# Excellent Nonfiction Audio Books or Lectures **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 29, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455 "2005-10-29T11:31:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![enitocinnlonahte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@enitocinnlonahte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enitocinnlonahte)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/1 "2005-10-29T11:31:45Z")
I am listening to Richard Feynman - Lectures on Physics at the moment. What are some other good ones? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/2 "2005-10-29T16:12:38Z")
> [@enitocinnlonahte](#): > > I am listening to Richard Feynman - Lectures on Physics at the moment. What are some other good ones? I liked How to Listen to and Understand Great Music, by Robert Greenberg I believe, published by the Teaching Company. They put out a lot of nonfiction books or lectures on tape. I listened to the early-music section second to last because I didn’t think it would be exciting, and I skipped some of the opera parts. I think the whole course is something like 40 tapes. It covers the history of western music from the Renaissance up through the early 20th century. He talks a lot about the different forms, styles and composers but not much in the way of theory. A large portion of the tapes consist of musical exerpts. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/3 "2005-10-29T16:27:05Z")
[Here’s the course.](http://www.teach12.com/ttc/assets/coursedescriptions/700.asp?pc=Fine+Arts+and+Music) It’s always weird to see someone’s face after hearing their voice for a long time. That’s not how I pictured Robert Greenberg. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/4 "2005-10-29T16:30:17Z")
_Last Chance to See_ by Douglas Adams is the most entertaining nonfiction book ever, and quite possibly the best Douglas Adams book as well. There’s an audiobook read by the author. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/5 "2005-10-29T16:42:24Z")
I guess that whether you think these are “excellent” or not might depend on your politics, but i like listening to the speeches and interviews available at the [A-Infos Radio Project](http://www.radio4all.net/). The stuff is mostly liberal and left-wing, with lots of stuff by prominent leftist commentators, political activists, environmentalists, etc., etc. I also like the National Radio Project’s [Making Contact](http://www.radioproject.org/) shows. I’m sure there are middle-of-the-road or conservative equivalents of this type of thing, if that’s more your style. There’s just no shortage of good stuff to listen to on the internet, and much of this stuff is available for downloading and/or podcasting. ---
**Author:** ![enitocinnlonahte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@enitocinnlonahte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enitocinnlonahte)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/6 "2005-10-29T17:08:55Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > I guess that whether you think these are “excellent” or not might depend on your politics, but i like listening to the speeches and interviews available at the [A-Infos Radio Project](http://www.radio4all.net/). The stuff is mostly liberal and left-wing, with lots of stuff by prominent leftist commentators, political activists, environmentalists, etc., etc. > > I also like the National Radio Project’s [Making Contact](http://www.radioproject.org/) shows. > > I’m sure there are middle-of-the-road or conservative equivalents of this type of thing, if that’s more your style. There’s just no shortage of good stuff to listen to on the internet, and much of this stuff is available for downloading and/or podcasting. Politics or any other subject does not matter. I am more concerned with clarity, rhetoric and information. Anything that literally sounds good and is educational would be great. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/7 "2005-10-29T19:12:13Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/8 "2005-10-29T19:27:48Z")
ABC Radio National provide many of their programs free as [downloadable MP3s or podcasts](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/default.htm) programs include: All In The Mind Delving into all things mental: the latest research and expert commentary on our brains and behaviour. podcast: Entire program, weekly, updating Saturdays at 2pm. Anticipated File size: 13MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/mind.xml) Books and Writing Let Ramona Koval put you in the know about all things literary with in-depth discussions about books, ideas and writing. podcast: Entire program, weekly, updating Sundays at 2.30pm. Anticipated File size: 14MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/bwriting.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/bwriting.xml) The Deep End Sian Prior with what’s happening now in new music, art and culture in Australia and around the world. podcast: Live music from local and international artists, updates Friday 3pm. Anticipated File size: 9 - 12MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/deepend.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/deepend.xml) The Health Report A wide range of topics in the area of health and medicine, considered within their social, scientific and political contexts. podcast: Entire program, weekly, updating Mondays at 10.30am. Anticipated File size: 14MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/health.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/health.xml) The Night Air Hard to describe but you’ll be glad you listened: a mix of all the best uses of radio in one time-slot. podcast: One selected segment a week, updating Sundays 11.30pm. Anticipated File size:22MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/night.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/night.xml) Ockham’s Razor Thoughtful people have their say, without interruption, on important science-related topics. podcast: Entire program, weekly, updating Sundays at 10.30am. Anticipated File size: 5MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/ockham.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/ockham.xml) The Science Show RN’s science flagship: your essential source of what’s making news in the complex world of scientific research, scandal and discovery. podcast: Entire program, weekly, updating Saturdays at 2.30pm. Anticipated File size:22MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/science.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/science.xml) The Spirit of Things An adventure in religion and spirituality, exploring contemporary values and beliefs as expressed through ritual, art, music, and sacred texts. podcast: Entire program, weekly, updating Sundays at 8.30pm. Anticipated File size: 23MB podcast url: [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/spirit.xml](http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/feeds/spirit.xml) ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/9 "2005-10-30T03:05:15Z")
You can get free content from [Stanford](http://itunes.stanford.edu/) by using iTunes (though it uses the same interface application, it’s not connected directly to the ITMS ). ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/10 "2005-10-30T07:07:54Z")
The teaching company puts out a lot of great audio courses. They’re very long and pretty expensive though. ---
**Author:** ![enitocinnlonahte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@enitocinnlonahte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enitocinnlonahte)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2005, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellent-nonfiction-audio-books-or-lectures/328455/11 "2005-10-30T11:55:51Z")
Awesome. Thanks all.