Forbidden knowledge — Audiobook
The instrumentWhen will you finish it?
Based on 10.9 hours of listening (estimated).
| Your pace | You'll finish in |
|---|---|
| 30 min / day | 22 days |
| 1 hour / day | 11 days |
| 2 hours / day | 6 days |
| 1 hour / day at 1.5× | 8 days |
You'll finish in—by —
What our data says
- At 10.9 hours (estimated), it runs longer than 74% of the mystery audiobooks we measured.
- That's 20% longer than the average mystery audiobook (9.1 hrs across 161 titles in our dataset).
Computed from mystery audiobooks in The Books Insider dataset; listening time estimated from page count.
Who is this for?
Best for mystery listeners — a solid week of commutes at 10.9 hours (estimated).
About the book
Forbidden Knowledge boldly traces the tragic arc of Western literature and culture as it explores the notion of "forbidden knowledge," from the sexual innocence of Adam and Eve to the awe-inspiring discoveries of modern scientists who have created the atomic bomb and recombinant DNA. The result is a dire portrait of human presumption and of a culture that has abandoned all limits in the quest for knowledge and experience. The harrowing imagery that Shattuck presents is matched only by his faith that we can understand our grievous loss of innocence by reexamining our greatest myths and stories of the last two thousand years. In lively, lucid prose Shattuck explores our uncertain fate through such myths as that of Prometheus and a wide range of literary works, including Milton's Paradise Lost, the writings of the Marquis de Sade, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Melville's Billy Budd, and the poetry of Emily Dickinson.
Listen to Forbidden knowledge free
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Start the free trialQuestions listeners ask
How long is the Forbidden knowledge audiobook?
Forbidden knowledge runs about 10.9 hours — our estimate from its 369 pages at a typical narration pace. At 1.5× speed that drops to roughly 7.3 hours.
Can I listen to Forbidden knowledge free?
Yes — with the audiobooks.com free trial. Start the trial, get Forbidden knowledge included, and cancel anytime; the trial stays free.
Is Forbidden knowledge worth listening to at 1.5× speed?
At 1.5× you'd finish in about 7.3 hours — saving 3.6 hours. Most listeners adjust to 1.25–1.5× within a chapter or two.
When was Forbidden knowledge first published?
Forbidden knowledge by Roger Shattuck was first published in 1996.