Empire
The Life, Legend, and Madness of Howard Hughes
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Narrated by:
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Christopher Hurt
About this listen
Hughes had always been different. Certainly his riches set him apart, but he was also tough. Orphaned and a millionaire at 18, Hughes repudiated his relatives, seized control of the Hughes Tool Company, the linchpin of his fortune, and went on to become a flamboyant movie producer, holder of many world aviation records, principal owner of Trans World Airlines, a critically important defense contractor, Hollywood's most pursued and elusive bachelor, and partner of the United States government.
This is an epic biography of an epic figure who bestrode the world like a colossus yet could not master himself.
©1979 Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele (P)1994 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"Of all the books written about Howard Hughes, Empire is easily the best...." (New York Times Book Review)
"A remarkable job of investigative reporting....cracks Hughes's public persona as it disentangles the psychodrama of his private doings." (Publishers Weekly)
"[The] most responsible and authoritative biography of Hughes to date." (Newsweek)
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Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
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An interesting set of introductions.
- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
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MOVE: The Untold Story of an American Tragedy
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- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
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This searing audio documentary brings listeners deep inside the unforgettable story of MOVE, gaining unprecedented access to surviving MOVE members, elected officials from the era, eyewitnesses, and historians to create an indelible portrait of an American tragedy.
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Balanced Examination of History
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World War 2 in the Pacific Collection: Across Wake Island, Bataan, Guadalcanal, Corregidor, and Iwo Jima
- Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific, The Saga of Pappy Gunn, On Valor's Side, The Coastwatchers, They Call it Pacific, Joe Foss Flying Marine, South from Corregidor, The Story of Wake Island, & Mission Beyond Darkness
- By: Robert Lackie, General George C. Kenney, T. Grady Gallant, and others
- Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks Cast
- Length: 66 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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This is a nine-book bundle on the Pacific War, the theatre of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and Oceania. The Pacific War saw the Allies pitted against Japan, aided by Thailand and its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. Fighting included some of the largest naval battles in history, and the war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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Good collection, great bargain well worth a credit
- By R. Denton on 08-13-21
By: Robert Lackie, and others
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The Secret History of Christmas
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- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
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Christmas is the single biggest annual event on the planet, a time for merry-making, over-indulgence, peace, goodwill, and the occasional family row. It’s as comfortable and familiar as a pair of old shoes and yet still glittery and exciting. But what do you really know about it? It’s stuffed full of traditions and rituals that most of us have been observing all our lives without having the slightest idea of where they come from.
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Fascinating and Entertaining
- By Laura Carrington on 11-23-22
By: Bill Bryson
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Helter Skelter
- The True Story of the Manson Murders
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- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins
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Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.
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Everything I remembered about the case was wrong..
- By karen on 06-22-12
By: Vincent Bugliosi, and others
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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What listeners say about Empire
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-26-19
A bit long... very detailed
I personally wanted to hear more about his flying days. That part seemed short compared to the length of this book. Overall I learned everything about Howard Hughes.
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2 people found this helpful
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- K B Lee
- 06-22-17
Very well done. Greatly enjoyed it
A very complicated and astounding story masterfully presented. Would highly recommend it if you are interested in Howard Hughes.
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- melanie
- 12-19-12
Great insight into Hughes life
I enjoyed the Hughes biography, the narration is good, though there were some noticeable spots where words were recorded and inserted instead of rerecording the sentence or paragraph. I learned a lot about Hughes' life, though the book did run a little long.
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- Dave
- 09-06-16
EVERYTHING you Ever wanted to know about HRH
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
My books are during 1 hour ride to & from work, 5 days per week for 10 hours. This book had some dry spells, but overall I found it educational.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
I think the pinnacle is the 'Spruce Goose', but there are so many different things he did, it's difficult to peg any one.
Least interesting was the in depth reading of the multiple hand written instructions for every aspect of his mad, mad solitude.
What didn’t you like about Christopher Hurt’s performance?
For the documentary present, it was well read. Par for documentary, some dry spots, but not taking away overall.
Could you see Empire being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
There are already movies. Most recent being "The Aviator"
Any additional comments?
A very long book, I appreciated its additional information even if it did get boring at times. I have long fascinated in HRH, mainly for his aviation interests. I learned much about the many other things he obsessed over. In the end I realized he swung onto the scene due to his parents untimely demise, and without proper direction, became a spoiled, self indulged brat. That said, he and those working for him did make great strides in the science of aviation.
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- Kelly Shores
- 01-19-24
Interesting Man - OK Book
This book's structure and production of the audio book are not great. But the subject is truly interesting, so it kept me engaged despite the distractions of the way it's recorded.
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- James
- 04-02-14
Fascinating, Fascinating, Fascinating!!!
I've read several books about Howard Hughes throughout the years, but this book by Donald Bartlett, tops them all!
The author takes us on an intriguing adventure that totally captivates you from start to finish. Hughes, as has been well chronicled throughout the years, was an intriguing, yet dashing figure and personality throughout the mid-part of the last century. When he was younger, he had the world at his fingertips, with movie starlets for girlfriends anytime he wanted, boatloads full of money, the ear of every influential politician of his era, and so much more.
It's an intriguing tale of what we may nowadays call "mental illness", which was fueled by addictions to painkillers and narcotics, psychosis, a mistrust of people in general, fear of germs and, finally, his own "inner circle" closing in around him and taken advantage of him while he mindlessly toiled away the days/weeks watching television butt naked as he eventually lost control of his empire.
The story did get a little tedious when the author went into probably a little bit too much detail, and some of the business dealings that Hughes was able to construct, but other than that, this text will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.
I don't know if I learned anything new about the life and times of Howard Hughes, but this rendition of the story that is been told before, is by far the very best. A must-read for those who like mystery, intrigue, adventure, featuring one of the wealthiest and best-known personalities that this country has ever produced.
Excellent!!!
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6 people found this helpful
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- Sally
- 01-01-17
I want the abridged copy
Howard Hughes was obviously a complex person with a fascinating history. The problem is this book is wrapped in minutiae and a a story that I would love to hear was overpowered by trivial details
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5 people found this helpful
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- Michael Sheaffer
- 01-28-15
Too Long
What did you like best about Empire? What did you like least?
The transparency and revelation of the myth of Howard jhughes and the truth of his psycopathy.
Would you recommend Empire to your friends? Why or why not?
No, too long-needs serious editing-way too much detail
Was Empire worth the listening time?
half
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1 person found this helpful
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- John
- 07-09-12
Too Much Detail on Trivial Matters
Any additional comments?
The book goes on for 30-40 minutes detailing correspondence between Howard's mother and his summer camp leader when Howard was around 7 or 8. "Please make certain Howard has plenty of thick socks for summer activites", "I assure you madame, Howard will have an ample number of socks for the summer", etc., etc. 30 to 40 minutes of this? Seriously? This could have been abridged.
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6 people found this helpful
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- jtflag
- 03-26-21
The man was more interesting than the details
The years of the young Hughes are well known. But the tedium of his later years are less enjoyable. The author takes great pains to display all details, even to the point of giving mini biographies of each lawyer in the Hughes inheritance law battles. Less detail there would have helped the presentation. But the first 2/3 of the book were quite enjoyable.
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