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The Gift

How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World

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The Gift

By: Lewis Hyde
Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
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About this listen

A modern classic cherished by many of the greatest artists of our time, The Gift is a brilliant, life-changing defense of the value of creative labor.

Drawing on examples from folklore and literature, history and tribal customs, economics and modern copyright law, Lewis Hyde demonstrates how our society - governed by the marketplace - is poorly equipped to determine the worth of artists’ work. He shows us that another way is possible: the alternative economy of the gift, which allows creations and ideas to circulate freely, rather than hoarding them as commodities.

Illuminating and transformative, The Gift is a triumph of originality and insight - an essential audiobook for anyone who has ever given or received a work of art.

©1983 by W. Lewis Hyde. Preface © 2019 by W. Lewis Hyde. Afterword © 2007 by W. Lewis Hyde (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing Anthropology Art Creativity Personal Development
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