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Edmund Burke

A Genius Reconsidered

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Edmund Burke

By: Russell Kirk
Narrated by: Jeff Riggenbach
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About this listen

 Russell Kirk has ingeniously combined into a living whole the private Burke and the public Burke. He gives us a fresh assessment of Burke, a statesman enjoying even greater influence today than in his own time.

He lucidly unfolds Burke's philosophy, showing how it revealed itself in concrete historical situations in the 18th century and how Burke, through his philosophy, "speaks to our age".

This volume makes vivid the four great struggles in the life of Burke: his work for conciliation with the American colonies; his involvement in cutting down the domestic power of George III; his prosecution of Warren Hastings, the Governor-General of India; and his resistance to Jacobinism, the French Revolution's "armed doctrine."

In each of these great phases of his public life, Burke fought with passionate eloquence and relentless logic for justice and for the proper balance of order and freedom. With sure instinct born of his sympathy and understanding, Russell Kirk gives us the incisive quotation, the illuminating highlight, the moving, all-too-human elements that bring Burke and his times to vivid life.

©1967 by Russell Kirk (P)1994 by Blackstone Audiobooks Europe Great Britain Historical Political Science Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government England French Revolution

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All stars
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Unfortunately the narrator has an ear-drum shattering voice, and reads at an unnecessary gallop, I needed frequent breaks to avoid headaches. Would not recommend.
Philip Bird (The secret lives of planets) and Tom Ward (Chips Channon) are exemplars.

Disappointed.

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A timeless and elegant portrayal of Burke and his ideas. Although the sound quality (from 1994) is mediocre, the quality of the book rewards attentive listening and re-listening.

Timeless and elegant

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The life and works of Edmund Burke I knew very little about. I know quite a bit more than very little now. I look forward to re-listening to some of the chapters and taking notes. This audiobook has done a good job of laying the foundations of what might be the first step towards getting a generous whiff of the terrible revolutionary air of Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.

No complaints.

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I was occasionally able to get into this biography but found the narration very off-putting. The reader sounded like a computer though with a strong American twang and a strange pronunciation of some words, such as Whigs (sounded like Hwigs) and absolutism. He also decided not to include the definite article in the names of monarchs, so George III was “George Third” rather than George the Third. I’ve never heard anyone deviate from the convention of including the article before and it took my focus away from the text. The narration was odd and idiosyncratic.

Distracting narration

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Russell Kirk's overview of Burke's life and work is the ideal introduction to the great 18th-century thinker, and provides a useful synopsis for those already familiar with him. As soon as I had finished the audiobook I ordered a print edition as I know I will revisit this book. Jeff Riggenbach does an admirable job of narration (the usual Americanisms don't detract unduly from his performance). The only flaw with this audiobook is that one chapter near the end skips like a scratched compact disc, rendering it largely unlistenable. Otherwise, highly recommended.

Masterful overview of Burke's life and work

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If you could sum up Edmund Burke in three words, what would they be?

A great Statesman who understood the need for Individual Liberty. He did not like revolutions, as he predicted that they would be bloody events.

Edmund Burk, a great Genius.

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I really liked this book until the final chapter
The recording jumps forward and backward and it is very hard to follow the narrative,
A great shame and I am now wondering whether to abandon the book 52 minutes from the end

Good general intro spoiled by poor recording

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