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Last edited by EdwardBot
February 8, 2011 | History

The Gift 10 editions

Cover of: The Gift by Lewis Hyde
About the Book

The Gift has come to be regarded as a modern classic. This inspiring examination of the "gift economy" is even more relevant now than when it originally appeared - a brilliantly argued defence of the place of creativity in our increasingly market-orientated society. The Gift takes as its opening premise the idea that a work of art is a gift and not a commodity. Hyde proceeds to show how "the commerce of the creative spirit" functions in the lives of artists and within culture as a whole, backing up his radical thesis with illuminating examples from economics, literature, anthropology and psychology. Whether discussing the circulations of gifts in tribal societies, the ethics of usury, the woman given in marriage or Whitman's Leaves of Grass, this wide-ranging book is as entertaining as it is ground-breaking, a masterful analysis of the creative act in all its manifestations. It is in itself an extraordinary gift to all who discover it.

Excerpts

When the Puritans first landed in Massachusetts, they discovered a thing so curious about the Indians' feelings for property that they felt called upon to give it a name.
added anonymously.

Classifications

Dewey 306/.32

1 List Details

10 editions First published in 1983

Edition Read Borrow Buy
Cover of: The gift
1983, Random House
The gift
in English
Cover of: The gift
1983, Random House
The gift
in English
Cover of: The Gift
February 12, 1983, Vintage
The Gift
in English
Cover of: The gift
1983, Vintage Books
The gift
in English - 1st Vintage Books ed.
Cover of: The Gift
November 2, 2006, Canongate Books Ltd
The Gift
Hardcover
Cover of: The gift
2007, Vintage Books
The gift
in English - 25th anniversary ed. 2nd Vintage Books ed.
Cover of: The Gift
September 6, 2007, Canongate Books Ltd
The Gift
Paperback - New Ed edition
Cover of: The Gift
December 4, 2007, Vintage
The Gift
Paperback in English - 25 Anv edition
Cover of: The Gift
2009, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
The Gift
eBook in English
Cover of: The Gift
2009, Canongate Books
The Gift
eBook in English

History Created December 10, 2009 · 8 revisions
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February 8, 2011 Edited by EdwardBot add lending subjects
January 20, 2011 Edited by ImportBot add subjects from new record
June 23, 2010 Edited by ImportBot add details from OverDrive
June 22, 2010 Edited by ImportBot add details from OverDrive
December 10, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page