A Short History of the World According to Sheep cover art

A Short History of the World According to Sheep

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A Short History of the World According to Sheep

By: Sally Coulthard
Narrated by: Karen Cass
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About this listen

An addictively free-ranging survey of the massive impact that the domesticated ungulates of the genus Ovis have had on human history.

From the plains of ancient Mesopotamia to the rolling hills of medieval England to the vast sheep farms of modern-day Australia, sheep have been central to the human story.

Starting with our Neolithic ancestors' first forays into sheep-rearing nearly 10,000 years ago, these remarkable animals have fed us, clothed us, changed our diet and languages, helped us to win wars, decorated our homes and financed the conquest of large swathes of the earth. Enormous fortunes and new, society-changing industries have been made from the fleeces of sheep and cities shaped by shepherds' markets and meat trading.

Sally Coulthard weaves the rich and fascinating story of sheep into a vivid and colourful tapestry, thickly threaded with engaging anecdotes and remarkable ovine facts, whose multiple strands reflect the deep penetration of these woolly animals into every aspect of human society and culture.

©2020 Sally Coulthard (P)2020 Head of Zeus Animals Biological Sciences Environment Outdoors & Nature Science Ancient History City War Textile History

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Critic reviews

"This book deserves a place in your bookcase next to Harari's Sapiens. It's every bit as fascinating and is surely destined to be just as successful." (Julian Norton)

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I loved this book. Lots of history amusing and surprising facts and confirmation of things I thought I knew.

Totally absorbing

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If you live here - on planet Earth - then you will enjoy this fascinating journey from then till now with Sheep at our side.

Great book

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I really enjoyed the book.

Comprehensive for so small a read and
I learned a lot.

The Narrator redeemed her pronunciation of Soay eventually.
Other pronunciations were a bit strange but her performance was overall really good.

I'd happily listen again.

loved the book.

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I never thought listening to a history book told through the intertwined relationship humans have had with sheep would be something I’d be interested in. However, the entire seven hours of this book were enthralling, interesting, engaging and something I will recommend to many people for years to come.

Incredibly interesting & unique

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It was very England centric given the title. More a history of England and sheep than sheep in the history of the world. Interesting despite that, but I was expecting more international sheep! Also the pronunciation of the Scottish placenames and words were wildly out. Fortunately there weren't many of them!

A history of (mostly) English sheep

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This is a fascinating compendium of stories,ideas, and fact . it is similar to Bill Bryson at his best. Very wide ranging in scope there are many opportunities to take a reference and learn more. After listening, I bought my own hard copy.
It was good to hear a talented narrator with a regional accent - never dull.

An outstanding book and performance

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I never thought I'd find a book about sheep interesting, but I've really enjoyed this one.

entertaining and educational. soild listen if you have an interest in history.

For a book about sheep, it's actually quite good!

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... and not much history either, it is little more than a loose collection of anecdotes, really.

Few sheep, mostly English

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Thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating history which outlines the influence sheep and humans have had on each other. Full of interesting facts. As a knitter, I was surprised by just how much I didn’t know. An easy listen and well-narrated, though the mispronunciation of place names did grate - hence the lower rating for this.

Ovine odyssey

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I really enjoyed the humour that was brought to this book, it kept me throughly engaged. I also enjoyed the production of the audio book, there was just one issue with the recording where it jumped and missed half a sentence.

Throughly enjoyed this book

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