Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, Vol. 1 (Unabridged)
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4.8 • 13 Ratings
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- $34.99
Publisher Description
This fascinating audiobook is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time. It is a history of American folkways as they have changed through time, and it argues a thesis about the importance for the United States of having been British in its cultural origins.
While most people in the United States today have no British ancestors, they have assimilated regional cultures which were created by British colonists, even while preserving ethnic identities at the same time. In this sense, nearly all Americans are "Albion's Seed," no matter what their ethnicity may be. The concluding section of this remarkable audiobook explores the ways that regional cultures have continued to dominate national politics from 1789 to 1988, and still help to shape attitudes toward education, government, gender, and violence, on which differences between American regions are greater than between European nations.
Customer Reviews
Outstanding…
Deeply researched, thought provoking. A truly excellent book, well worth the read.
I just can’t say enough good about this book.
This is hands down, the best ethnocultural history I’ve ever read and I’m not just saying that because I’m English on my fathers side, (third and first wave), I want to read a book like this on every nation on Earth.
Regardless of your heritage, if you’re interested in the ethnic and cultural forces that laid the foundation of American society as we know it, “Albion’s Seed” is the place to start. It will surprise you, this isn’t some self-congratulatory litany of all the great things white people have done, it’s a candid look at the good, the bad and the ugly of our British roots. And I do mean “our” since all Americans become part of it and the truth of it can be seen all around us.
“Albion’s Seed” is a scholarly work. some may find it a bit dry or the minutia a little too minute, I found it endlessly fascinating and enlightening. It is superbly written and accessible to the general reader. The audiobook production is near perfect and the narrator is excellent.
Recommended with enthusiasm - and I will be looking for more of Dr. Fischer's work.