Multimedia Curriculum

History will never be the same again!

This spirited reading of the first in Susan Wise Bauer's Story of the World history series brings to life the stories and records of the peoples of ancient times.

Now more than ever, other countries and customs affect our everyday lives-and our children need to learn about the people who live all around the globe. Susan Wise Bauer has provided a captivating guide to the history of the ancient world. Written in an engaging, straightforward manner, The Story of the World weaves world history into a storybook format. This volume covers the major historical events from the beginning of civilization to the fall of the Roman Empire.

This Story of the World audiobook is a collaboration between Jim Weiss, whose voice has been described as “liquid gold” (CNN-TV), and Susan Wise Bauer, whose writing has been described as “timeless and intelligent” (Publishers Weekly). It may be used along with the print books (The Story of the World Volume 1 Text Book, Activity Book, and Tests; each sold separately), as a supplement to a traditional history curriculum, or independently. Approximately 8 hours on 7 audio CDs.

Its famous opening line, "Call me Ishmael," dramatic in its stark simplicity, begins an epic that is widely regarded as the greatest novel ever written by an American. Labeled variously a realistic story of whaling, a romance of unusual adventure and eccentric characters, a symbolic allegory, and a drama of heroic conflict, Moby Dick is first and foremost a great story. It has both the humor and poignancy of a simple sea ballad, as well as the depth and universality of a grand odyssey. When Melville's father died in 1832, the young man's financial security went too. For a while he turned to school-mastering and clerking, but failed to make a sustainable income. In 1840 he signed up on the whaler, Acushnet, out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was just 21. A whaler's life turned out to be both arduous and dangerous, and in 1842, Melville deserted ship. Out of this experience and a wealth of printed sources, Melville crafted his masterpiece.