the east, Ieyasu maneuvered into a position at Sekigahara. Ieyasu was relying heavily on the legendary Japanese samurai, but contrary to popular belief, the samurai warriors of that era were avid firearm users, and this battle would be no exception, as both armies bristled with muskets and cannons. Ieyasu was outnumbered, but he had a trump card: traitors placed in the enemy army. These treacherous warlords would join Ieyasu in the midst of the battle, turning it in his favor. On September 25, 1877, on a rain-soaked, muddy field in Kagoshima, Japan, a small group of proud samurai warrior rebels prepared for one last stand. It was early morning, 6:00 a.m., and the remaining 40 samurai warriors still capable of fighting prepared themselves for the glory of death on the battlefield. They had been shelled by powerful artillery guns and naval cannons relentlessly through the night, and the rebels had no real shelter or protection. Instead, they cowered like rats in small, rain-filled mud holes, showered by a torrent of steel shells and shrapnel. For seven months, the samurai rebels had fought a losing battle against the army of Emperor Meiji, the new ruler of Japan’s central government. It was a modern army, filled with conscripts, armed with rifles, and trained in European tactics."

Charles River Editors (Author), Bill Hare (Narrator)

Audiobook

Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent

"The first definitive natural history of the Indian subcontinent. Did you know that the exquisite caves of Ellora were hewn from rock formed in the greatest lava floods the world has known-eruptions so enormous that they may well have obliterated dinosaurs? Or that Bengaluru owes its unique climate to a tectonic event that took place 88 million years ago? That the Ganga and Brahmaputra sequester nearly 20 per cent of global carbon, and their sediments over millions of years have etched submarine canyons in the Bay of Bengal that are larger than the Grand Canyon? Ever heard of Rajasaurus, an Indian dinosaur which was perhaps more ferocious than T rex? Many such amazing facts and discoveries-from 70-million-year-old crocodile eggs in Mumbai to the nesting ground of dinosaurs near Ahmedabad-are a part of Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent. Researching across wide-ranging scientific disciplines and travelling with scientists all over the country, biochemist Pranay Lal has woven together the first compelling narrative of India's deep natural history, filled with fierce reptiles, fantastic dinosaurs, gargantuan mammals and amazing plants. This story, which includes a rare collection of images, illustrations and maps, starts at the very beginning-from the time when a galactic swirl of dust coalesced to become our life-giving planet-and ends with the arrival of our ancestors on the banks of the Indus. Pranay Lal tells this story with verve, lucidity and an infectious enthusiasm that comes from his deep, abiding love of nature."

Pranay Lal (Author), Vikrant Chaturvedi (Narrator)

Audiobook

Alexander the Great in India: The History and Legacy of the Macedonian King’s Final Campaign

"After he had finished off the Persian Empire, Alexander must have been glad to leave Persia and its adjoining provinces at his back. Alexander was planning to march onwards, into India, and had made overtures to the wild tribesmen that inhabited the region that is now Pakistan, but he had been abruptly refused. The chieftains of the hill clans who guarded the passes of the mighty Hindu Kush mountains were determined to make a fight of it, secure in the knowledge that the high passes of their domains were virtually unconquerable. Alexander, never one to accept defiance, made his preparations and, in midwinter, a season traditionally reserved for rearmament and regrouping, he began his campaign. The Aspasioi, the Guraeans and the Assakenoi, inhabitants of the rocky valleys of north-western Pakistan, all opposed him, so Alexander destroyed their fortresses one by one, determined to extinguish them. The hill clans were fierce fighters, and each fortress, small though they generally were, was only carried by storm after days of vicious fighting which resulted in grievous losses among the Macedonian ranks. To give an idea of the brutality of this conflict, Alexander himself was seriously wounded twice during two separate sieges, taking a javelin through the shoulder fighting the Aspasioi and then a spear-thrust to the ankle in the assault against the Assakenoi fortress of Massaga. His reprisal was fierce: every fortress of the hill clans that did not surrender him was razed to the ground, and its inhabitants put to the sword, to the last man. Despite the war-weariness of his veterans and many of his generals, after having vanquished the hill tribes Alexander pressed south and east into the Punjab. There he clashed with the most powerful enemy he had encountered since he had vanquished Darius at Gaugamela, the great Indian ruler Rajah Porus, whose domains included virtually the whole Punjab and who commanded an army tens of thousands strong."

Charles River Editors (Author), Daniel Houle (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Guía de Viaje económica de Tailandia:: Tips esenciales y consejos de qué hacer y no hace

"¿Te gustaría viajar pero crees que necesitas mucho dinero? ¿Te gustaría conocer el mundo pero no sabes cómo armar un presupuesto o cómo hacerlo de manera económica? ¡Entonces este libro es para ti! En este libro te enseñaremos a viajar de manera económica, daremos recomendaciones de restaurantes imperdibles, daremos diferentes consejos para disfrutarlo como local. Fun Facts y te ayudaremos a organizar ese viaje que tanto anhelas. ¿Qué es lo que estás esperando? Si quieres conocer Phuket en Tailandia, usa este libro como referencia para recorrer diferentes ciudades con bajo presupuesto."

Giselle Johnson (Author), Keymer Roa (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - Guía de Viaje económica de Tailandia:: Tips esenciales y consejos de qué hacer y no hace

"¿Te gustaría viajar pero crees que necesitas mucho dinero? ¿Te gustaría conocer el mundo pero no sabes cómo armar un presupuesto o cómo hacerlo de manera económica? ¡Entonces este libro es para ti! En este libro te enseñaremos a viajar de manera económica, daremos recomendaciones de restaurantes imperdibles, daremos diferentes consejos para disfrutarlo como local. Fun Facts y te ayudaremos a organizar ese viaje que tanto anhelas. ¿Qué es lo que estás esperando? Si quieres conocer Bangkok en Tailandia usa este libro como referencia para recorrer diferentes ciudades con bajo presupuesto."

Giselle Johnson (Author), Juan Lima Martinez (Narrator)

Audiobook

An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments with Truth

"Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi one of the greatest men to walk this earth, begins the story of his life with descriptions of his childhood in Porbandar and Rajkot in Gujarat, his schooldays, his early marriage, the lessons he learnt when he tried stealing, told lies and smoked cigrattes, and his unshakable devotion to his parents. he then tells us of his journeys abroad, first to England and then to south Africa, and narrates in simple, lucid language his transformation from a shy, diffident young man with a chronic fear of public speaking to a fearless lawyer and leader of men who took on the might of the British empire."

M. K. Gandhi (Author), Akshay Ghildiyal (Narrator)

Audiobook

Tap Code: The Epic Survival Tale of a Vietnam POW and the Secret Code That Changed Everything

"Discover never-before-told details of POW underground operations during the Vietnam War told through one airman's inspiring story of true love, honor, and courage. Air Force pilot Captain Carlyle 'Smitty' Harris was shot down over Vietnam on April 4, 1965 and taken to the infamous Hoa Lo prison--nicknamed the 'Hanoi Hilton.' For the next eight years, Smitty and hundreds of other American POWs--including John McCain and George 'Bud' Day--suffered torture, solitary confinement, and unimaginable abuse. It was there that Smitty covertly taught many other POWs the Tap Code--an old, long-unused method of communication from World War II. Using the code, they could softly tap messages of encouragement to lonely neighbors and pass along resistance policies from their leaders. The code quickly became a lifeline during their internment. It helped the prisoners boost morale, stay unified, communicate the chain of command, and prevail over a brutal enemy. Meanwhile, back home in the United States, Harris's wife, Louise, raised their three children alone, unsure of her husband's fate for seven long years. One of the first POW wives of the Vietnam War, she became a role model for other military wives by advocating for herself and her children in her husband's absence. Told through both Smitty's and Louise's voices, Tap Code shares the riveting true story of: - Ingenuity under pressure - Strength and dignity in the face of a frightening enemy - The hope, faith, and resolve necessary to endure even the darkest circumstances Praise for Tap Code: 'Tap Code is an incredible story about two American heroes. Col. 'Smitty' Harris and his wife, Louise, epitomize the definition of commitment--to God, to country, and to family. This tale of extreme perseverance will restore your faith in the human spirit.' --Brigadier General John Nichols, USAF 'The incomprehensibly long ordeal of the Harris family is agonizing. Their love, faith, loyalty, and courage epitomize all that is good about America.' --Lt. Col. Orson Swindle, USMC (ret.), POW, Hanoi, 11/11/1966 to 3/4/1973"

Carlyle S. Harris, Sara W. Berry (Author), Ginny Welsh, Henry O. Arnold (Narrator)

Audiobook

Asia Audiobooks in History